Occupational health values in the Supreme Court: Cost-benefit analysis

In American Textile Manufacturers Institute v. Donovan, the Supreme Court refuted an industry challenge, supported by the Reagan administration, to the cotton dust standard established under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Petitioners argued that the Act required cost-benefit analysis, but the Court ruled in favor of workers' health where toxic materials were concerned. An earlier Supreme Court decision, Industrial Union Dept. v. American Petroleum Institute, invalidated OSHA's standard on occupational exposure to benzene as too stringent for the determined risk. These two decisions provide boundaries within which standards may be promulgated balancing industrial growth and development against worker safety and health.