Last-minute rule change aimed at workplace

The Bush administration is pushing a last-minute regulation that would make controlling workplace toxins more difficult, The New York Times reports.

The proposed rule change would require industry-by-industry evidence that workers have been exposed to a hazardous substance before it can be subject to federal limits, the newspaper said Saturday.

President-elect Barack Obama opposes the change. But he would have a difficult time rolling back the change if becomes part of the Federal Code of Regulations, since his administration would have to go through the same steps that President Bush's administration did to get the rule into the code.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which supports the change, and federal officials say it simply involves getting as much information as possible.

This proposal does not affect the substance or methodology of risk assessments, and it does not weaken any health standard, said Leon Sequeira, the assistant secretary of labor for policy.