American Notes

Betcha didn't know that eating wallpaper could lead to constipation. Or that rubbing Metamucil in your eyes could irritate them. Neither do many employers, who are supposed to teach their workers such nuggets of wisdom; the government's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has not informed them of that obligation. Those who do know are in a fury.

This dustup, which is still tied up in court proceedings and renewed OSHA regulatory hearings, began reasonably enough. An OSHA ruling, effective in 1985, ordered manufacturers and importers of hazardous chemicals to inform workers of the dangers. In August 1987, under court order, the hazard communication standard (HCS) was expanded to cover 70 million employees of 4.5 million companies that merely use the chemicals. The paperwork to inform so many people of every conceivable peril is enough to swamp some small businesses; florists, for instance, may need ten to 20 pieces of paper per petal that has been treated with chemicals by their suppliers. OSHA official Frank White stoutly defends the HCS. But last week he conceded at a congressional hearing, "Perhaps we underestimated, as we sometimes do, the magnitude and sweep of this rule."