Advocating for industry safety regulations

By Craig Brightup, TRI Alliance. 

The TRI Alliance signed the Coalition for Workplace Safety letter. Learn what this means and what other regulatory changes are happening. 

Policy and regulatory changes are constantly being made in order to keep up with the roofing industry's needs. It is key for contractors to keep up with policy changes so that they can ensure they are maintaining the latest and safest standards. But it can be hard to keep up when your day-to-day work takes up all your time. That’s why organizations like the Tile Roofing Industry Alliance (TRI Alliance) dedicate themselves to representing the needs of the industry through state, local and national advocacy. Check out their report on the latest changes being made:  

OSHA worker walkaround rule 

On May 2, business groups led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce sued OSHA to halt its Worker Walkaround Representative Designation Process Rule that would go into effect May 31 and allows non-employee third parties, including union reps or plaintiffs’ attorneys, to accompany OSHA compliance officers during inspections. Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL), who TRI Alliance recently met with, introduced a Congressional Review Act resolution on May 16 to stop the rule and TRI Alliance and NRCA (National Roofing Contractors Association) signed the Coalition for Workplace Safety letter of support to House members. 

Other regulatory updates 

• OSHA Heat Standard – OSHA’s Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) recommended that OSHA move forward with its Heat Standard. 
• OSHA Hazard Communication Standard – On May 20, OSHA published revisions to the HazCom Standard to better align it with the UN Globally Harmonized System of Classification and clarify parts from the last revision. The final rule is effective July 20 and poses new concerns for chemical manufacturers, importers, distributors and downstream users. 
• FTC Noncompetes Ban – The Federal Trade Commission’s Noncompete Rule will be effective in August and the Chamber and others are challenging it in federal court. 
• DOL Overtime Regulations – Revised OT regulations are effective July 1, raising the OT salary threshold for certain employees from the current $35,568 a year to $43,888 on July 1 and $58,656 at the start of 2025. Per DOL, new OT thresholds will cover an estimated 4 million salaried workers. 
• DOL Independent Contractor Rule – The Coalition for Workforce Innovation, Associated Builders & Contractors and others have sued to block DOL’s IC Rule in federal court. There are now five active lawsuits challenging the rule which went into effect on March 11. 
• NLRB Joint-Employer Rule – President Biden vetoed a Congressional Review Act resolution to stop the National Labor Relations Board’s joint employer rule on May 3. And on May 7, the NLRB appealed a decision by a federal court blocking the rule to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. 

U.S. Chamber Labor Relations Committee 

The U.S. Chamber’s Labor Relations Committee met May 2-3 where it was noted that OSHA has posted data from Injury and Illness Forms 300/301 in addition to Form 300A from employers with 100 or more employees in high-hazard industries. Also, the Senate HELP Committee won’t move soon to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) despite House passage with 378 votes because Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) hasn’t made WIOA a priority. 

Original article source: TRI Alliance