[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 222 (Friday, November 16, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 58046-58049]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-24168]



[[Page 58045]]

Vol. 83

Friday,

No. 222

November 16, 2018

Part X





Department of Labor





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Semiannual Regulatory Agenda

  Federal Register / Vol. 83 , No. 222 / Friday, November 16, 2018 / 
Unified Agenda  

[[Page 58046]]


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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.

       Employment and Training Administration--Proposed Rule Stage
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Regulation
       Sequence No.                    Title             Identifier No.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
319.......................  Temporary Employment of H-         1205-AB93
                             2B Foreign Workers in
                             Certain Itinerant
                             Occupations in the United
                             States.
------------------------------------------------------------------------


      Employee Benefits Security Administration--Completed Actions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Regulation
       Sequence No.                    Title             Identifier No.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
320.......................  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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
321.......................  Communication Tower Safety         1218-AC90
322.......................  Emergency Response and             1218-AC91
                             Preparedness.
323.......................  Tree Care Standard........         1218-AD04
324.......................  Prevention of Workplace            1218-AD08
                             Violence in Health Care
                             and Social Assistance.
------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Occupational Safety and Health Administration--Long-Term Actions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Regulation
       Sequence No.                    Title             Identifier No.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
325.......................  Infectious Diseases.......         1218-AC46
326.......................  Process Safety Management          1218-AC82
                             and Prevention of Major
                             Chemical Accidents.
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[[Page 58047]]

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (DOL)

Employment and Training Administration (ETA)

Proposed Rule Stage

319.  Temporary Employment of H-2B Foreign Workers in Certain 
Itinerant Occupations in the United States

    E.O. 13771 Designation: Regulatory.
    Legal Authority: 8 U.S.C. 1184; 8 U.S.C. 1103
    Abstract: The United States Department of Labor's (DOL), Employment 
and Training Administration and Wage and Hour Division, and the United 
States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and 
Immigration Services, are jointly amending regulations regarding the H-
2B non-immigrant visa program at 20 CFR part 655, subpart A. The Notice 
of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) will establish standards and procedures 
for employers seeking to hire foreign temporary nonagricultural workers 
for certain itinerant job opportunities, including entertainers and 
carnivals and utility vegetation management.
    Timetable:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Action                    Date            FR Cite
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NPRM................................   09/00/19  .......................
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Yes.
    Agency Contact: William W. Thompson, II, Administrator, Office of 
Foreign Labor Certification, Department of Labor, Employment and 
Training Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Box #12-200, 
Washington, DC 20210, Phone: 202 513-7350.
    RIN: 1205-AB93

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (DOL)

Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)

Completed Actions

320. 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 establishes 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:

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               Action                    Date            FR Cite
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NPRM................................   01/05/18  83 FR 614
NPRM Comment Period End.............   03/06/18  .......................
Final Rule..........................   06/21/18  83 FR 28912
Final Rule Effective................   08/20/18  .......................
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (DOL)

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Prerule Stage

321. Communication Tower Safety

    E.O. 13771 Designation: Regulatory.
    Legal Authority: 29 U.S.C. 655(b); 5 U.S.C. 609
    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. 
Due to recent FCC spectrum auctions and innovations in cellular 
technology, there will be a very high level of construction activity 
taking place on communication towers over the next few years. A similar 
increase in the number of construction projects needed to support 
cellular phone coverage triggered a spike in fatality and injury rates 
years ago. Based on information collected from an April 2016 Request 
for Information, OSHA concluded that current OSHA requirements such as 
those for fall protection and personnel hoisting, may not adequately 
cover all hazards of communication tower construction and maintenance 
activities. OSHA will use information collected 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 focus on communication towers, OSHA will consider also covering 
structures that have telecommunications equipment on or attached to 
them (e.g., buildings, rooftops, water towers, billboards, etc.).
    Timetable:

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               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.....................   05/31/18
Complete SBREFA.....................   10/00/18
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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

322. Emergency Response and Preparedness

    E.O. 13771 Designation: Regulatory.
    Legal Authority: 29 U.S.C. 655(b); 29 U.S.C. 657; 5 U.S.C. 609
    Abstract: 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 acknowledged 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.
    Timetable:

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               Action                    Date            FR Cite
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stakeholder Meetings................   07/30/14
Convene NACOSH Workgroup............   09/09/15
NACOSH Review of Workgroup Report...   12/14/16
Initiate SBREFA.....................   10/00/18
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Yes.

[[Page 58048]]

    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-AC91

323. 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.....................   06/00/19
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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-AD04

324. Prevention of Workplace Violence in Health Care and Social 
Assistance

    E.O. 13771 Designation: Regulatory.
    Legal Authority: 29 U.S.C. 655(b); 5 U.S.C. 609
    Abstract: The Request for Information (RFI) (published on December 
7, 2016) provides OSHA's history with the issue of workplace violence 
in healthcare and social assistance, including a discussion of the 
Guidelines that were initially published in 1996, a 2014 update to the 
Guidelines, the Agency's use of 5(a)(1) in enforcement cases in 
healthcare. The RFI solicited information primarily from health care 
employers, workers and other subject matter experts on impacts of 
violence, prevention strategies, and other information that will be 
useful to the Agency. OSHA was petitioned for a standard preventing 
workplace violence in healthcare by a broad coalition of labor unions, 
and in a separate petition by the National Nurses United. On January 
10, 2017, OSHA granted the petitions.
    Timetable:

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               Action                    Date            FR Cite
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Request For Information (RFI).......   12/07/16  81 FR 88147
RFI Comment Period End..............   04/06/17
Initiate SBREFA.....................   03/00/19
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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-AD08

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (DOL)

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Long-Term Actions

325. 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:

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               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

326. 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:

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               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
Next Action Undetermined............
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Yes.
    Agency Contact: William Perry, Director, Directorate of Standards 
and

[[Page 58049]]

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. 2018-24168 Filed 11-15-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-04-P