Hazard Control Responses and Economic Impacts in Selected OSHA Health and SafetyStandards: Expectations versus Outcomes

摘要

In May 1992, House and Senate committees jointly requested that the Office ofTechnology Assessment (OTA) evaluate the procedures and methods the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) used to examine control technology and regulatory impact in the course of rulemakings. As a part of this overall effort, OTA closely examined the circumstances of eight selected health and safety standards promulgated by OSHA. In each case, OSHA's assessments of hazard control options and estimates of compliance costs and other regulatory impacts were reviewed and then compared and contrasted with the actual post-promulgation outcomes as affected industries adjusted to new compliance requirements. This working paper reviews and expands upon the individual case study findings for seven of the eight standards examined by the project. (The case study on OSHA's occupational lead standard is not included in the material below, but is documented in the individual case study reports--see OTA's assessment report for citations.) The opinions expressed in this report are those of the present author.