OSHA’s notice of proposed rulemaking for respirable silica has officially been published in the Federal Register, which ushers in the next phase of the process: public input. The public is strongly encouraged to participate in the process of developing a final rule.

It’s been such a long time since OSHA issued a major standards proposal covering millions of workers, such as its recent silica dust proposed rule, it’s fair to ask: Are the standards floodgates opening? (I’m not counting hazcom revised/GHS, which was more or less forced on the U.S. and OSHA by globalization.)