Opinion ID: 74019
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Provisions Under Attack and Alignment of the Parties

Text: 8 The instant petitions for review are brought by the Industry and the Doctors. The Industry challenges three particular aspects of the Standard. First, it challenges the retention of the Hierarchy-of-Controls Policy in 1910.134(a)(1), and OSHA's failure even to consider revising or abrogating that policy in light of its revision of the rest of the regulation. Second, it challenges 1910.134(d)(3)(iii)(B) and the conditions placed upon the use of air-purifying respirators, as opposed to air-supplying respirators. Third, it challenges the requirements in 1910.134(f)(2) and 1910.134(k)(5) regarding, respectively, annual fit-testing and annual retraining, contending that less frequent fit-testing and retraining would have sufficed. 9 The Doctors, on the other hand, challenge only one aspect of the Standard: the provision in 1910.134(e) enabling non-physicianlicensed health care professionals (e.g., nurses, physician's assistants, etc.) to perform the medical evaluation services that were previously conducted only by physicians (Non-Physician Involvement Provision). They contend that the Non-Physician Involvement Provision is defective because OSHA failed to notify interested parties that it was considering the elimination of mandatory physician involvement, that it is void for vagueness, and that it is not amply supported by the factual evidence. 10 The United Steelworkers of America (Steelworkers) have intervened in this litigation; the Steelworkers defend the Standard against the Industry's attack, but adopt the Doctors' argument regarding the Non-Physician Involvement Provision. The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses and the American Nurses Association (collectively, Nurses) have intervened in defense of the Non-Physician Involvement Provision against the Doctors' attack.