ABSTRACT

The "double-standard" in control of industrial hazards was born with the enactment of regulations and compensation statutes to protect workers, communities and the general environment. In 1931, a committee was set up to evaluate dust control regulations being developed in Great Britain. The committee included two representatives from the Factory Inspectorate and one representative each from the three largest asbestos companies. Its report1 expressed the concern that the imposition of regulations in Britain would adversely affect the competitive position of the asbestos industry, if other countries were unwilling to work toward the development of "uniform international requirements."