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

TWA Example So TWA = 120 ppm / 40 hours = 3 ppm

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):

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 CFR 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 –…