Dive Brief:

• The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration now will keep the comment window on its proposed inhaled silica-dust rules open until Jan. 27 instead of closing it Dec. 11.
• Associated General Contractors, which is strongly opposing the rule change, is sending out a table that shows what OSHA estimates compliance costs will be and that asks businesses to fill in their estimate of the cost for each item.
• OSHA published its proposed rule in August and will begin public hearings in March.

Dive Insight:

OSHA did not say in announcing the extension why it is doing it, so there is no way to tell if the federal partial shutdown prompted or it's getting a ton of comments. AGC has been coordinating opposition from the construction industry, which the organization will be hit hard. OSHA estimates that compliance will cost $874.62 per worker per year.