WASHINGTON –The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health
Administration today announced a 60-day temporary enforcement policy of its
Confined
Spaces in Construction standard, which becomes effective Aug. 3, 2015. The
agency is postponing full enforcement of the new standard to Oct. 2, 2015, in
response to requests for additional time to train and acquire the equipment
necessary to comply with the new standard.
During this 60-day
temporary enforcement period, OSHA will not issue citations to employers who make
good faith efforts to comply with the new standard. Employers must be in
compliance with either the training requirements of the new standard
or the previous
standard. Employers who fail to train their employees consistent with
either of these two standards will be cited.
Factors that
indicate employers are making good faith efforts to comply include: scheduling
training for employees as required by the new standard; ordering the equipment
necessary to comply with the new standard; and taking alternative measures to educate
and protect employees from confined space hazards.
OSHA issued the
Confined Spaces in Construction final rule on May 4, 2015. The rule provides construction
workers with protections similar to those manufacturing and general industry
workers have, with some differences tailored to the construction industry.
These include requirements to ensure that multiple employers share vital safety
information and to continuously monitor hazards – a safety option made possible
by technological advances after the manufacturing and general industry
standards were created.
OSHA estimates the confined
spaces rule could protect nearly 800 construction workers a year from serious
injuries and reduce life-threatening hazards.
Under the
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for
providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role
is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by
setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and
assistance. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.
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