Michigan Plans Changes to Workplace Safety Rules

A state office is making hundreds of recommendations to eliminate Michigan workplace safety regulations that exceed federal standards.

The report released by the Office of Regulatory Reinvention aims to eliminate what the agency says are duplicative or unnecessarily burdensome rules.

The office said in a news release that Gov. Rick Snyder has reviewed the recommendations and asked state agencies to work toward implementation.

The Office of Regulatory Reinvention said it made 624 recommendations for changing 334 Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules that exceed federal standards. The recommendations could rescind more than 600 requirements by the state safety agency.

The state agency said some recommendations would eliminate seldom-used commissions that no longer have rule-making authority. Some of those commissions could be replaced with more specialized advisory committees.