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WASHINGTON, DC –
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) today issued a final rule to extend the compliance date for specific
ancillary requirements of the general industry beryllium standard to Dec. 12,
2018.
This
extension affects provisions for methods of compliance, beryllium work
areas, regulated areas, personal protective clothing and equipment, hygiene
facilities and practices, housekeeping, communication of hazards, and
recordkeeping. This compliance date
extension does not affect the compliance dates for other requirements of the
general industry beryllium standard.
OSHA has determined
that the extension will maintain essential safety and health protections for
workers while the agency prepares a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to clarify
certain provisions of the beryllium standard that would maintain the standard’s
worker safety and health protections, and address employers’ compliance
burdens.
OSHA began
enforcing the new permissible exposure limits for general industry,
construction, and shipyards, and the general industry provisions for exposure
assessment, respiratory protection, medical surveillance, and medical removal
on May 11, 2018. Those requirements are unaffected by this rule. Any provisions
for which the standard already establishes compliance dates in 2019 (change
rooms and showers) or 2020 (engineering controls) are also unaffected by this
rule.
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 help 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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