Michigan Regulatory Office Workplace Safety Report Recommends Changes

The ORR made 624 recommendations for changes to 334 separate Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) rules that exceed the federal standards. The recommendations contemplate the rescission of over 611 distinct MIOSHA requirements (this includes entire rules or parts of rules). The ORR made nine other distinct recommendations separate from the review of existing MIOSHA rules.

“Elimination of duplicative and unnecessarily burdensome rules will reduce costs for businesses and allow MIOSHA to focus on enforcing rules that are core to their mission of workplace safety,” said Steven Hilfinger, chief regulatory officer and Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs director. “None of the rescinded requirements are present in federal OSHA regulations. Eliminating these Michigan‐specific amendments will result in less complex and more efficient regulations and will make Michigan more competitive in attracting and growing businesses.”

The ORR formed recommendationsafter a comprehensive review process, including convening an Advisory Rules Committee (ARC) of stakeholders that included representatives from manufacturers, unions, utilities, construction companies, pharmaceutical companies, municipal organizations and more, as well as senior officials from MIOSHA.

ARC Committee Member Delaney Newberry, who is director of Human Resource Policy for the Michigan Manufacturers Association said, “Unnecessary administrative rules can impose billions of dollars in costs on Michigan job providers, negatively affecting our state’s competitiveness in the global economy. We look forward to being an active partner in the next steps of implementation of the recommendations. Our state’s economic vitality is at stake.”

The ORR worked closely with MIOSHA in reviewing existing administrative rules and developing the recommendations through the Workplace Safety Advisory Rules Committee.

“The ORR project has provided the opportunity for a much-needed update of MIOSHA regulations by eliminating rules that are duplicative, obsolete, or seldom used,” said MIOSHA Director Martha Yoder.

“When completed, the project will improve MIOSHA effectiveness by reducing the number of rules employers must consider when creating their workplace safety and health systems.”

The recommendations will streamline government. For instance, the ORR has recommended the elimination of the Construction Safety, General Industry, and Occupational Health Standards Commissions, which no longer have any rulemaking authority, in favor of more specialized ad hoc advisory committees.

“There are a number of workplace safety regulations that are decades old that no longer apply to the modern work environment,” said ARC Committee Member Pat Kresnak, who is director of Environmental Health & Safety at the IAC Group. “By eliminating unnecessary regulations, businesses can spend more time on meaningful workplace safety measures, enhancing workplace safety overall.”

The Workplace Safety Advisory Rules Committee, composed of a number of health and safety professionals, was unanimous in its recommendations to the ORR, and concurred that these recommendations would help build a more simple, fair, efficient, and transparent regulatory system, while still providing the necessary safeguards for workers. Also see Michigan’s state WC guidelines in our State by State WC guidelines for employers for more information.