What's the difference between a necessary government burden and an unnecessary one? Apparently, the folks at the U.S. Department of Labor know, because they just announced they were axing some unnecessarily burdensome ones.
To ease the reader's burden, let's cut to the chase.
First unburdening: A rule change from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration addresses standards for the use of mechanical power presses. To wit: "Workers can be exposed to hand, finger or arm injuries — often resulting in amputation — if parts of a press are worn, damaged or not operating properly. The new rule will eliminate a requirement for employers to document mandatory weekly inspections of these presses while clarifying the responsibility of employers to perform and document any maintenance or repairs necessary to protect the safety of workers who operate them. Removing the weekly inspection and test certifications will reduce 613,600 hours of unnecessary paperwork burden on employers."
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Second unburdening: The Office of Foreign Labor Certification within the Employment and Training Administration announced a final rule regarding logging and use of foreign labor that rescinds obsolete regs. To wit: "Employers seeking to temporarily employ foreign workers in logging operations are now governed by the regulations in Subpart B applicable to H-2A agricultural work and the Subpart C has no force and effect."
Third unburdening: The Office of Foreign Labor Certification within the Employment and Training Administration announced a final rule regarding the use of students in off-campus work. To wit: "This final rule rescinds the regulations found at 20 CFR 655 subparts J and K, which provided rules governing employers seeking to hire F-1 foreign students as part-time workers off-campus. These subparts became obsolete after the authorizing statute and its two-year extension expired in 1996. Accordingly, the Department of Labor is taking this action to remove regulations that no longer have force and effect."
Fourth unburdening: The Office of Foreign Labor Certification within the Employment and Training Administration announced a final rule regarding registered nurses. To wit: "This final rule rescinds the regulations found at 20 CFR 655 Subparts D and E, which provided rules governing health care facilities using nonimmigrant foreign workers as registered nurses under the H-1A visa program. These subparts became obsolete after the authorizing statute and all extensions expired fully on Aug. 31, 2001.Accordingly, the department is taking this action to remove regulations that no longer have force and effect."
Don't we all feel a bit lighter now?
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
