Adequate Time Needed to Meet Proposed Road Safety Rules, NECA Tells OSHA

New standards being proposed by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for road signs, signals, and barricades have the potential to improve worker safety in traffic zones, the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) told OSHA in comments submitted May 31, 2002. However, the current fast-track rulemaking is not an appropriate approach for gauging the proposed new rules’ true impact on industry, said the NECA. And the proposed immediate compliance date will penalize employers by not giving them adequate time to train workers and obtain required safety equipment. To help solve these problems, and improve long-term worker safety while avoiding unfair short-term burdens on construction employers, NECA recommended either of two approaches: 1. A normal rulemaking process that would provide greater opportunities for learning the benefits, impact, and compliance costs to the construction industry, or 2. At the minimum, a compliance date twelve months after adoption of the new rules to assure proper implementation.