New regs for Wednesday: Foreign workers, tower workers, chemicals

Wednesday’s edition of the Federal Register contains new rules for foreign agricultural workers, reporting requirements for cancer-causing chemicals, and safety standards for communication tower workers.

Here’s what is happening:

Worker safety: The Labor Department is considering new safety standards for communication tower workers.

The Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a request for information Tuesday as it considers how it can prevent worker injuries and fatalities on these communication towers.

“Communication towers are tall structures that carry antennas for wireless, cellular, radio, or broadcast television communications,” the agency wrote. “Communication towers can range from 100 to over 1000 feet tall.”

This information could help OSHA develop future rulemaking.

“During the performance of work activities involving communication towers, workers are exposed to a variety of serious hazards, including fall hazards, hazards associated with structural collapses, struck-by hazards, hazards associated with worker fatigue, radio frequency hazards, hazards associated with inclement weather, electrical hazards, and cut and laceration hazards due to the use of sharp, heavy tools and materials,” the agency added.

The public has 60 days to comment.

Foreign workers: The Department of Labor is proposing new regulations for certain foreign temporary agricultural workers.

The proposed rules from the Labor Department’s Employment and Training Administration would apply to nonimmigrant, temporary foreign workers who are seeking to come to the U.S. to fill seasonal jobs such as sheepherding and goat herding.

The changes would address the H-2A program for seasonal agricultural workers.

The public has 30 days to comment.

Chemicals: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing new reporting requirements for what is believes is a cancer-causing toxic chemical.

The chemical known as 1-bromopropane would be added to a list of toxic chemicals and face new reporting requirements under the EPA’s proposal.

The EPA says the chemical “can reasonably be anticipated to cause cancer in humans.”

The public has 60 days to comment.