The Department of Labor (DOL) has revised the completion dates for several regulatory initiatives, with no mention of the much-ballyhooed Injury and Illness Prevention Program (I2P2) announced in fall 2010.
In its Retrospective Review Progress Report, the DOL breaks down the proposed regulations and due dates by division, to wit:
OSHA: Sometime this month the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will issue a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) regarding an update to its personal protective equipment (PPE) standard. Specifically, the proposal “will make the requirements of OSHA's PPE Standard consistent with current industry practices, thereby eliminating confusion and clarifying employer obligations, which will increase employee safety by encouraging compliance.” This proposed PPE standard will address head protection only. In addition, the agency plans to issue a request for information (RFI) by mid-summer regarding permissible exposure limits (PELs) to certain chemicals, limits which it says are currently "outdated."
OFCCP: The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) is also aiming for mid-summer to release an NPRM to update its existing sexual discrimination regulations, which it says are "more than 30 years old" and in need of updating.
EBSA: The Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) soon will issue an NPRM and send it for review to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regarding "individual account pension plans that have been abandoned by their sponsoring employers." Specifically, the regulations would benefit plan participants and beneficiaries in businesses undergoing bankruptcy liquidation of all assets, including pension plans.