A report presented to Michigan Governor Rick Snyder by the Office of Regulatory Reinvention says the changes are intended to improve the state's workplace safety regulations while continuing to protect workers.

More than 600 requirements in 334 MIOSHA rules would be affected.

"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 H. 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 "None of the rescinded requirements are present in federal OSHA regulations.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 review process included input from manufacturers, unions, utilities, construction companies, pharmaceutical companies, municipal organizations and more, as well as senior officials from MIOSHA.

The committee that completed the review said that many regulations are decades old and no longer apply to the modern work environment. 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.

Snyder has reviewed the recommendations and has asked the ORR and MIOSHA to work toward implementing the recommendations.