• For all that employers may dislike OSHA's rule-making, a federal audit says the agency moves at a snail's pace when it decides to take on an issue it sees, averaging more than seven years to issue a standard.
• A report from the General Accountability Office (GAO) is gently titled, "Multiple Challenges Lengthen OSHA's Standard Setting," but it suggests "OSHA and NIOSH more consistently collaborate on researching occupational hazards, so that OSHA can more effectively leverage NIOSH expertise."
• OSHA faces stiffer legal standards for making a rule than other agencies, the report notes, so its process takes longer to collect evidence. It also has not used its power to issue emergency standards since 1983 and instead "focuses on enforcement and education when workers face urgent hazards," the GAO said.

From the article: "The U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO) has performed an audit of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) concluding that the agency’s cumbersome procedures make it far too slow to act, resulting in insufficient worker protection. ..."