OSHA Announces New Rule to Decrease Burden on Business

Revises documentation requirements for mechanical power presses

A new OSHA rule, along with a companion notice of proposed rulemaking, revises requirements of OSHA’s standard for mechanical power presses, which punch, form, or assemble metal or other materials. Workers can be exposed to hand, finger or arm injuries: often resulting in amputation: if parts of a press are worn, damaged or not operating properly.

The new rule will eliminate a requirement for employers to document mandatory weekly inspections of these presses while clarifying the responsibility of employers to perform and document any maintenance or repairs necessary to protect the safety of workers who operate them.

Removing the weekly inspection and test certifications will reduce 613,600 hours of unnecessary paperwork burden on employers. The final rule will be effective Feb. 18, 2014, unless OSHA receives a significant adverse comment by Dec. 20, 2013. If the agency receives a significant adverse comment, the accompanying notice of proposed rulemaking will allow the agency to continue the notice-and-comment component of the rulemaking by withdrawing the direct final rule. Individuals may submit comments electronically here.

In addition, OSHA will align the existing standard’s maintenance and repair provisions to the American National Standards Institute standard for safety requirements for mechanical power presses. This standard would explicitly state that maintenance and repair must be completed before the mechanical power press is operated and, in keeping with the ANSI standard, employers would certify maintenance and repair for the entire machine rather than for certain parts of the power press.

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