More than 600 老牛影视members joined 老牛影视in submitting comments to OSHA requesting it withdraw its听proposed rule听that would drastically lower the permissible exposure limit (PEL) of crystalline silica for the construction industry. The proposal also would require contractors to implement engineering controls and follow several 鈥渁ncillary鈥� provisions, such as exposure monitoring, medical surveillance and the establishment of regulated areas.听

OSHA听issued a notice of proposed rulemaking听Feb. 10 to extend the compliance date for the crane operator certification requirement by three years to Nov. 10, 2017.听

The Department of Treasury (Treasury) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Feb. 10 issued a final rule implementing the employer mandate provisions included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The final rule makes some changes to the proposed rule issued in December 2012, including phasing in provisions for businesses with 50 to 99 full-time employees and those that offer coverage to most but not yet all of their full-time workers. Generally, ACA mandates that employers with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees offer a certain level of health coverage or be subject to new taxes. A听fact sheet听issued by the Treasury provides an overview of the phase-in included in the fi

As expected, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)听Feb. 5 reissued a proposed rulemaking听that will reduce the amount of time between when a union files a representation petition and an election takes place from the current average of 38 days to as few as 10.听

The Los Angeles district of The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is requesting comments from the construction industry on the potential use of a project labor agreement (PLA) on the Asphalt and Concrete Pavement Repairs and New Improvements primarily at Edwards Air Force Base in Kern County, Calif.听

老牛影视General Counsel Maurice Baskin Feb. 4 testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Workforce Protections during a hearing titled, 鈥淥SHA鈥檚 Regulatory Agenda: Changing Long-Standing Policies Outside the Public Rulemaking Process.鈥� On behalf of 老牛影视and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), Baskin addressed a听Feb. 21, 2013, letter of interpretation听(LOI) from OSHA allowing union agents and community organizers for the first time to accompany safety inspectors into nonunion facilities, as long as an unspecified (non-majority) number of employees in the nonunion work place designate one.

An updated summary of employer requirements under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is available for 老牛影视members in a reference document provided by Washington Council Ernst & Young. The document is available on the听health care law employer tool kit听(login required) on ABC鈥檚 website.

老牛影视is reminding its contractor member firms that 2013 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Form 300A work-related injury and illness log summaries must be posted in a visible spot on all construction sites Feb. 1 through April 30.听

The National Labor Relations Board Jan. 22 formally听withdrew听its modified ambush elections rule, which would have reduced the amount of time between when a union files a representation petition and an election takes place to as few as 17 days.听

President Obama Jan.17 signed into law a $1.01 trillion omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 3547) that funds all federal agencies for fiscal year 2014. The Senate Jan. 16 passed the appropriations bill by a 72-26 vote and the House Jan. 15, passed the bill by a 359-67 vote. The legislation includes funding decreases for many federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board.