HIOSH Resumes Manufacturing Oversight
An OSHA final rule indicates the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations has taken steps to rebuild the agency's capacity after budget and staffing constraints affected the state program.
The Hawaii State Plan administered by the Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Division (HIOSH), part of the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, ceded some of its oversight responsibilities to federal OSHA a few years ago because budgetary and staffing restraints had affected its program. Now, the department is rebuilding HIOSH's capacity, and the state agency is taking some of that responsibility back.
OSHA published a final rule Feb. 14 that said Hawaii will resume responsibility over Manufacturing (NAICS 31 through 33), except Refineries (NAICS 324) and any other private sector facilities that include processes covered by the Process Safety Management standard (29 CFR 1910.119). Federal OSHA will enforce standards and regulations for facilities with processes that are covered by the Process Safety Management standard.
The rule says federal and state representatives met in September 2013 to discuss the next steps needed for the state agency. "Hawaii is committed to redeveloping its State Plan, and has increased its staff recruitment to reach its staffing benchmark, and has increased its inspection activity by 148% over the prior fiscal year. HIOSH and OSHA have worked together to strengthen the State Plan," the rule states.