Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2014/01/16/2014-00530/occupational-safety-and-health-investigations-of-places-of-employment
Timestamp: 2017-05-25 12:34:44
Document Index: 743668116

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 85', '§\u200985', '§\u200985', '§\u200985', '§\u200985', '§\u200985', '§\u200985', '§\u200985', '§\u200985', '§\u200985', '§\u200985', '§\u200985', 'art 85', 'art1', 'art 85', 'art2', '§\u200985', '§\u200985', 'art3', '§\u200985', '§\u200985', '§\u200985', '§\u200985', 'art4', '§\u200985', '§\u200985', 'art5', '§\u200985', '§\u200985', 'art6', '§\u200985', '§\u200985']

:: Occupational Safety and Health Investigations of Places of Employment
A Proposed Rule by the Health and Human Services Department on 01/16/2014
85a.4 Procedures for Initiating Investigations of Places of Employment
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2014-00530
Proposed amendments to 42 CFR part 85a include the following: § 85a.2 (alphabetize definitions and strike definitions of “NIOSH Regional Office,” and “BOM (Bureau of Mines)” and remove reference to “Public Health Service” within the definition of “NIOSH”), § 85a.4 (clarify that the union at the place of employment must be notified of the investigation, and strike reference to BOM), § 85a.5 (replace “motion pictures or videotapes” with “video recordings” and “Human Subjects Review Board” with “Institutional Review Board”), and § 85a.8 (replace “NIOSH Regional Consultant for Occupational Safety and Health” with “NIOSH Education and Information Division.”
Subsection 20(b) of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970 authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make inspections and question employers and employees as provided in section 8 of the OSH Act in order to carry out the Secretary's functions and responsibilities under section 20 [29 U.S.C. 669; 29 U.S.C. 657]. Section 8(g)(2) instructs the Secretary to prescribe such regulations as are deemed necessary to carry out the responsibilities of the agency to conduct inspections of an employer's establishment. Sections 103 and 501 of the Federal Mine Safety and Health (FMSH) Act of 1977 authorize the Secretary to make inspections and investigations at coal mines in order to conduct research as may be appropriate Start Printed Page 2810to improve working conditions [30 U.S.C. 813(a)] and 951, respectively].
Section 85a.2 offers definitions for terms used in this part. HHS proposes a number of changes to this section. First, HHS proposes to remove the paragraph designations and instead to list the terms alphabetically. Next, HHS proposes to strike the definitions of BOM (Bureau of Mines) and NIOSH Regional Office from § 85a.2, because BOM is obsolete and because the addresses of the regional offices referenced here are no longer relevant to this rule. The phrase “Public Health Service” is proposed to be stricken from the definition of “NIOSH,” and the definition of “FMSH Act,” is teased apart from the existing definition of “OSH Act” and is proposes as a stand-alone definition. None of the changes to this section would be substantive.
Section 85a.4 states that the NIOSH authorized representative will contact an official representative of the place of employment prior to a site visit. The NIOSH official will also notify a representative of the appropriate State agency, the local union at the place of employment, the appropriate OSHA Assistant Regional Director, and the appropriate MSHA District Office. HHS proposes minor changes to § 85a.4(a)(2) to strike unnecessary language specifying which union official must be notified, thereby clarifying that the union must be notified; a proposed change to § 85a.4(a)(4) would remove reference to the obsolete Bureau of Mines. Section 85a.4(b) is edited to correspond with the change in paragraph (a)(2). One final proposed change to § 85a.4(c) would add the term “or organizations” to specify that the investigating NIOSH official would notify the individuals or organizations referenced above. HHS proposes no further changes to this section.
Section 85a.7 authorizes the NIOSH representative to advise the employer, owner, operator, or agent in charge, any employees who appear to be in danger, and any of the individuals or agencies identified in § 85a.4 that an imminent danger exists. HHS proposes no changes to this section.
Section 85a.8 states that NIOSH will make specific reports of investigations available to the employer, owner, operator, or agent in charge, as well as to those individuals or agencies identified in § 85a.4. HHS proposes amending § 85a.8(a)(2) to strike reference to “NIOSH Regional Consultant for Occupational Safety and Health” and replace it with the name of the office that will make specific reports available, the “NIOSH Education and Information Division.” HHS proposes no further changes to this section.
The Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA), 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq., requires each agency to consider the potential impact of its regulations on small entities including small businesses, small governmental units, and small not-for-profit organizations. Because no substantive changes are being made to 42 CFR Part 85a as a result of this action, HHS certifies that this proposed rule has “no significant economic impact upon a substantial number of small entities” within the meaning of Start Printed Page 2811the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.).
Start Amendment Part1. The authority citation for part 85a continues to read as follows: End Amendment Part
Start Amendment Part2. Revise § 85a.2 to read as follows: End Amendment Part
§ 85a.2 Definitions.
NIOSH authorized representative means a person authorized by NIOSH to Start Printed Page 2812conduct investigations of places of employment, including any person that is fulfilling a contract agreement with NIOSH or is serving as an expert or consultant to NIOSH pursuant to the Act.
Start Amendment Part3. Amend § 85a.4 by revising paragraphs (a)(2) and (4), (b), and (c) to read as follows: End Amendment Part
§ 85a.4 Procedures for initiating investigations of places of employment.
(b) Advance notice of site visits will not be given to the place of employment or local union at the place of employment when, in the judgment of the NIOSH authorized representatives, giving such notice would adversely affect the validity and effectiveness of an investigation. Those individuals and organizations specified in § 85a.4(a)(1), (a)(3), and (a)(4) will be notified prior to the initiation of such a site visit. After the site visit has been initiated, and, as soon as possible thereafter, the NIOSH authorized representatives will contact the organizations specified in § 85a.4(a)(2) concerning the nature and details of the site visit.
Start Amendment Part4. Amend § 85a.5 by revising paragraphs (b)(2) and (d) to read as follows: End Amendment Part
§ 85a.5 Conduct of investigations of places of employment.
Start Amendment Part5. Revise § 85a.7 to read as follows: End Amendment Part
§ 85a.7 Imminent dangers.
Start Amendment Part6. Amend § 85a.8 by revising paragraph (a)(2) to read as follows: End Amendment Part
§ 85a.8 Reporting of results of investigations of places of employment.