The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will issue several new final rules in early 2016, according to a November article in The National Law Review.


The fall semiannual regulatory agenda for federal agencies, a list of all regulatory actions under active consideration, was released on Nov. 20, 2015. Within the agenda, the Department of Labor has 31 regulatory entries for OSHA actions, and 14 of these actions remain in the prerule stage in which OSHA gathers relevant information. Six agency actions remain in the proposed rule stage, and 11 are in the final rule stage.


The number of prerulemaking agenda items has doubled since the spring regulatory agenda, according to The National Law Review.


These rules vary from workplace injury to tree care. OSHA soon plans to approve final rules for silica, improving the tracking of workplace injuries and illnesses, and walking working surfaces. OSHA will issue requests for information in fall 2016 for updates to rules regarding lockout/tagout and powered industrial trucks.


OSHA is considering several regulatory actions, including the following:


• An agency review of public comment until December 2015 for clarification of employer’s continuing obligation to make and maintain accurate records of each recordable injury and illness


• A final rule anticipated in February 2016 for occupational exposure to 
crystalline silica


• A final rule anticipated in March 2016 to improve tracking of workplace 
injuries and illnesses


• A notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) anticipated in March 2016 for crane operator qualification in construction


• A final rule anticipated in April 2016 for Walking Working Surfaces—
General Industry (Subparts D and I)


• Completing the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (SBREFA) in April 2016 to process safety management and prevention of major chemical accidents


• A stakeholder meeting in June 2016 for a tree-care standard


• Initiating the SBREFA in August 2016 for occupational exposure to combustible dust


According to the agenda, OSHA plans to hold a stakeholder meeting in June 2016, for potential rulemaking in the tree-care industry.


“There is no OSHA standard for tree-care operations; the agency currently applies a patchwork of standards to address the serious hazards in this industry,” the regulatory agenda states. “Tree care continues to be a high-hazard industry. Stakeholder meetings will allow the agency to update the record and proceed to a future rulemaking.”


For more on OSHA’s plans in 2016, turn to page 66 for the annual OSHA outlook.