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OSHA Reopens Comment Period on Three Hazardous-Chemical Respiratory Protection Rules

Following Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health review, OSHA is giving the public an additional 30 days — until August 21, 2026 — to comment on proposed revisions to its Methylenedianiline, Vinyl Chloride, and Methylene Chloride standards.

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The Actions

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has reopened the rulemaking records for three separate proposed rules — covering Methylenedianiline (29 CFR 1910.1050 and 1926.60), Vinyl Chloride (29 CFR 1910.1017), and Methylene Chloride (29 CFR 1910.1052) — each for an additional 30 days of public comment. All three actions were dated July 16, 2026, signed by David Keeling, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, and published in the Federal Register on July 22, 2026. In each case, the affected regulations span 29 CFR parts 1910, 1915, 1917, 1918, and 1926.

Background and Rationale

All three proposals originated on July 1, 2025, when OSHA published them simultaneously in the Federal Register. The stated goals differ modestly by substance. The Methylenedianiline proposal aims to reduce compliance burdens, allow for the use of more up-to-date technology, and improve the comprehensibility of the requirements for respiratory protection programs under the standard. The Vinyl Chloride proposal seeks to remove redundant language and improve the comprehensibility of the requirements for respiratory protection programs. The Methylene Chloride proposal targets reducing compliance burdens, allowing for the use of additional types of respirators, and improving the comprehensibility of respiratory protection program requirements. All three proposals share a common stated intent: to better align each substance-specific standard with OSHA's Respiratory Protection standard (29 CFR 1910.134).

Comment History and ACCSH Consultation

Each of the three original comment periods was scheduled to close on September 2, 2025, but was subsequently extended an additional 60 days to November 1, 2025, in response to requests from the public. At the time the proposals were published, OSHA was still in the process of appointing members to its Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH). OSHA had stated in each proposal that it would present the proposed rule to ACCSH once that appointment process was complete, and that it would place the Committee's recommendations on the OSHA website and in the respective dockets to allow the public to comment on those recommendations.

For the Vinyl Chloride rule, OSHA consulted with ACCSH on April 1, 2026. For the Methylenedianiline and Methylene Chloride rules, OSHA consulted with ACCSH on both April 1 and May 19, 2026. Having completed those consultations, OSHA is now reopening all three records for an additional 30 days. ACCSH recommendations, comments, and other materials for Methylenedianiline are available in Docket No. OSHA-2025-0025 at regulations.gov; for Vinyl Chloride in Docket No. OSHA-2025-0015; and for Methylene Chloride in Docket No. OSHA-2025-0012. Additional materials related to OSHA's consultation with ACCSH are available at the OSHA advisory committee minutes webpage.

What to Watch

Written comments on all three proposed rules must be submitted on or before August 21, 2026. The documents are prepared under the authority of sections 4, 6, and 8 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, and issued pursuant to Secretary of Labor's Order No. 07-2025.

Related

Sources

25 cited

Every hard fact above is grounded in and cited to a primary source record.

  1. OSHA is reopening the rulemaking record for the Methylenedianiline proposed rule for an additional 30 days of public comment.

    federalregister.gov

  2. Written comments on the Methylenedianiline rule must be submitted on or before August 21, 2026.

    federalregister.gov

  3. The Methylenedianiline proposal affects 29 CFR parts 1910, 1915, 1917, 1918, and 1926.

    federalregister.gov

  4. Part of the intent of the Methylenedianiline proposal was to better align the standard with OSHA's Respiratory Protection standard (29 CFR 1910.134).

    federalregister.gov

  5. OSHA consulted with ACCSH on the Methylenedianiline rule on April 1 and May 19, 2026.

    federalregister.gov

  6. ACCSH materials for the Methylenedianiline rule are available in Docket No. OSHA-2025-0025 at regulations.gov.

    federalregister.gov

  7. The Methylenedianiline action was dated July 16, 2026, and signed by David Keeling, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.

    federalregister.gov

  8. The document was issued pursuant to Secretary of Labor's Order No. 07-2025 (90 FR 27878).

    federalregister.gov

  9. Written comments on the Vinyl Chloride rule must be submitted on or before August 21, 2026.

    federalregister.gov

  10. Part of the intent of the Vinyl Chloride proposal was to better align the standard with OSHA's Respiratory Protection standard (29 CFR 1910.134).

    federalregister.gov

  11. The Vinyl Chloride comment period was scheduled to end on September 2, 2025, but was extended an additional 60 days to November 1, 2025, in response to requests from the public.

    federalregister.gov

  12. OSHA consulted with ACCSH on the Vinyl Chloride rule on April 1, 2026.

    federalregister.gov

  13. ACCSH materials for the Vinyl Chloride rule are available in Docket No. OSHA-2025-0015 at regulations.gov.

    federalregister.gov

  14. OSHA is reopening the rulemaking record for the Methylene Chloride proposed rule for an additional 30 days of public comment.

    federalregister.gov

  15. Written comments on the Methylene Chloride rule must be submitted on or before August 21, 2026.

    federalregister.gov

  16. The Methylene Chloride proposal (29 CFR 1910.1052) was published on July 1, 2025, to reduce compliance burdens, allow for the use of additional types of respirators, and improve the comprehensibility of the requirements for respiratory protection programs under the standard.

    federalregister.gov

  17. Part of the intent of the Methylene Chloride proposal was to better align the standard with OSHA's Respiratory Protection standard (29 CFR 1910.134).

    federalregister.gov

  18. The Methylene Chloride comment period was scheduled to end on September 2, 2025, but was extended an additional 60 days to November 1, 2025, in response to requests from the public.

    federalregister.gov

  19. OSHA consulted with ACCSH on the Methylene Chloride rule on April 1 and May 19, 2026.

    federalregister.gov

  20. ACCSH materials for the Methylene Chloride rule are available in Docket No. OSHA-2025-0012 at regulations.gov.

    federalregister.gov

  21. The Methylene Chloride action affects 29 CFR parts 1910, 1915, 1917, 1918, and 1926.

    federalregister.gov

  22. The Methylenedianiline proposal was published on July 1, 2025, to reduce compliance burdens, allow for the use of more up-to-date technology, and improve the comprehensibility of the requirements for respiratory protection programs under the standard.

    federalregister.gov

  23. The Methylenedianiline comment period was scheduled to end on September 2, 2025, but was extended an additional 60 days to November 1, 2025, in response to requests from the public.

    federalregister.gov

  24. OSHA is reopening the rulemaking record for the Vinyl Chloride proposed rule for an additional 30 days of public comment.

    federalregister.gov

  25. The Vinyl Chloride proposal (29 CFR 1910.1017) was published on July 1, 2025, to remove redundant language and improve the comprehensibility of the requirements for respiratory protection programs under the standard.

    federalregister.gov

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