Earlier this week, Lizzie Grossman reported here at The Pump Handle on revisions to OSHA's Hazard Communication standard which align the agency's 30 year old rule with a globally harmonized system for classifying and labeling chemical hazards. In "Moving from Right-to-Know to Right-to-Understand," we learn how the changes stem from a 2002 United Nations resolution and why they should help U.S. workers better protect themselves from chemical hazards in their workplaces.
I spent some time this week reading for myself the 858-page document, and by the time I got to page 20 it was clear that OSHA staff did a top notch job writing the rule. I've learned that key credit belongs to the project director Maureen Ruskin, along with Deana Holmes, Kathy Landkrohn, Jessica Stone, and Ed Baird. It doesn't take long to recognize that they spent thousands of hours reading the public comments, reconciling them with OSHA's legal authority and policy priorities, and preparing a comprehensive justification for these regulatory revisions. [Round of applause.] The fact that they merged these GHS revisions with at least a dozen other OSHA standards did not go unnoticed. I'm sure it was a tedious task. It's one that is vitally important however to ensure consistent information is provided to workers and employers. [More applause.]
To learn more about the rule itself, read Lizzie's post. For now, I'd like to your draw attention to the meticulous way OSHA reports on the comments it received through the rulemaking process. I don't think any other agency goes to such lengths or measures up to this high standard. It's something the agency has done for many years.
Read the rest of this post...