OSHA
Commentary
"What did we set up the government for?"
Cry Wolf Quotes
[Only one percent of cotton workers] have a reaction to cotton dust. The problem is grossly exaggerated. There has not been a known death from byssinosis. There are no autopsy findings that prove the existence of byssinosis in an individual. There are subjective symptoms which the patients express that sometimes result from bronchitis, emphysema or excessive smoking.
[The ergonomics standard is] the most expensive, intrusive regulations ever promulgated, certainly by the Department of Labor and maybe by any department in history.
[M]uch of the scientific data obtained by researchers to date is inconclusive….misplaced reliance on mere suspicions rather than proven data, or precipitous and emotional reaction to such incomplete information…could lead to major economic consequences.
If implemented, they would require employers to establish burdensome and costly new systems intended to track, prevent and provide compensation for an extremely broad class of injuries whose cause is subject to considerable dispute.
Related Laws and Rules
- Ergonomics Standard (2000)
- OSHA Formaldehyde Standard
- OSHA Grainhandling Standard
- OSHA Vinyl Chloride Standard
- OSHA's Asbestos Standard
- OSHA's Cotton Dust Standard
- OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard
- OSHA’s Ethylene Oxide Standard
- OSHA’s Excavation Standard
- OSHA’s Lead in Construction Standard
- OSHA’s Lockout/Tagout Standard
- OSHA’s Methylene Chloride Standard
