HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	102
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

Expressing support for enforcement of existing OSha regulations on the use of hexavalent chromium and urging osha to develop safer alternatives and ban hexavalent chromium.

     WHEREAS, hexavalent chromium, also known as Chrome 6, is highly toxic, hazardous, and a known carcinogen; and

     WHEREAS, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has determined that there is decisive evidence for the carcinogenicity of hexavalent chromium compounds in humans; and

     WHEREAS, hexavalent chromium is commonly used in commercial and industrial applications, including electroplating, welding, industrial paints, shipbuilding, processing of chromite ore, certain dying operations, wastewater treatment, wood preservatives, certain inks, plastic colorants, iron and steel production operations, textile processing, leather tanning, glass production, solid waste incineration, and construction; and

     WHEREAS, the adverse effects of exposure to hexavalent chromium include lung cancer, ulceration of the nasal passages, perforation of the nasal septum, asthma, allergic contact dermatitis, irritant dermatitis, and ulceration of the skin; and

     WHEREAS, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations limit acceptable levels for workplace exposure to hexavalent chromium, but do not contain mechanisms for enforcement or penalties for noncompliance; and

     WHEREAS, a safer alternative to hexavalent chromium, Trivalent Chromium Process, demonstrates equal or superior plating rate, hardness, current efficiency, and cost for metal working and processing application now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2010, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature supports vigorous enforcement of existing OSHA regulations on hexavalent chromium until the goal of banning its use is achieved; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature urges OSHA to adopt meaningful enforcement mechanisms of OSHA regulations regarding hexavalent chromium in the workplace, including penalties for noncompliance; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature urges OSHA to work to develop and promote the use of safer alternatives to hexavalent chromium with the goal of eventually banning hexavalent chromium; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health, the Director of Labor and Industrial Relations, and the Operations Manager of the Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Division. 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Hexavalent Chromium; Workplace Safety; OSHA Regulations