It’s alphabet soup time again… or at least it feels that way. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has just announced the formation of a Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA) panel to review the Injury and Illness Prevention Plan (I2P2) rules that have been proposed by OSHA last year. This is an important development because, although the rule has been in development over the past few years, we knew it wasn’t going to move forward until this process has gone forward.The I2P2 program is very important because while OSHA has very specific rules and regulations regarding a number of occupations and procedures for doing certain things. Those regulations are specific to those tasks and/or activities. This rule has the power to overarch all of this and require all businesses to have a comprehensive safety program with very prescriptive components. We have discussed the I2P2 at the past several years gin meetings and at the safety committee but we didn’t know when/if OSHA was moving on this rule. With the SBREFA process going forward it looks like the I2P2 will be sooner than later.

Please stay tuned to the blog and email for additional information on I2P2, its requirements and what we as cotton ginners will have to do or not do under this new proposed rule.

DSF