December 14, 2007—The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published in the November 28 Federal Register a proposed rule to enhance the protection provided to construction employees working in confined spaces.
The proposed rule addresses construction-specific issues and uses a comprehensive, step-by-step approach to confined space safety by setting out how to assess the hazards, classify the space, and implement effective procedures to protect employees from atmospheric and physical hazards. The proposed rule would require controlling contractors to coordinate confined space operations among a site’s multiple employers.
Interested parties are invited to submit comments on the proposed rule by January 28, 2008. See the Federal Register notice for more information on submitting comments, or submit comments electronically on the OSHA Web site.
