Tunnel Crew Gets Temporary Pass on Compressed Air Safety Rules
Published Date: 5/29/2026
Notice
Summary
The Obayashi-Jay Dee Joint Venture asked OSHA for special permission to change some safety rules while working in compressed-air environments on a tunnel project in New Hampshire. OSHA gave them a temporary green light starting May 29, 2026, while they decide if this change can be permanent. Workers and the public can share their thoughts by June 29, 2026, so everyone stays safe and the project keeps moving.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
Interim OK to Use Alternate Decompression
If you work as a compressed-air worker on the Obayashi--Jay Dee Cemetery Brook Drain Tunnel Project in Manchester, New Hampshire, OSHA granted an interim order effective May 29, 2026 allowing interventions in hyperbaric conditions up to 37 p.s.i.g. under the project-specific Hyperbaric Operations Manual. The interim order lets the project use the 1992 French staged decompression tables (including oxygen when specified), a maximum decompression crew of three people, and the TBM main airlock (with shuttle and medical chambers on-site) instead of automated continuous decompression controls and a separate special decompression chamber; the interim order stays in effect until the project is complete, revoked, or OSHA decides on a permanent variance.
Employer Must Meet New Safety Conditions
The company (OJD) must follow many conditions while using the interim order: submit a project-specific Hyperbaric Operations Manual (HOM) and proof of ASME PVHO-1.2019 compliance at least six months before using the TBM, run worker qualification and training programs, perform frequent inspections and tests, keep detailed hyperbaric intervention records, and notify OSHA within 8 hours of any recordable hyperbaric serious incidents. These additional recordkeeping and notification duties apply for the duration of the project while the interim order is in effect.
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