Secretary of Labor v. Seward Ship's Drydock, Inc., No. 18-71216 (9th Cir. 2019)
Annotate this CaseThe Ninth Circuit granted the Secretary's petition for review of the Commission's decision interpreting a provision of the Respiratory Protection Standard promulgated under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. The panel adopted the Secretary's interpretation of section 1910.134(d)(1)(iii) of the Act to require covered employers to evaluate the respiratory hazards at their workplaces whenever there is the "potential" for overexposure of employees to contaminants, in order to determine whether respirators are "necessary to protect the health" of employees. The panel explained that the text, structure, purpose, and regulatory history of the Standard all point in the same direction as the Secretary's interpretation.
Court Description: Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The panel granted the Secretary of Labor’s petition for review of a decision of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission interpreting a provision of the Respiratory Protection Standard promulgated under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, 29 C.F.R. § 1910.134. The panel adopted the Secretary’s interpretation of § 1910.134(d)(l)(iii), requiring covered employers to evaluate the respiratory hazards at their workplaces whenever there is the “potential” for overexposure of employees to contaminants, in order to determine whether respirators are “necessary to protect the health” of employees. The panel held that the text, structure, purpose, and regulatory history of the Standard all pointed in the same direction, and the panel adopted the Secretary’s interpretation without resorting to Auer deference. PIZZELLA V. SEWARD SHIP’S DRYDOCK 3
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