OSHA To Improve Ilness Prevention Standards

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is planning to restructure its rules regarding disease and illness prevention. Each year, thousands of workers succumb to illness due to chemical exposure. While most of these cases are minor, some of them can result in permanent damage or even death. OSHA hopes to reduce these numbers by creating a more thorough and effective standard for protecting workers from chemical-related illness.

OSHA Administrator David Michaels announced the administration's plans on October 9 during a teleconference According to Michaels, workers are often exposed to chemicals and substances within legal limits. However, just because exposure is within legal limits doesn't necessarily mean it's safe. To counteract this problem, OSHA wants to open public commenting for chemical manufacturers, chemical companies, and industry professionals. Michaels notes, however, that implementing new protocols and standards could take "years," but addressing each and every chemicals could take "centuries."

"Many workers are being exposed to levels of toxic substances that are legal but not safe. This new dialogue will show the world what we can do to protect our most valuable resource—our workers," said OSHA Administrator David Michaels. "We have to assess the feasibility of these approaches, and that can take years,” he said. “There's got to be a better way to approach this issue. If we do it chemical by chemical, it could take centuries."

Just one day after Michaels made this statement, OSHA released details on a 180-day public commenting period for chemical-related illness in the workplace. This 6-month period will allow professionals and the general public alike to share their comments, questions and concerns regarding chemical-related illness in the workplace. OSHA is hopeful that it will yield some constructive feedback from workers in chemical industries.

There are currently tens of thousands of different chemicals used in U.S. workplaces. Surprisingly, though, only about 500 of them have permissible limits set by OSHA. Permissible limit is defined as the amount to which a worker can be legally exposed. If an employer exposes his or her workers to an amount higher than the permissible limit, they could be subject to fines and legal action. This is an issue that OSHA must address in order to reduce the number of chemical-related illnesses in the workplace.

What additional steps do you think OSHA should take to prevent illnesses in the workplace? Let us know in the comments section below!