Document v65EGq7ndjd0Gng47oO963KO8

Thursday, Novambar 3, IMS Beaumont Government slashes asl WASHINGTON (AP) - The Labor Department, saying 375,000 workers face "grave danger," issued an emer gency standard Wednesday that dashes by 75 percent the permissible exposure to asbestos fibers by em ployees in the manufacturing, con struction and maritime industries. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration put out an Emergency Temporary Standard--the first of the Reagan administration -- lowering tha legal asbestos exposure level over an sight-hour day from two fibers per cubic centimeter of air to one-hall fi ber. The rule is enforceable ly upon publication in the Register. Spokesman Douglas Clark the asbestos levelto one-half fiber per said the agent? hoped that would be cubic centimeter of air will "save Friday. many lives," the agency said. In announcing the action. Labor Asbestos i&a fibrous mineral widely Secretary Raymond Donovan said the used as a fire retardant insulation in Job safety agency's risk assessment buildings and reinforcement in cal predicts "three excess cancer deaths crete pipes. It has been shown to per 1,005 workers exposed for one- cause cancer and debilitating lung year at the current permissible expo diseases. sure leveL" Those risk studies also . Unions representing workers in con showed "risk of grave danger" to peo struction and' manufacturing Indus- ple who have even short-term asbes , tries had been pressing the adminis tos exposure. tration to take such emergency ac The mortality rate is an extraordt - tion. An asbestos health standard has nary S3 times higher for smokers who been on the'books since 1972, not long are exposed to asbestos, the agency. after the Occupational Safety and ^Health Administration was created, jawt.haa remained unchanged since 3estos 1976. Under government rulemaking pro cedures, OSHA must propose a per manent asbestos standard and seek public comment on it within 60 days of publication ofthe emergency rule. OSHA administrator - Thorne G. Auchter had said last April that ha was speeding up his agency's work on tightening the existing asbestos stan dard. In a latter to Sheldon Samuels, . director of health and safety at tha AFL-CIO's Industrial Union Depart ment, Auchter said, "Personally, I am very concerned about the asbestos problem." - He said at the time that OSHA. planned to issue nnr rotes byJunq 1984. Three large asbestos firms --Man- The emergency standard coverif manufacturing,.. construction and: vi&e Corn;, UNR Industries Inc. and msritime industries and itsprovisions Amatex up, -- have,filed for bank include requirements that employers ruptcy law protection in the face of train their workers in the handling of thousandsoflawsuits by former work asbestos, v'- 1 ers who allege they contracted respi- ratory problems as- a result of their. Job*.. The standard accords wide flexibili ty ts to how companies achieve the lower exposure levels. The methods The .OSHA move was spurred in' part by increasing concern about the exposure of construction industry, workers to asbestos at work sites include removing fibers from work place sites, with suction-type equip ment, revamping work practices and furnishingRespirators to workers. where buildings are being demol That' may not'sit well with the ished. The agency hadsaid in October unions, who argue that strict engi that it was stepping neering controls are the best'solution in*wctJ*di thesew Mtoraettem,. in JUL . I DUP 0501591 jyU 001330