The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“OSHA DID NOT INHALE” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H3980 on March 30, 1995.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
OSHA DID NOT INHALE
(Mr. HEFLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)
Mr. HEFLEY. Mr. Speaker, remember when Bill Clinton was asked if he had ever used drugs, he repeatedly told us that he had never violated the laws of the United States.
Finally, he admitted he had smoked marijuana, but ``only'' in Britain and he did not ``inhale.'' In other words, Bill Clinton's earlier responses were legally accurate, but they did not contain much truth.
This same technique is now being used by the Labor Department to defend OSHA. You have recently been told that OSHA does not prohibit roofers from chewing gum, cite employers for failing to have Material Data Safety Sheets for dishwashing detergent, nor prohibit dentists from giving children back their baby teeth.
Technically speaking, the Labor officials are correct; OSHA does not do any of these things--anymore. It has, it did, and absent the criticism heaped on OSHA by industry and Congress, it probably still would.
The next time an OSHA official tells you that OSHA does not cite employers for Joy dishwashing detergent, ask them when they stopped. These stories are not fiction--they are real. The fiction is OSHA's denial that its regulations are out of control.
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