When more isn't a good thing

Aug 01 2008 by Derek Torres Print This Article

Why do governments continue to push the lie that they care about those they are supposed to represent? The American Department of Labor decided to be a sly guy and try to push through new legislation at the last minute that would make it harder to protect workers exposure to chemicals while at work.

Don't believe me? Read for yourself.

See, what's dodgy here is that the Labor Department doesn't feel like they need to discuss it or owe its citizens an explanation. Taking a closer look at the article, the new rules would make it easier for companies to challenge any litigation brought by staff over chemical exposure.

It also means that future generations of workers would likely have more exposure to chemicals than previous generations of workers. More is a good thing, right?

The Labor Department insists that more will be made available once the proposal becomes public. But in Washington, that means it will be made public with little fanfare and released on a Friday afternoon around 4pm

It's hard to believe that our elected officials would toy with the idea of even potentially making our workplaces less safe than in previous generations. It seems to me that past generations should be the bare minimum level of acceptance.

However, as they say in Washington, "follow the money", so pay close attention to how this plays out and who seeks to benefit. It certainly isn't the guy sniffing toxins from 8am to 6pm.

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