Court Blocks OSHA Safety Program

A federal appeals court blocked enforcement of a government program aimed at improving safety at about 12,500 relatively dangerous workplaces. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration failed to provide adequate notice and enough time for public comment before instituting its cooperative-compliance program in 1997, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled. Under the program, OSHA officials notified thousands of employers and gave them a chance to cut down the odds that their workplaces would be inspected if employers agreed to meet a health and safety standard more stringent than federal law requires.