The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a Proposed Rule in order to review its overall approach to managing chemical exposures in the workplace. This proposal (ID: OSHA-2012-0023-0001) was posted in 10/10/2014 and is due to April 8, 2015 11:59 pm. If you want to help improve proposed Federal regulations, you can submit your comments in http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=OSHA-2012-0023. In this site you can also search and review original regulatory documents, as well as comments submitted by others.
The majority of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) were adopted in 1971. After a few past attempts to lower PELs and add new (1989), the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in 1991 challenged and ultimately vacated the final rule by citing deficiencies in OSHA’s analyses.
It is a common secret among industry, labor, and professional occupational safety and health organizations that OSHA’s PELs are out of date and have to be revised.
This Request for Information (RFI) aims to find input from the public in order to help the OSHA discover more efficient and effective ways to address challenges found in recent regulatory approach related to occupational exposure to chemicals. It basically involves chemicals that cause harmful health effects from long-term occupational exposure, and is not associated with performed activities under Executive Order 13650, Improving Chemical Facility Safety and Security.
Dates
Comments can be submitted as a Hard copy (postmarked or sent) or as Electronic transmission or facsimile by April 8, 2015.
Addresses
There are 3 ways to make submissions. You can submit your comments:

  • Electronically at: www.regulations.gov , which is the official Federal e Rulemaking Portal.
  • By fax to the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-1648. These submissions should be less than 10 pages (including attachments).
  • By Mail, hand delivery, express mail, or messenger or courier service: Submit 3 copies to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket No. OSHA-2012-0023, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-2625, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210. Deliveries (hand, express mail, messenger, and courier service) are accepted during the Department of Labor and Docket Office’s normal business hours, 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. (E.T.).

For more information, visit: www.regulations.gov