7 O.S.H. Cas.(bna) 1382, 1979 O.S.H.D. (Cch) P 23,579 Ray Marshall, Secretary of Labor v. The Anaconda Company, Montana Mining Division (Great Falls Refinery), and Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission

596 F.2d 370
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedMay 3, 1979
Docket78-1637
StatusPublished

This text of 596 F.2d 370 (7 O.S.H. Cas.(bna) 1382, 1979 O.S.H.D. (Cch) P 23,579 Ray Marshall, Secretary of Labor v. The Anaconda Company, Montana Mining Division (Great Falls Refinery), and Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
7 O.S.H. Cas.(bna) 1382, 1979 O.S.H.D. (Cch) P 23,579 Ray Marshall, Secretary of Labor v. The Anaconda Company, Montana Mining Division (Great Falls Refinery), and Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, 596 F.2d 370 (9th Cir. 1979).

Opinion

596 F.2d 370

7 O.S.H. Cas.(BNA) 1382, 1979 O.S.H.D. (CCH) P 23,579
Ray MARSHALL, Secretary of Labor, Petitioner,
v.
The ANACONDA COMPANY, Montana Mining Division (Great Falls
Refinery), and Occupational Safety and Health
Review Commission, Respondents.

No. 78-1637.

United States Court of Appeals,
Ninth Circuit.

May 3, 1979.

Diane E. Burkley, U. S. Dept. of Labor, Washington, D. C., Edward Klein, Atty., U. S. Dept. of Labor, Washington, D. C., for petitioner.

Stephen M. Williams, Butte, Mont., for respondents.

Petition to Review an Order of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Before SNEED and ANDERSON, Circuit Judges, and D. WILLIAMS,* District Judge.

SNEED, Circuit Judge:

The Secretary of Labor petitions to review and set aside an order of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission issued January 26, 1978. The Secretary issued citations in June 1977 against respondent Anaconda Company for violations of 29 C.F.R. § 1910.179, a safety standard governing overhead and gantry cranes, occurring at Anaconda's copper refinery at Great Falls, Montana. Respondent duly contested the citations and proposed penalty. The administrative law judge vacated the Secretary's order, holding that the standard involved was merely advisory as to cranes in service before August 31, 1971. The Commission did not assert its discretionary review power and the decision of the administrative law judge became final by operation of 29 U.S.C. § 661(i).1 This court has jurisdiction under 29 U.S.C. § 660(b). We deny the petition to review.

I.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND.

A. Regulatory Framework.

On April 28, 1971, the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA), 29 U.S.C. § 651 et seq., became effective. The Act empowered the Secretary of Labor "to set mandatory occupational safety and health standards applicable to businesses affecting interstate commerce." 29 U.S.C. § 651(b)(3). It also created the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (Commission) "for carrying out adjudicatory functions" of the Act. Id. The Secretary adopted the regulations at issue in this case under section 6(a) of OSHA, 29 U.S.C. § 655(a). Congress intended that section to speed implementation of OSHA's purpose by authorizing the Secretary to promulgate as an occupational safety and health standard without notice and hearing, "any national consensus standard . . . unless he determines that the promulgation of such a standard would not result in improved safety or health for specifically designated employees."2 Id.

On May 29, 1971, one month after OSHA's effective date, the Secretary adopted a broad range of industry standards as occupational health and safety standards. These became new Part 1910 of the Code of Federal Regulations. 36 Fed.Reg. 10466 (May 29, 1971). Among the regulations adopted were those at issue here which deal with overhead and gantry cranes, 29 C.F.R. 1910.179(e)(4) ("(e)(4)") and 1910.179(g)(3)(i) ("(g)(3)(i)"). These cranes are large industrial machines with a hoisting mechanism used to lift and lower a load. These cranes can span the width of a building and move back and forth from side to side on a girder structure called a bridge. The bridge girder moves horizontally the length of the building on a fixed runway or set of rails, moving on trolleys. The wheeled portion of the trolley is the "truck." Section e(4) requires the use of rail sweeps on the trucks to move persons or objects off the track before they are contacted by the bridge wheel. Sweeps also prevent jolts that may cause loads to swing dangerously or fall if wheels run over obstructions on the tracks. Section (g)(3)(i) requires cranes to be equipped with a device that automatically disconnects the three motors that drive the crane from the power source in the event of a power failure. This disconnection prevents unexpected crane movement when power resumes after the failure. The Secretary adopted these standards from a safety code originally formulated in 1967 by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The OSHA standards here involved were taken verbatim from Chapter 2-1 of the ANSI Code, sections 2-1.7.4(a) and 2-1.9.3(a).3

The ANSI standards distinguished between rules that were mandatory and those that were merely advisory. Part V of the ANSI Code Introduction explained how the two were differentiated:

Mandatory rules of this Code are characterized by the use of the word "shall." If a rule is of an advisory nature it is indicated by the use of the word "should" or is stated as a recommendation.

The Secretary, however, did not carry over this definition section when adopting the ANSI standards as OSHA regulations. Because he stated an intention to adopt entirely mandatory regulations, such a definition section was superfluous.

The dispute in this case turns on the purport of 29 C.F.R. § 1910.179(b)(2) ("(b)(2)"). That OSHA regulation derives from Section IV of the ANSI Code Introduction, which stated:

After the date on which this Code becomes effective, all new construction and installations Shall conform to its rules. Equipment installed prior to that date Should be modified to conform to its rules unless administrative or regulatory authorities deem that the equipment as installed cannot economically be altered and that the equipment substantially complies with the requirements of the Code.

(Emphasis added). As adopted, (b)(2) included two confusing substitutions. The term "design specification" was substituted for ANSI's "construction and installation" language; in addition, "Shall be modified" was inserted in lieu of ANSI's "Should be modified . . . unless." Thus, (b)(2) originally stated:

All the new overhead and gantry cranes installed after the effective date of the regulations in this subpart shall meet the Design specifications of the American National Standard Safety Code for Overhead and Gantry Cranes, ANSI B30.2.0.-1967. Equipment constructed and installed prior to the effective date of this subpart shall be modified to conform to these specifications.

29 C.F.R. § 1910.179(b)(2), 36 Fed.Reg. 10618 (May 29, 1971) (emphasis added).

Ten weeks later, the Secretary amended (b)(2). 36 Fed.Reg. 15101 (August 13, 1971). As amended, it stated:

All new overhead and gantry cranes constructed and installed on or after August 31, 1971, shall meet the design specifications of the American National Standard Safety Code for Overhead and Gantry Cranes, ANSI B30.2.0-1967. Overhead and gantry cranes constructed before August 31, 1971, should be modified to conform to those design specifications by February 15, 1972, unless it can be shown that the crane cannot feasibly or economically be altered and that the crane substantially complies with the requirements of this section.

(Emphasis added).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
596 F.2d 370, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/7-osh-casbna-1382-1979-oshd-cch-p-23579-ray-marshall-ca9-1979.