With a bipartisan voice vote yesterday, the House Education and Labor Committee approved a bill that would force OSHA to regulate workers’ exposure to diacetyl. Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, chair of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections  and chief sponsor of the legislation, commented:

What’s troubling is that if OSHA had taken action in a timely manner, we would not need to pass a bill to require OSHA to do something that it should have done a long time ago. …While OSHA has ignored the warnings of NIOSH and others concerning this devastating disease, workers have become sick and disabled, and several have died, all in an astonishingly short period of time.  That’s why this legislation is so important – it will save lives.

For more information, see our post on the legislation or past posts on diacetyl.