After a hiatus tied to the government shutdown, the DG Digest returns along with the reopening Monday morning of the federal agencies we cover.  What will the now-ended shutdown’s impact be?  It’s difficult to say for certain.  The biggest item on PHMSA’s agenda is the HM-215O international harmonization NPRM; comments on that are scheduled to close today.  Usually, the agency would have been working on comments as they came in.  That didn’t happen this time.  So, one can make an educated guess that release of the final rule will probably, though not definitely, be delayed beyond where it would have been had no shutdown occurred.  The same will hold true for special permits and the like.  The PHMSA folks will be busy catching up, and we’ll cover the action.  Meanwhile, here’s what’s new this morning:

OSHA

The agency adjusted its civil penalty schedule to account for annual inflation.  Here’s the newly published rates

In a significant action, the agency is rescinding the Obama era rule that would have required employers with more than 250 employees to electronically submit their occupational injury and illness rates to OSHA for review.  The requirement to maintain the records onsite is not affected.  See the rescission here

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