Washington — A coalition of industry groups that includes the American Chemistry Council is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency and OSHA to develop a single federal framework to protect workers from exposure to chemicals, claiming the move would increase efficiency and curb confusion.
In a July 20 letter addressed to EPA administrator Lee Zeldin, OSHA administrator David Keeling, and White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, the group of 75 organizations calls on the agencies to “work jointly, using the authorities provided under Section 9 of the Toxic Substances Control Act.”
The American Petroleum Institute, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association, National Association of Manufacturers, and National Mining Association are among the groups that signed the letter.
The letter lists examples of perceived conflicts present under current regulations. EPA’s Workplace Chemical Protection Program, for instance, “not only creates overlap but also results in dueling federal frameworks between EPA and OSHA that impose conflicting assumptions, requirements and implementation approaches on the same workers, in the same workplace, for the same occupational risk,” the letter states.
The coalition continues: “When two federal agencies establish different exposure limits, monitoring approaches or compliance obligations for the same chemical, it creates confusion at the facility level, complicates decision-making and undermines clarity regarding safe practices.”
The letter cites recent congressional directives urging EPA and OSHA to combine efforts under Section 9 of the TSCA. That provision “explicitly authorizes EPA to coordinate with OSHA on worker safety matters, including referring findings of unreasonable risk to OSHA for evaluation and action, thereby enabling a unified, singular regulatory approach,” the coalition writes. “This authority should be fully utilized to protect workers under one consistent and coherent federal standard.”
In January 2025, EPA and OSHA signed a Memorandum of Understanding, pledging to work together to “maximize the efforts of both agencies to ensure the efficient and effective protection of workers, the public and/or the environment.”
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Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication