Agency leaders define success

The heads of OSHA, NIOSH and the Mine Safety and Health Administration recently identified regulatory actions that must be achieved for their tenures to be considered a success.

Speaking Tuesday during the occupational keynote at the National Safety Council 2010 Congress & Expo in San Diego, OSHA administrator David Michaels named promulgating the injury and illness prevention program standard as his goal, suggesting that establishing a risk-based system for organizations to identify hazards would be more effective than establishing standards for a wide variety of hazards. He also hopes to modernize injury traffic systems, allowing employers and workers to receive more information to help identify patterns.

Suggesting the possibility of "another asbestos disaster," NIOSH Director John Howard stressed the need to define the risks of nanomaterials. MSHA administrator Joseph A. Main expressed a desire to promulgate regulation aimed at reducing "black lung" disease.