It's always been easy to take shots at the hazard communication standard. Last year at a Senate OSHA hearing, Republican Dan Coats of Indiana complained that the agency was tying up employers with "incredible minutia," and used as evidence material safety data sheets for white, yellow, and orange chalk.

South Carolina Republican Strom Thurman followed by brandishing a large blue binder filled with data sheets. He claimed a construction company with 60 employees had spent $75,000 keeping it up to date, though there had never been a single request for an MSDS.