Proposed Maritime Rules Lost at Sea

March 22, 2002
Talk about procrastination: OSHA is withdrawing four proposed safety standards for shipyard employment, 14 years after they were originally published.

Talk about procrastination: the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is withdrawing four proposed safety standards for shipyard employment, 14 years after they were originally published.

The agency says it only got a few comments on each rule, which were developed to update and consolidate coverage of various shipyard hazards into one standard, and that the comments "provided insufficient information on which to proceed."

A press release from OSHA notes that since the proposed rules were published on Nov. 29, 1988, "newer technologies have been developed … and would need to be incorporated before final rules could be issued."

The specific proposed rules being withdrawn are Scaffolds in Shipyard Employment, Subpart N; Welding, Cutting and Heating in Shipyard Employment, Subpart D; Access and Egress in Shipyards, Subpart E; and Fall Protection for Shipyard Employment, Subpart M. The hazards that these revised rules would address are currently covered under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 29 CFR, Part 1915, Subparts D, E and I.

The agency plans to devote its resources "to higher priority shipyard standards," although no specific standards were mentioned.

For more information, go to www.osha.gov/dts/maritime/index.html.

by Sandy Smith ([email protected])

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeekEHS Today, Material Handling & LogisticsLogistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor:  Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.

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