December 8, 2000

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Thursday issued a final rule on washed cotton that will add an improved method of washing cotton to other washing procedures and increasing the standard's flexibility.

Washing cotton before it is spun and woven eliminates the risk of "byssinosis" to workers exposed to cotton dust. Washed cotton exemptions were added to the cotton dust standard in 1985. The exemption did not include the batch kier method because it had not been shown at the time to eliminate bioactivity of the cotton dust.

Subsequently, based on research by the joint industry, government, union task force put together by the National Cotton Council, it was shown to eliminate bioactivity, and the method is now being added to the standard. Washed cotton is exempted from all of the standard's requirements other than medical surveillance every two years.

This is the first time OSHA has issued a direct final rule, a method of speeding up rulemaking on non-controversial issues. This approach saves regulatory resources and is consistent with reinventing government efforts. NCC recommended that OSHA take this approach to add this amendment to the standard.

OSHA recently completed a two-year regulatory "look back" review of the cotton dust standard. That review, coupled with recommendations by a joint partnership of industry, union and government officials put together by the NCC, resulted in the latest amendment.

Public comments on the amendment, which was published in the Federal Register Thursday, must be received by OSHA by Jan. 22. If no adverse comments are received, the final rule will be effective on April 6. If OSHA receives significant adverse comments, the agency will proceed with a normal rulemaking.

OSHA also will announce the availability of its report on the review of the cotton dust standard required under the Regulatory Flexibility Act. The standard review validated the standard's continued significance and found that changes to the standard were not necessary other than the washed cotton amendment. That regulatory review also is being published in the Federal Register today.