IH Legislation and Regulation

• Worker H&S issues have occasionally come up for centuries, sometimes playing a major role in labor relations

• Accidental injuries and deaths estimated in early 1970s at 2.2 million and 14,000 per year, respectively

• Awareness of such problems was often intentionally inhibited by employers

US Federal Involvement

• President Johnson first proposed Federal legislation in 1968; defeated in Congress

• Also in 1968 a mine explosion in WV killed 78 workers and led to a general strike and a WV state law for Black Lung compensation

• Finally, uniform Federal regulation initiated by passage of the Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHAct) in 1970

OSH Act

• Applies to workplaces of more than 10 employees

• Exempts farms, mines, and government agencies

• Creates regulatory agency in Labor Dept: OSH Administration

• Creates research agency in H&HS: NIOSH

Responsibilities of OSHA

• Establish safety and health standards

• Conduct inspections

• Require recordkeeping by employers and maintain national statistics

• Conduct training

Setting Standards

• Permissible Exposure Level (PEL) Standards initially drawn from ACGIH Threshold Limit Value (TLV) guidelines (1968 version)

• Subsequent modifications typically from NIOSH through conventional “rule-making” protocol

• Attempt to resynch with ACGIH failed

Occupational Standards: TWA

• The Time-Weighted Average (TWA) assumes an 8-hour day and 40-hour week

∑∑=

i i

i ii

t

tC TWA

TWA Example

So TWA = 120 ppm / 40 hours = 3 ppm

Exposure(ppm)

Time (hr) Product(ppm*hr)

2 10 20

3 20 60

4 10 40

40 120

Occupational Standards: STEL

• Short Term Exposure Level

• Calculated as a 15-minute TWA

• Allowed no more than four such exposure periods per day, separated by at least 1 hour

Occupational Standards: Ceiling

• Concentration which must not be exceeded, regardless of duration of exposure.

Whither the Standards?

• Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 29 contain all OSHA regulations

• Accessible on-line (though not necessarily with all tables and figures):http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.html

Inspections and Enforcement

• As of January 1973 OSHA had 500 inspectors for 4.1 million workplaces

• After the first 8 months of inspections, only 17,743 workplaces had been visited: at that rate it would take 230 years to visit all!

Hazard Communication

• Established by OSHA in 1983

• 29 CFR 1910.1200

• Supports employees’ “Right-to-Know”

HazCom Program

• Inventory of hazardous materials in plant

• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) available at all times

• Labeling of containers and signage

• Employee training program

MSDS• Identity• Hazard classification• Recommendations for usage• Emergency procedure guidance• Physical hazard data• Chemical hazard data• Physical and chemical properties• Manufacturer information

Project Kickoff

• Tentative list of participating “clients”:– Broadway Metal– JMU Power Plant– JMU Carpentry Shop– …