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- Title
Disclosing Hazards to Oil Spill Cleanup Workers: An Empirical Analysis.
- Authors
Cole, Benjamin M.; Emich, Kyle J.; Horton, Brent J.
- Abstract
Disasters such as the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulfof Mexico inevitably lead to significant cleanup activities. Entities organizing cleanup activities are subject to a patchwork of federal and state rules requiring them to disclose hazards-for example, hazards posed by oil or chemical dispersants-to cleanup workers through material safety data sheets (MSDS). First, we observe that the patchwork nature ofthese rules undercuts the ability of cleanup workers to actually receive the MSDS for the hazardous chemicals they may contact. That is unfortunate because-as shown later through our empirical analysis-reviewing the MSDS has a statistically significant impact on workers' willingness to participate in cleanup efforts, both as (unpaid) volunteers and as (paid) employees. Second, we ask: can MSDS disclosure itselfbe improved? Our empirical analysis shows it can. Our experimental manipulations show that personal anecdotes-both real-life descriptions ofexposure to chemicals experienced by workers in prior oil spill cleanups and descriptions by former workers of Later-Manifested Physical Conditions (LMPC)-have a statistically significant impact on individuals' willingness to participate in cleanup activities. The effect was seen for willingness to participate as both a volunteer and as a paid employee, and the effect was stronger than for the MSDS that meet current disclosure standards. Whenforty percent or more of the anecdotes included descriptions of health ailments, wage demands also went up meaningfully. Thus, it appears there is value in expanding the depth of disclosure in the MSDS-i.e., how deep the disclosure goes-rather than focusing solely on the breadth of disclosure-i.e., what hazards cleanup organizers must disclose. Given our empirical findings, we make two recommendations: (1) lawmakers should harmonize the patchwork ofrules to facilitate disclosure of hazards by the MSDS, and (2) lawmakers should increase the depth of disclosure by requiring that the MSDS include personal anecdotes by former cleanup workers (or instructions on how workers can access such personal anecdotes via a government-run website).
- Subjects
OIL spills; ENVIRONMENTAL disasters; HAZARDS; OIL spill cleanup; OIL spills &; the environment
- Publication
Berkeley Journal of Employment & Labor Law, 2024, Vol 45, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
1067-7666
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.15779/Z38F47GV7W