ASA Comments on OSHA's Hexavalent Chromium Rule

Washington, D.C., Jan. 5, 2005 — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a proposed rule for occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium. OSHA has proposed three separate standards that cover exposure to hexavalent chromium in general industry, construction and shipyards.

“The risks involved in the occupational use of hexavalent chromium can be serious and potentially life threatening,” said John Henshaw, OSHA administrator. “This proposed rule is both economically and technologically feasible and will substantially reduce the risk to workers potentially exposed to hexavalent chromium.”

Hexavalent chromium compounds are widely used in the chemical industry in pigments, metal painting and chemical synthesis. Hexavalent chromium can also be produced when welding on stainless steel or painted surfaces.

The Automotive Service Association (ASA) has submitted comments on the proposed regulation. ASA’s collision members use refinishing products in the repair of vehicles. Sanding of some vehicle parts, grinding and limited welding could also present opportunities for the proposed new exposure standard to be triggered.

As stated in the comments, “ASA asks the agency to re-evaluate the potential economic burdens for collision repairers if this proposed regulation were to move forward in its current form. What is not entirely clear in the economic impact analysis of the proposal is whether the agency considered the cost of new equipment, cost of physical alterations/additions, cost of additional technical training, and the cost of additional staff hours to comply with the proposed regulations; i.e. recordkeeping and medical monitoring.

“Collision repairers have taken a leadership role in establishing a voluntary national training organization, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR), to assure that technical staffers have the most up-to-date repair and safety information available. ASA is the founder of the Automotive Management Institute (AMI), which encourages best management practices and workplace safety.

“ASA encourages the agency to fully evaluate the economic burdens placed on automotive repairers by this proposed regulation.”

The Automotive Service Association is the largest not-for-profit trade association of its kind serving an international membership base that includes numerous affiliate, state and chapter groups from all segments of the automotive service industry. ASA’s headquarters is in Bedford, Texas.