Federal OSHA, rather than states that run their own OSHA programs, will continue to cover the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and postal workers in every state, OSHA announced Monday.
All 23 states that cover private sector employers through their own OSHA programs have chosen not to include postal coverage in their plans, according to updated state plans published in the Federal Register yesterday.
The USPS came under OSHA jurisdiction Sept. 29, 1998, following an enactment of the Postal Employees Safety Enhancement Act of 1998.
That law specifically provided states the opportunity to exercise jurisdiction over the USPS by amending their plans; however, all states declined to do so.
The Federal Register notice also contains other technical corrections to state plans including providing uniform language on maritime coverage and affirming federal coverage of military bases in Washington and Indian Reservations in Oregon.
by Virginia Sutcliffe
