New regs for Monday: Workplace safety, trucks

Monday’s edition of the Federal Register contains new rules for truck drivers and workplace safety standards for miners.

Here’s what is happening:

Workplace safety: The Department of Labor could delay new protections for miners.

The Labor Department’s Mine Safety and Health Administration issued new standards for examining workplaces inside of mines, but the agency proposed Friday to delay the rules until July 24.

This would “assure that mine operators and miners affected by the examinations final rule have the training and compliance assistance they need,” the agency said.

The public has 30 days to comment.

Trucks: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will allow 126 truck drivers with poor vision in one eye to get behind the wheel.

Trucks drivers who fail the vision requirement are prohibited from operating commercial motor vehicles between states, but the FMCSA will exempt these drivers from the rule because it believes they will not be a danger on the roads.

The FMCSA is also considering exemptions for another 40 truck drivers who suffer from diabetes mellitus, but are seeking insulin treatment.

The public has 30 days to comment.