[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 112 (Monday, June 11, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 27158-27160]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-11251]



[[Page 27157]]

Vol. 83

Monday,

No. 112

June 11, 2018

Part XII





Department of Labor





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Semiannual Regulatory Agenda

  Federal Register / Vol. 83 , No. 112 / Monday, June 11, 2018 / 
Unified Agenda  

[[Page 27158]]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary

20 CFR Chs. I, IV, V, VI, VII, and IX

29 CFR Subtitle A and Chs. II, IV, V, XVII, and XXV

30 CFR Ch. I

41 CFR Ch. 60

48 CFR Ch. 29


Semiannual Agenda of Regulations

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Labor.

ACTION: Semiannual Regulatory Agenda.

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SUMMARY: The internet has become the means for disseminating the 
entirety of the Department of Labor's semiannual regulatory agenda. 
However, the Regulatory Flexibility Act requires publication of a 
regulatory flexibility agenda in the Federal Register. This Federal 
Register Notice contains the regulatory flexibility agenda.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura M. Dawkins, Director, Office of 
Regulatory and Programmatic Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary 
for Policy, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Room 
S-2312, Washington, DC 20210; (202) 693-5959.

    Note: Information pertaining to a specific regulation can be 
obtained from the agency contact listed for that particular 
regulation.


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Executive Order 12866 requires the 
semiannual publication of an agenda of regulations that contains a 
listing of all the regulations the Department of Labor expects to have 
under active consideration for promulgation, proposal, or review during 
the coming one-year period. The entirety of the Department's semiannual 
agenda is available online at www.reginfo.gov.
    The Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 602) requires DOL to 
publish in the Federal Register a regulatory flexibility agenda. The 
Department's Regulatory Flexibility Agenda, published with this notice, 
includes only those rules on its semiannual agenda that are likely to 
have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small 
entities; and those rules identified for periodic review in keeping 
with the requirements of section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. 
Thus, the regulatory flexibility agenda is a subset of the Department's 
semiannual regulatory agenda. The Department's Regulatory Flexibility 
Agenda does not include section 610 items at this time.
    All interested members of the public are invited and encouraged to 
let departmental officials know how our regulatory efforts can be 
improved, and are invited to participate in and comment on the review 
or development of the regulations listed on the Department's agenda.

 R. Alexander Acosta,
Secretary of Labor.

       Employee Benefits Security Administration--Final Rule Stage
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Regulation
       Sequence No.                    Title             Identifier No.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
145.......................  Definition of an                   1210-AB85
                             `Employer' Under Section
                             3(5) of ERISA--
                             Association Health Plans.
------------------------------------------------------------------------


      Occupational Safety and Health Administration--Prerule Stage
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Regulation
       Sequence No.                    Title             Identifier No.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
146.......................  Communication Tower Safety         1218-AC90
147.......................  Tree Care Standard........         1218-AD04
------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Occupational Safety and Health Administration--Long-Term Actions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Regulation
       Sequence No.                    Title             Identifier No.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
148.......................  Infectious Diseases.......         1218-AC46
149.......................  Process Safety Management          1218-AC82
                             and Prevention of Major
                             Chemical Accidents.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (DOL)

Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)

Final Rule Stage

145. Definition of an `Employer' Under Section 3(5) of ERISA--
Association Health Plans

    E.O. 13771 Designation: Deregulatory.
    Legal Authority: 29 U.S.C. 3(1), 3(5), and 505
    Abstract: This regulatory action would establish criteria for an 
employer group or association to act as an ``employer'' within the 
meaning of section 3(5) of ERISA and sponsor an association health plan 
that is an employee welfare benefit plan and a group health plan under 
title I of ERISA.
    Timetable:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Action                    Date            FR Cite
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NPRM................................   01/05/18  83 FR 614
NPRM Comment Period End.............   03/06/18  .......................
Analyze Comments....................   05/00/18  .......................
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Yes.
    Agency Contact: Amy J. Turner, Director, Office of Health Plan 
Standards and Compliance Assistance, Department of Labor, Employee 
Benefits Security Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, FP 
Building, Room N-5653, Washington, DC 20210, Phone: 202 693-8335, Fax: 
202 219-1942.
    RIN: 1210-AB85.


[[Page 27159]]



DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (DOL)

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Prerule Stage

146. Communication Tower Safety

    E.O. 13771 Designation: Regulatory.
    Legal Authority: 29 U.S.C. 655
    Abstract: While the number of employees engaged in the 
communication tower industry remains small, the fatality rate is very 
high. Over the past 20 years, this industry has experienced an average 
fatality rate that greatly exceeds that of the construction industry, 
for example. Falls are the leading cause of death in tower work and 
OSHA has evidence that fall protection is used either improperly or 
inconsistently. Based on information collected from an April 2016 
Request for Information, OSHA understands that employees are often 
hoisted to working levels on small base-mounted drum hoists that have 
been mounted to a truck chassis, and these may not be rated to hoist 
personnel. Communication tower construction and maintenance activities 
are not adequately covered by current OSHA fall protection and 
personnel hoisting standards, and OSHA plans to use information it will 
collect from a Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act 
(SBREFA) panel to identify effective work practices and advances in 
engineering technology that would best address industry safety and 
health concerns. While this panel will be focused on communication 
towers, OSHA plans to consider inclusion of structures that have 
telecommunications equipment on or attached to them (e.g., buildings, 
rooftops, water towers, billboards, etc.).
    Timetable:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Action                    Date            FR Cite
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Request For Information (RFI).......   04/15/15  80 FR 20185
RFI Comment Period End..............   06/15/15  .......................
Initiate SBREFA.....................   01/04/17  .......................
Initiate SBREFA.....................   05/00/18  .......................
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Yes.
    Agency Contact: Dean McKenzie, Director, Directorate of 
Construction, Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health 
Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, FP Building, Room N-3468, 
Washington, DC 20210, Phone: 202 693-2020, Fax: 202 693-1689, Email: 
[email protected].
    RIN: 1218-AC90

147. Tree Care Standard

    E.O. 13771 Designation: Regulatory.
    Legal Authority: Not Yet Determined
    Abstract: There is no OSHA standard for tree care operations; the 
agency currently applies a patchwork of standards to address the 
serious hazards in this industry. The tree care industry previously 
petitioned the agency for rulemaking and OSHA issued an ANPRM 
(September 2008). Tree care continues to be a high-hazard industry.
    Timetable:

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               Action                    Date            FR Cite
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stakeholder Meeting.................   07/13/16  .......................
Initiate SBREFA.....................   04/00/19  .......................
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Yes.
    Agency Contact: William Perry, Director, Directorate of Standards 
and Guidance, Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health 
Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, FP Building, Room N-3718, 
Washington, DC 20210, Phone: 202 693-1950, Fax: 202 693-1678, Email: 
[email protected].
    RIN: 1218-AD04

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (DOL)

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Long-Term Actions

148. Infectious Diseases

    E.O. 13771 Designation: Regulatory.
    Legal Authority: 5 U.S.C. 533; 29 U.S.C. 657 and 658; 29 U.S.C. 
660; 29 U.S.C. 666; 29 U.S.C. 669; 29 U.S.C. 673
    Abstract: Employees in health care and other high-risk environments 
face long-standing infectious disease hazards such as tuberculosis 
(TB), varicella disease (chickenpox, shingles), and measles (rubeola), 
as well as new and emerging infectious disease threats, such as Severe 
Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and pandemic influenza. Health care 
workers and workers in related occupations, or who are exposed in other 
high-risk environments, are at increased risk of contracting TB, SARS, 
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), and other 
infectious diseases that can be transmitted through a variety of 
exposure routes. OSHA is examining regulatory alternatives for control 
measures to protect employees from infectious disease exposures to 
pathogens that can cause significant disease. Workplaces where such 
control measures might be necessary include: Health care, emergency 
response, correctional facilities, homeless shelters, drug treatment 
programs, and other occupational settings where employees can be at 
increased risk of exposure to potentially infectious people. A standard 
could also apply to laboratories, which handle materials that may be a 
source of pathogens, and to pathologists, coroners' offices, medical 
examiners, and mortuaries.
    Timetable:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Action                    Date            FR Cite
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Request for Information (RFI).......   05/06/10  75 FR 24835
RFI Comment Period End..............   08/04/10  .......................
Analyze Comments....................   12/30/10  .......................
Stakeholder Meetings................   07/05/11  76 FR 39041
Initiate SBREFA.....................   06/04/14  .......................
Complete SBREFA.....................   12/22/14  .......................
                                     -----------------------------------
NPRM................................           To Be Determined
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Yes.
    Agency Contact: William Perry, Director, Directorate of Standards 
and Guidance, Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health 
Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, FP Building, Room N-3718, 
Washington, DC 20210, Phone: 202 693-1950, Fax: 202 693-1678, Email: 
[email protected].
    RIN: 1218-AC46

149. Process Safety Management and Prevention of Major Chemical 
Accidents

    E.O. 13771 Designation: Regulatory.
    Legal Authority: 29 U.S.C. 655; 29 U.S.C. 657
    Abstract: In accordance with the Executive Order 13650, Improving 
Chemical Facility Safety and Security, Occupational Safety and Health 
Administration (OSHA) issued a Request for Information (RFI) on 
December 9, 2013 (78 FR 73756). The RFI identified issues related to 
modernization of the Process Safety Management standard and related 
standards necessary to meet the goal of preventing major chemical 
accidents.
    Timetable:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Action                    Date            FR Cite
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Request for Information (RFI).......   12/09/13  78 FR 73756
RFI Comment Period Extended.........   03/07/14  79 FR 13006
RFI Comment Period Extended End.....   03/31/14  .......................
Initiate SBREFA.....................   06/08/15  .......................
SBREFA Report Completed.............   08/01/16  .......................

[[Page 27160]]

 
Next Action Undetermined............
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    Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Yes.
    Agency Contact: William Perry, Director, Directorate of Standards 
and Guidance, Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health 
Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, FP Building, Room N-3718, 
Washington, DC 20210, Phone: 202 693-1950, Fax: 202 693-1678, Email: 
[email protected].
    RIN: 1218-AC82

[FR Doc. 2018-11251 Filed 6-8-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-HL-P