In October, OSHA proposed 18 revisions to its recordkeeping, general industry, maritime, and construction standards as part of the agency’s Standards Improvement Project, which is intended to remove or revise outdated, duplicative, unnecessary, and inconsistent requirements in OSHA standards. The agency has proposed revisions in the areas of reporting job-related hearing loss, control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout), chest X-ray requirements, permissible exposure limits (PELs), process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals, personal protective equipment, requirements for pulmonary function testing, and more. OSHA is also proposing to remove from its standards all requirements to include an employee’s social security number on exposure monitoring, medical surveillance, and other records in order to protect employee privacy and prevent identity fraud.

“The changes we propose will modernize OSHA standards, help employers better understand their responsibilities, increase compliance, and reduce compliance costs,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA David Michaels, PhD, MPH. “Most importantly, these revisions will improve the safety and health protections afforded to workers across all industries.”

A brief summary of OSHA’s proposed changes is available on the agency’s .