Director, Directorate of Standards and Guidance

1218-AC91 202310 The Regulatory Plan and the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions 1218 Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA 1200 Department of Labor DOL Emergency Response

OSHA currently regulates aspects of emergency response and preparedness; some of these standards were promulgated decades ago, and none were designed as comprehensive emergency response standards. Consequently, they do not address the full range of hazards or concerns currently facing emergency responders, and other workers providing skilled support, nor do they reflect major changes in performance specifications for protective clothing and equipment. The agency acknowledges that current OSHA standards also do not reflect all the major developments in safety and health practices that have already been accepted by the emergency response community and incorporated into industry consensus standards. OSHA is considering updating these standards with information gathered through an RFI and public meetings.

]]> Section 3(f)(1) Significant Previously Published in The Unified Agenda Proposed Rule Stage Yes Undetermined 29 CFR 1910 29 U.S.C. 655(b) 29 U.S.C. 657 5 U.S.C. 609 Yes

Emergency response is a dangerous activity with more than 100 responders killed, and hundreds of thousands injured each year. OSHA currently regulates aspects of emergency response and preparedness; some of these standards were promulgated decades ago, and none were designed as comprehensive emergency response standards. Consequently, they do not address the full range of hazards or concerns currently facing emergency responders, nor do they reflect major changes in performance specifications for protective clothing and equipment. The agency acknowledges that current OSHA standards also do not reflect all the major developments in safety and health practices that have already been accepted by the emergency response community and incorporated into industry consensus standards. OSHA is developing a proposed rule that updates, by replacing, the existing outdated fire brigade standard to reflect current consensus standards and industry best practices. The agency anticipates that compliance with the updated rule would significantly reduce injuries and fatalities.

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The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 authorizes the Secretary of Labor to set mandatory occupational safety and health standards to assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women (29 U.S.C. 651).

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One alternative to proposed rulemaking would be to take no regulatory action. As a program standard that is primarily performance based, alternatives would depend on each employer’s individual situation. There are no alternatives proposed in the NPRM under development. OSHA intends to seek stakeholder input for alternatives that could reduce the burden on small entities, and on entities with volunteer emergency responders who are treated as employees in some states with OSHA approved state OSH programs and would be impacted by a proposed rule.

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The estimates of costs and benefits are still under development.

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Analysis of risks is still under development.

]]> Stakeholder Meetings 07/30/2014 Convene NACOSH Workgroup 09/09/2015 NACOSH Review of Workgroup Report 12/14/2016 Initiate SBREFA 08/02/2021 Finalize SBREFA 12/02/2021 NPRM 11/00/2023 Yes Governmental Jurisdictions Local State Undetermined Yes No Andrew Levinson Director, Directorate of Standards and Guidance 1218 Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA 202 693-1950 levinson.andrew@dol.gov 200 Constitution Avenue NW, FP Building, Room N-3718, Washington DC 20210