The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has recently issued its budget justification for 2014.  OSHA claims in the justification that enforcement inspections result in safer workplaces and provide employers significant savings through reduced workman’s compensation costs.  Within the funding request OSHA  projects that it will issue four Final Rules (Infectious Disease, Recordkeeping Modernization, Beryllium, and Vertical Tandem Lifts), seven Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (Standards Improvement Project Phase IV, Infectious Disease, Injury and Illness Prevention Programs, Combustible Dust, Backover Protection from vehicles and equipment, and two consensus standard update actions), and initiate SBREFA reviews for five rules (Combustible Dust, Backover Protection, one chemical standard, and two other initiatives).  SBREFA reviews involve an assessment of the impact on small businesses.

If you need assistance or would like to schedule a compliance review or audit contact Kevin Chaplin at kevinc@smithmanage.com.