APPROACHES FOR ASSESSING THE EFFICACY OF OCCUPATIONAL-HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDARDS

The regulation of hazards is one of the most dramatic forms of interve ntion in occupational safety and health (OSH). Despite their high degr ee of potential social and economic impact, relatively little research has been conducted to specifically evaluate the effectiveness of OSH standards with regard to preventing occupational diseases and injuries . This paper reviews the basic scientific approaches that may be used to evaluate the efficacy of OSN standards. These approaches encompass the following research areas: (1) exposure surveillance, (2) disease s urveillance, and (3) prospective studies following the introduction of the standard. Research on asbestos and asbestosis, respirable crystal line silica (quartz) and silicosis, and respirable coal mine dust and coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) ave used to illustrate these approa ches and the type of information that is currently available. The exam ples (quartz, coal dust, asbestos) reveal substantial limitations in t he types of information currently available for evaluating the efficac y of these OSH standards. ideally, plans for evaluating the efficacy o f OSH standards should be developed for existing and future standards. These plans should include programs for the surveillance of exposures and adverse health effects and, wizen possible, for prospective studi es designed to evaluate how the risk of disease (or injury) is modifie d by the introduction of the standard. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.