The U.S. Department of Labor on Tuesday announced a notice of proposed rulemaking to revise regulations regarding who can be authorized as representative for employees to be present during on-site Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspections.
The proposed rule clarifies that employees may authorize an employee or a non-employee if the OSHA compliance officer determines “the third party is reasonably necessary to conduct an effective and thorough inspection,” according to an announcement.
The proposed changes also clarify that third-party representatives are not limited to industrial hygienists or safety engineers, two examples included in OSHA’s existing regulations.
“Third-party representatives may be reasonably necessary because they have skills, knowledge or experience that may help inform the compliance officer’s inspection,” the DOL said in its announcement. “This information may include experience with particular hazards, workplace conditions or language skills that can improve communications between OSHA representatives and workers.”
The DOL says stakeholders have until Oct. 30 to comment on the proposal.