After the dust-up over the hexavalent chromium standard in late February, OSHA lifers on Pennsylvania Avenue must feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. You remember, the 1993 movie with the tagline, “He’s having the worst day of his life... over and over…†No matter what the standards-writers try, the same damn thing happens… over and over.
The only novelty to OSHA’s latest standard-setting saga is the record-setting time for kicking a rule back to the courts. The final hex chrome rule was published in the Federal Register on February 28th. Public Citizen Health Research Group announced February 27th “we have no choice but to bring the agency back to court again.â€
“Bring the agency back to court†is just one of the lines from the hex chrome script you’ve heard before. Fill in the blanks with your favorite battered and bruised OSHA standard:
“Facing a court-ordered deadline, OSHA has issued its long-awaited ______________ standard,†reports the press.
“OSHA has worked hard to produce a final standard that substantially improves protection for employees exposed to ________________†announces the OSHA chief.
An advocacy group calls the ____________ rule “seriously inadequate†and declares it will file a lawsuit.
“After a careful analysis, we determined that the ____________ standard is the most stringent that is feasible both technologically and economically,†assures OSHA.
“This ___________ rule will cause significant upheaval within our industry,†argues a lawyer for a trade association. “OSHA overestimated the benefits, underestimated the costs; factories will close and/or jobs will be sent to foreign soils.â€
A union spokesman claims industry “played fast and loose with the data.†He charges “political appointees beholden to business†overruled the ____________ standards-writers.