[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 113 (Tuesday, June 11, 2024)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 49119-49120]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-12731]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

29 CFR Part 1910

[Docket No. OSHA-2007-0073]
RIN 1218-AC91


Emergency Response Standard

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), DOL.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM); extension of comment 
period.

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SUMMARY: OSHA is extending the period for submitting comments by 30 
days to allow stakeholders interested in the NPRM on Emergency Response 
additional time to review the NPRM and collect information and data 
necessary for comment.

DATES: The comment period for the NPRM that was published at 89 FR 7774 
on February 5, 2024, is extended. Comments on any aspect of the NPRM 
must be submitted by July 22, 2024.

ADDRESSES: 
    Written comments: You may submit comments and attachments, 
identified by Docket No. OSHA-2007-0073, electronically at 
www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Follow 
the online instructions for making electronic submissions. The Federal 
e-Rulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov is the only way to submit 
comments on this NPRM.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency's name and 
the docket number for this rulemaking (Docket No. OSHA-2007-0073). All 
comments, including any personal information you provide, are placed in 
the public docket without change and may be made available online at 
www.regulations.gov. Therefore, OSHA cautions commenters about 
submitting information they do not want made available to the public or 
submitting materials that contain personal information (either about 
themselves or others), such as Social Security Numbers and birthdates.
    Docket: To read or download comments or other material in the 
docket, go to Docket No. OSHA-2007-

[[Page 49120]]

0073 at www.regulations.gov. All comments and submissions are listed in 
the www.regulations.gov index; however, some information (e.g., 
copyrighted material) is not publicly available to read or download 
through that website. All comments and submissions, including 
copyrighted material, are available for inspection through the OSHA 
Docket Office. Documents submitted to the docket by OSHA or 
stakeholders are assigned document identification numbers (Document ID) 
for easy identification and retrieval. The full Document ID is the 
docket number plus a unique four-digit code. OSHA is identifying 
supporting information in this NPRM by author name and publication 
year, when appropriate. This information can be used to search for a 
supporting document in the docket at www.regulations.gov. Contact the 
OSHA Docket Office at 202-693-2350 (TTY number: 877-889-5627) for 
assistance in locating docket submissions.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
    Press inquiries: Contact Frank Meilinger, Director, Office of 
Communications, U.S. Department of Labor; telephone: (202) 693-1999; 
email: [email protected].
    General and technical information: Contact Mark Hagemann, Director, 
Office of Safety Systems, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, 
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Labor; telephone (202) 693-1950; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 5, 2024, OSHA issued an NPRM to 
initiate rulemaking to update the existing Fire Brigades standard. The 
proposed rule would expand the scope of OSHA's standard to include a 
broad range of hazards emergency responders encounter during emergency 
response activities and would bring the standard in line with the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) National Response 
Framework. It would also modernize the standard to align with the 
current industry consensus standards issued by the National Fire 
Protection Association (NFPA) on the safe conduct of emergency response 
activities.
    The public comment period for the NPRM was to close on May 6, 2024, 
90 days after publication of the NPRM. However, OSHA received requests 
from stakeholders to extend the comment period, and on March 28, 2024, 
published a notice announcing a 45-day extension of the comment period 
to June 21, 2024. OSHA has since received requests for an additional 
extension, (see, e.g., Document ID 1051, 1073, 1096, 1185). 
Stakeholders explained that they need additional time to carefully 
review the questions in the NPRM and gather data.
    OSHA agrees to an additional extension of the public comment period 
and believes a 30-day extension is sufficient and appropriate in order 
to balance the agency's need for stakeholder input with the agency's 
desire to proceed with the rulemaking in a timely manner. Therefore, 
OSHA is extending the public comment period until July 22, 2024.
    Additionally, several commenters submitted requests for a public 
hearing on the NPRM (see, e.g., Document ID 0435, 0444, 0456, 0459, 
0463). OSHA plans to hold a virtual public hearing after the close of 
the comment period to allow stakeholders from all over the country to 
participate. OSHA will publish a separate notice at a future date to 
announce the details of the public hearing.

Authority and Signature

    James S. Frederick, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for 
Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 
Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210, authorized the 
preparation of this document pursuant to the following authorities: 
Sections 4, 6, and 8 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 
(29 U.S.C. 653, 655, 657); Secretary of Labor's Order 8-2020 (85 FR 
58393 (Sept. 18, 2020)); 29 CFR part 1911; and 5 U.S.C. 553.

    Signed at Washington, DC, on June 5, 2024.
James S. Frederick,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2024-12731 Filed 6-10-24; 8:45 am]
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