FEBRUARY

Inside Washington by Janet Kopenhaver, AWPA Director of Government Affairs

TRADE

. Senate Democrats Unveil Trade Legislation

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (NV) unveiled the Senate Democrats' legislative agenda for the 109th Congress. One of the bills introduced was S. 14, the Fair Wage, Competition, and Investment Act of 2005 which includes a number of trade-related provisions.

It would require:

. The USTR to identify the most important export markets that remain closed to US products and provide the tools needed to open them;

. Create the office of Chief Enforcement Negotiator within USTR;

. Authorize $2 million for the appointment of additional staff in the USTR's Office of the General Counsel and Office of Monitoring and Enforcement;

. Seek to eliminate China's alleged currency manipulation by threatening to impose an additional 27.5% tariff on all imports from China;

. Expand Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) to cover service workers; and

. Require the White House to convene an emergency interagency meeting and provide Congress with a trade deficit reduction plan.

ENVIRONMENT

. OSHA's Respiratory Protection Standard Changed

OSHA has published a final rule revising the Respiratory Protection Standard to add a new quantitative fit-testing procedure to assist workers and employers in the proper fit and selection of respirators. The new fit testing protocol, referred to as the Controlled Negative Pressure REDON protocol, requires three different test exercises followed by two "redonnings" of the respirator. The three test exercises are normal breathing, bending over, and head shaking.

The procedures for administering the new protocol are summarized below:

. Facing forward.
Bending over. Bend at waist for 30 seconds and hold breath for 10 seconds during sampling.

. Head shaking.
Shake head back and forth vigorously several times while shouting for approximately three seconds and, while facing forward, hold breath for 10 seconds during sampling.

. First redonning.
Remove respirator, loosen all face piece straps, and then redon the respirator mask again; after redonning the mask, face forward and hold breath for 10 seconds during sampling.

. Second redonning.
Remove respirator, loosen all face piece straps, and then redon the respirator mask again; after redonning the mask, face forward and hold breath for 10- seconds during sampling.

. White House Mulls Regulatory Relief

The White House is considering 189 proposals for easing regulatory pressure on manufacturers, an effort the Administration says will boost troubled industries, but critics decry as a threat to public health and environmental safeguards.

The Bush Administration plans to use the proposals - most of which were submitted by industry groups - to craft a regulatory reform agenda for this year, the Office of Management and Budget says in its annual report to Congress. After reviewing agencies' comments on the report, OMB plans to announce next month which measures will target in its reform agenda.

Of the 189 rules "nominated" for review, 93 are US EPA regulations. But rules from the departments of Transportation, Energy and Commerce are also under scrutiny. The White House is focusing on manufacturing regulations this year because the cumulative costs of regulation on manufacturers are large compared to other sectors of the economy. According to NAM, regulatory burdens on its members are six times greater, on average, than that on other types of industry.

But the Administration is promising its review would balance economic and health concerns. The challenge overall for federal regulators is to devise reforms that can enhance the competitive posture of US manufacturers without compromising our public health, safety and environmental protection.

What are manufacturers asking the White House to help ease their pain? Here is a sampling of their proposed EPA reforms:

. Write new rules in collaboration with affected businesses.

. Stop regulating hazardous materials being sent for recycling as hazardous wastes because they are not being discarded.

. Raise the reporting thresholds for the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data base.

NAM also urges EPA to delay implementation of new air quality standards for particulate matter and ozone, which would force industry to install new emissions controls by 2010.

The OMB report also includes an analysis of costs and benefits of major federal rules issued from 1993 to 2003. The report says the rules costs between $1.9 billion and $2 billion to implement and provided health and safety benefits worth $1.6 billion to $4.5 billion in fiscal year 2003.

. OSHA Reminds Employers to Post Injury Reports

Beginning February 1, employers must post a summary of the total number of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred last year, OSHA announced. Employers are only required to post the Summary (OSHA Form 300A) - no the OSHA 300 log - from February 1 to April 30, 2005.

The summary must list the total numbers of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred in 2004 and were logged on the OSHA 300 form. Employment information about annual average number of employees and total hours worked during the calendar year is also required to assist in calculating incidence rates. Companies with no recordable injuries or illnesses in 2004 must post the form with zeros on the total line.

This form is to be displayed in a common area wherever notices to employees are usually posted. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.
 

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