Measure Sets One Standard for Asbestos Exposure

Language in the House-passed DoD authorization measure for fiscal 2004 (HR-1588), now pending in a conference with the Senate, that would set one standard for asbestos exposure for both white collar and blue collar employees reflects a Pentagon request to standardize those rules. While both groups are eligible for differentials, the rules currently differ. GS employees get hazardous duty pay differentials when exposure exceeds certain federal limits, while wage grade employees get environmental differential pay when asbestos concentrations “may expose employees to potential illness or injury.” DoD asked Congress for a single policy, arguing that the standard for wage grade employees “is open to interpretation and allows local arbitrators to determine subjectively the amount of asbestos exposure warranting the payment of the differential” and has resulted in awards where exposure was well below the standard used for white collar employees. The language would authorize payments for both groups “by applying occupational safety and health standards consistent with the permissible exposure limit” set by the Labor Department.