Proposal on Safety at Work Riles Unions

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Proposal on Safety at Work Riles Unions

By STEVEN GREENHOUSE

The Bush administration on Friday proposed that the Labor Department be

required to seek more public comment before adopting rules to protect workers

from hazardous chemicals. But instead of applauding the rule, many unions and

worker advocates denounced it, saying it would delay federal efforts to protect

workers.

“It’s a terrible idea,†said s, a professor of workplace

safety at the Washington University School of Public Health, who called

the

proposal “a setback†for the Occupational Safety and Health

Administration’

s ability to protect workers from carcinogens and other toxic chemicals.

“It will lead to more delays in setting new standards, and it gives parties

that oppose new regulations an opportunity to confuse the regulatory

process,â€

Professor s said.

OSHA currently has to seek public comment whenever it proposes a regulation

to protect against hazardous chemicals. Under the new proposal, the agency

will have to seek an additional “advance†round of comments on whether a

workplace chemical poses a significant risk.

Labor Department officials defended the new rule, saying it would establish

consistent procedures and ensure that those responsible for drafting

regulations had the best scientific information.

“What we want to do is ensure the department relies on the best data and

make sure the public has every opportunity to provide it,†said Leon R.

Sequeira, assistant secretary of labor for policy.

Many union officials and Democrats have criticized the proposal as an

11th-hour effort by the Bush administration to hobble the next president in

issuing

regulations on toxins in the workplace. They point out that under President

Bush, OSHA has issued just one major regulation with regard to toxins, and

then only under court order.

“What they’re doing is introducing a whole new step to the rule-making

process,†said Peg Seminario, the A.F.L.-C.I.O.’s director of occupational

safety and health. “Now, to put out a rule for a complex hazard takes a good

eight

years. Without question, this will add another year or two.â€

Anticipating this new rule, Representative , Democrat of

California and chairman of the House Labor and Education Committee, introduced

legislation last month to block the administration from enforcing it.

“In its final months in office, the Bush administration continues to attempt

to sneak through significant last-minute regulatory changes at the behest of

special interests,†Mr. said in a statement. “For nearly eight

years, this administration has consistently failed to respond to the real

health

and safety threats workers face while on the job. But now they will stop at

nothing to rush through significant regulatory changes that are detrimental to

average Americans.â€

Mr. Sequeira said critics were too quick to attack and see improper motives.

He denied that the new requirement would cause additional delay, and noted

that OSHA already often solicited such advance comment. The new rule merely

makes procedures consistent, he said.

“I’m confused why members of Congress and the self-described experts or

critics are criticizing increased public input in the process,†Mr. Sequeira

said.

He said the additional step of seeking advance comment — and then reviewing

such comments — could be easily integrated into a lengthy rule-making

process, without taking additional time.

Randel , a vice president with the United States Chamber of Commerce,

applauded the proposal.

“Whether the risk measures up to the level of risk needed under the law has

to be answered before the rule goes forward,†Mr. said. “You might

as well take it in hand early on and seek public comments.â€

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