National Tooling & Machining Association and Precision Metalforming Association Applaud OSHA Withdrawal of Proposed Change in Noise Rule

CLEVELAND--()--The National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA) and the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) today applauded the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) withdrawal of a proposed change in the interpretation of noise standard rules that would have imposed significant costs on U.S. manufacturers.

"NTMA and PMA members are pleased with today's OSHA announcement," said PMA President Bill Gaskin. "Our members brought this issue to the attention of Obama Administration officials and Members of Congress in several recent meetings because preliminary estimates showed that total compliance costs for fully implementing the proposal may have reached billions of dollars, and would have altered a long-running and effective policy that allows employers to protect their workers’ hearing through hearing conservation programs including use of 'personal protective equipment' and annual audiometric testing which are more cost-effective than engineering controls in metal stamping and fabricating operations."

OSHA proposed to enforce noise level standards in a dramatically different way by redefining what is deemed “feasible” for employers to reduce overall noise in the workplace and requiring implementation of these actions unless an employer can prove making such changes will put it out of business. The changes would have hit NTMA and PMA members and other small manufacturers the hardest as they needed to be made by employers of all sizes, regardless of their costs.

"We hope that today's announcement by OSHA is the first of many regulation changes signaled by President Obama in his recent op-ed in The Wall Street Journal and in his new Executive Order requiring Federal agencies to issue regulations that are compatible with economic growth, job creation and competitiveness," said NTMA President Dave Tilstone. "As we recently wrote to Congress, regulations hit small businesses much harder than large corporations who have the resources to reduce the burden on their productivity. Many of the guidance opinions issued by federal agencies are overly broad, encompassing production activity not even a focus of the regulation. The slightest “interpretation” change can halt the production of a manufacturer and cost the employer thousands of dollars a day."

Visit www.metalworkingadvocate.org for additional information on PMA and NTMA.

Contacts

for NTMA and PMA
Caitlin Andrews, 202-828-7637
Caitlin.Andrews@bgllp.com

Release Summary

NTMA and PMA applauded OSHA's withdrawal of a proposed change in the interpretation of noise standard rule which would have negatively impacted small US manufacturers.

Contacts

for NTMA and PMA
Caitlin Andrews, 202-828-7637
Caitlin.Andrews@bgllp.com