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In an effort to modernize and clarify standards provisions, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is proposing a slew of changes to areas ranging from record keeping to construction standards. 

A total of 18 changes are on the table and the revisions will save employers an estimated $3.2 million per year.

The anticipated improvements come in the wake of more than a decade of generally improving workplace safety, and will aim to further decrease workplace injuries. Workplace injuries have been steadily declining for the past dozen years, with the exception of 2012, according to information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"The changes we propose will modernize OSHA standards, help employers better understand their responsibilities, increase compliance and reduce compliance costs," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. "Most importantly, these revisions will improve the safety and health protections afforded to workers across all industries."

According to the most recent information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were nearly 3 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses reported by private industry employers in 2014. There were 4,679 fatal work injuries, which was slightly up from the 4,585, the year prior. Statistics for workplace fatalities in 2015 are set to be released in December.

The revisions are based on responses to a 2012 public Request for Information and suggestions from the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health, the Office of Management and Budget and OSHA staff, according to OSHA.

Some of the areas OSHA is looking to improve include; permitting the storage of x-rays digitally, as the requirement for storing them on film predated “the existence of digital x-ray and storage technology;” modernizing cotton-dust lung-function testing requirements; and removing from “general industry, construction, and maritime standards” any requirement to include employee Social Security Numbers in a number of records to “protect employee privacy and prevent identity fraud.”

Further, OSHA is adjusting its requirements for dealing with feral cats in certain instances.

“Existing requirements in the sanitation standard for Shipyard Employment specify that employers must maintain workplaces in a manner that prevents vermin infestation. OSHA recognizes that feral cats pose a minor, if any, threat, and tend to avoid human contact, and OSHA proposes to remove the term ‘feral cats’ from the definition of vermin in the standard,” according to information from OSHA.

Additional recommendations can be found here.

OSHA’s process to update its standards has seven steps, with some taking as long as three years to complete. Preliminary activities and proposals can each take up to 36 months, according to information from OSHA, followed by two to three months to publish the rules; six to 24 months to develop and analyze the rulemaking record; 18 to 36 months to develop the final rule; another two to three months to publish the final rule and up to a year for “post-promulgation activities.”

This is the fourth rule proposed as part of OSHA’s Standards Improvement Project. The project started in 1995. Three other sets of standards alterations were issued in 1998, 2005 and 2011.

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