Opinion ID: 413381
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: the fixed ladder

Text: 32 Section 6(a) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, 29 U.S.C. Sec. 655(a) (1976), granted authority to the Secretary of Labor to promulgate, as soon as practicable within two years after the effective date of the Act, any so-called national consensus standard which would result in improved safety or health for specifically designated employees. As defined in section 3(9) of the Act, 29 U.S.C. Sec. 652(9) (1976), a national consensus standard is: 33 any occupational safety and health standard or modification thereof which (1), has been adopted and promulgated by a nationally recognized standards-producing organization under procedures whereby it can be determined by the Secretary that persons interested and affected by the scope or provisions of the standard have reached substantial agreement on its adoption, (2) was formulated in a manner which afforded an opportunity for diverse views to be considered and (3) has been designated as such a standard by the Secretary, after consultation with other appropriate Federal agencies. 34 The Secretary of Labor is required to comply with stringent and detailed notice requirements, set forth in section 6(b) of the Act, 29 U.S.C. Sec. 655(b) (1976), in order to promulgate any occupational health and safety standard other than a national consensus standard. The rulemaking requirements under section 6(b) require, inter alia, publication of any proposed standard in the Federal Register and a public hearing before such proposed rule takes effect. 35 The ladder regulation at issue in this case, 29 C.F.R. 1926.450(a)(5) (1981), was adopted in 1971, incorporating by reference American National Standards Institute (Institute) rule A 14.3-1956 as a national consensus standard. In 1974, Institute standard A 14.3-1956 was revoked and superseded by Institute standard A 14.3-1974, a further set of protection directives dealing with fixed ladders. As of the date of adoption of Institute standard A 14.3-1974, Institute standard A 14.3-1956 ceased to be a national consensus standard within the meaning of section 3(9) of the Act. Notwithstanding this fact, the Secretary has never revised section 1926.450(a)(5) to incorporate Institute standard A 14.3-1974. 36 Willson was cited for violating section 1926.450(a)(5). Willson contested the citation, arguing that Institute standard A 14.3-1956 had been revoked, and thus that the citation was invalid. The Administrative Law Judge accepted this argument, and the Commission, by its failure to exercise discretionary review, affirmed. 37 The Secretary challenges the Commission's conclusion that the section 1926.450(a)(5) citation was invalid, arguing that only the Secretary, and not a private organization such as the Institute, has authority to promulgate, modify, or revoke occupational safety and health standards; that the Institute's revision of its standard concerning fixed ladders was irrelevant to the validity of section 1926.450(a)(5) as an OSHA standard; and that the Secretary complied with all pertinent requirements for the incorporation of Institute standard A 14.3-1956 into an OSHA standard. Willson counters that Institute standard A 14.3-1956 is no longer a national consensus standard and, therefore, may not be the basis for a section 1926.450(a)(5) citation. 38 The Commission has previously considered the question of whether a regulation based on a national consensus standard remains valid if the underlying standard is later revoked. Secretary v. Trojan Steel Co., 19 O.S.A.H.R.C. 253 (1975). The two Commissioners were divided on the issue, with Chairman Moran holding that the regulation was void because the standard on which it was based was not a national consensus standard on the date of promulgation of the regulation since that standard had been superseded. Id. Commissioner Cleary disagreed, stating that section 6(b) did not require the Secretary to revoke a regulation based on a national consensus standard simply because a private organization changed the standard upon which the Secretary's regulation was based. To so require, he argued, would unlawfully delegate rulemaking power to the private organization. Id. at 255-56. 39 In this case the parties offer arguments in support of each Commissioner's opinion in Trojan Steel. Under normal circumstances, we would be required to determine which argument was consistent with the Act. We need not take that step, however, for in arguing that Institute standard A 14.3-1956 is obsolete for the purposes of section 1926.450(a)(5) analysis, Willson in effect argues that Compliance Officer Browne should have evaluated the fixed ladder in question by Institute standard A 14.3-1974, the superseding Institute standard. It is readily seen that this argument does not assist Willson because Willson would have been cited irrespective of which standard was applied. 40 Section 3.13 of Institute standard A 14.3-1974 provides that a cage, well, or ladder safety device shall be provided where a single length of climb is greater than 20 feet but does not exceed 30 feet .... Section 6.1.2 of Institute standard A 14.3-1956 provides that [c]ages or wells ... shall be provided on ladders of more than 20 feet to a maximum unbroken length of 30 feet. The two provisions are virtually identical. Thus, any argument that Willson makes contending that there was no OSHA violation is not well founded. Regardless of which standard was in effect, Willson knew or should have known that the ladder in question--being 24 feet in length and without any cage, well or safety device--did not conform to OSHA standards. The issuance of a citation under section 1926.450(a)(5) was thus fully justified. The Commission order vacating the section 1926.450(a)(5) citation issued to Willson is accordingly reversed.