Yesterday the OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) announced that it had received a notice of proposed rulemaking from DOL’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on “Emergency Response”. This new standard would replace in entirety the existing 29 CFR 1910.156, Fire brigades.
According to the entry in the Spring 2023 Unified Agenda for this rulemaking:
“OSHA currently regulates aspects of emergency response and preparedness; some of these standards were promulgated decades ago, and none were designed as comprehensive emergency response standards. Consequently, they do not address the full range of hazards or concerns currently facing emergency responders, and other workers providing skilled support, nor do they reflect major changes in performance specifications for protective clothing and equipment. The agency acknowledges that current OSHA standards also do not reflect all the major developments in safety and health practices that have already been accepted by the emergency response community and incorporated into industry consensus standards. OSHA is considering updating these standards with information gathered through an RFI and public meetings.”
According to the OSHA website’ slightly dated page for this rulemaking:
“The primary focus of the Emergency
Response rule would be to protect workers who respond to emergencies as part of
their regularly assigned duties. Examples include: fire brigades/workplace
emergency response teams, industrial and municipal fire fighters, technical
rescuers, emergency medical service providers, etc. OSHA does not intend to
regulate those first responders solely engaged in law enforcement, crime
prevention, or security.”
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