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The Employment Safety and Health Guide is an essential research tool for legal counsel and safety professionals who need complete and timely coverage of the workplace regulations issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
The House approved a bill designed to protect workers at food processing plants from exposure to a chemical linked to lung cancer. The House passed the bill (H.R. 2693) by a 260-154 vote on September 26. The Bush administration strongly opposes the measure.
The legislation would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue a standard requiring food processing plants to protect workers from exposure to diacetyl, a chemical used in artificial food flavoring. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health would be required to conduct a study to determine the potential exposure hazards of diacetyl and associated chemicals.
Diacetyl has been linked to a severe lung disease known as bronchiolitis obliterans, also known as "popcorn lung." The chemical reportedly has sickened and killed a number of workers in microwave popcorn plants and other facilities.
"It's a travesty that OSHA has done nothing to regulate this chemical, while workers have fallen seriously ill and some have actually died," said Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Cal., the sponsor of the legislation. "That's why it's time for Congress to act to keep workers healthy and safe. Passing this important legislation is a step in the right direction."
Under the bill, OSHA would be required to issue an interim final standard within 90 of enactment of the measure to regulate workers' exposure to diacetyl and a more comprehensive standard within two years. Employers that use the chemical would be required to develop a written exposure-control plan and use engineering controls and respirators to protect workers. Employers would be required to conduct medical-monitoring tests to determine whether the health of workers is being harmed.
The administration issued a statement saying the bill would force OSHA to publish a "premature standard." The September 25 statement went on to say, "The expedited rulemaking required by H.R. 2693 would not allow OSHA sufficient time to gather and analyze the kind of evidence and information needed to ensure the promulgation of a standard that adequately protects workers." The statement outlined steps OSHA is taking to address the problem, including conducting inspections at every microwave popcorn manufacturing plant in the nation within the calendar year and issuing an informational bulletin about diacetyl to employers.
Source: John Scorza, CCH Washington Bureau
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