{"id":1114,"date":"2017-03-24T15:09:13","date_gmt":"2017-03-24T19:09:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oshadefensereport.com\/?p=1114"},"modified":"2026-03-03T15:58:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T15:58:26","slug":"1114","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.connmaciel.com\/osha-defense-report\/1114\/","title":{"rendered":"OSHA’s old “Standards Improvement Project” and Trump’s new Efforts to Slash Regulations [Webinar Recording]"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On March 28, 2017, Eric J. Conn<\/a> and\u00a0Dan C. Deacon<\/a> of Conn Maciel Carey\u2019s national OSHA<\/a> Practice Group presented a webinar regarding\u00a0OSHA’s old \u201cStandards Improvement Project\u201d and Pres. Trump\u2019s new Executive Orders to Slash Regulations<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>OSHA initiated a \u201cStandards Improvement Project\u201d (SIP) under the Clinton Admin. to make non-controversial changes to confusing, outdated or duplicative OSHA standards.\u00a0 There have been a series of SIP rulemakings since, culminating in SIP Phase IV, published by Obama\u2019s OSHA late in 2016, which proposes numerous revisions to existing standards, including a change to OSHA\u2019s Lockout\/Tagout (LOTO) standard that is hardly non-controversial.\u00a0 Specifically, OSHA is attempting to use SIP to undo a judicial interpretation of \u201cunexpected energization\u201d that OSHA does not support; reading \u201cunexpected\u201d right out of the standard.<\/p>\n

What Trump\u2019s OSHA does with the LOTO proposal specifically is a mystery, but what is more important is Trump\u2019s recent actions to address the “regulatory state,” which appear to put SIP on steroids. \u00a0Trump has long stated that over-regulation is hampering America\u2019s economic growth, and plans for decreasing regulations have been a high priority in his 100-day action plan.\u00a0 Trump and Congressional Republicans have made heavy use of the obscure “Congressional Review Act” to permanently repeal numerous Obama-era regulations.\u00a0 The President has also signed a \u201c2-for-1\u201d Executive Order that requires federal agencies to cut two existing regulations for every new regulation they implement, and another Executive Order directing federal agencies to create \u201cregulatory reform\u201d Task Forces to evaluate federal rules and recommend whether to keep, repeal or change them. \u00a0Trump intends for these task forces to reduce what it deems expensive or unnecessary rules.\u00a0 OSHA rules may be on the chopping block.<\/p>\n

Participants in this webinar learned about:<\/p>\n