Synergist - February 2012

THE

Congress recently returned to Washington to begin the second session of the 112th Congress. The question is whether it will turn out to be a repeat of the first session. Very little was accomplished in the first session aside from dealing with a few major issues that were highly pressing, such as the federal budget and the federal debt limit. The difficulty in addressing those nearly resulted in a government shutdown. There were few successes to report for occupational health and safety. OSHA and MSHA received small in- creases in their budget, and NIOSH retained funding for Education and Research Centers (ERCs). Every other issue drew little interest, if any. Most believe there will be little activity around occupational health and safety in this second session as well. With the November elections looming ever closer, Congress will likely steer clear of controversial issues.
OSHA Activity
OSHA has not fallen victim to the same inactivity as Con- gress. In the past couple of years, OSHA administrator Dr. David Michaels has been moving the agency forward with an aggressive agenda. Unfortunately, many of the issues raised by the agency have run up against a brick wall. However, it seems as though OSHA has mustered a second wind. OSHA released its semi-annual regulatory agenda on Jan. 20;
The Synergist | February 2012 DE 1
many of the same issues were listed on its previous agenda. The new agenda lists the agency’s current priori- ties and forecasts when key elements of rulemaking are anticipated to be completed. While the odds of any of these rules seeing completion during this regulatory agenda cycle are slim, here’s what tops OSHA’s list this time around.

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