Trade Groups Square Off On Silica Rule

OSHA says that a proposed new rule on silica dust exposure will save 700 lives a year, but spokesmen from the National Federation of Independent Business and the National Industrial Sand Association maintain the rule is unnecessary, will hurt business and cost jobs. The director of safety and health for the AFL-CIO argues the rule would prevent death and widespread disease, and a spokesman for one advocacy group argues that exposure limits should be even less than what OSHA is proposing. Public hearings on the proposed rule are scheduled to begin on March 18.