or OSHA to decree with hindsight if the guess is incorrect. "With this sort of direction," Moran continues, "the most safety-conscious employer in the world could have no idea what to do in order to voluntarily achieve compliance with its requirements."
Moran believes that when a standard lists "other means" as acceptable for achieving compliance and does not precisely list or limit the "other means" contemplated, OSHA should accept the employer's methodology for compliance as acceptable under OSHA standards. "If we don't get more specific, no one will know what will and what won't prevent the existence of the hazard. In addition," Moran says, "the employer is left at the mercy of the inspector whose interpretation of what constitutes "other means" is never known in advance and will, of course, vary from inspector to inspector." Because regulations are vague, OSHA has been criticized for enforcement of their policies deemed by some as "police state" tactics. Moran believ
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