Home Business . Once Uncle Sam adds to the already considerable array of workplace safety rules, it's not hard to imagine that perceived opportunities to seek litigative rewards will expand accordingly. Foes of the regulations, which are due to take effect in January, predict that implementation and compliance costs will be 20 to possibly almost 30 times official estimates. In truth, nobody knows for certain what the added overhead will be, but if history is any guide, the promised savings aren't likely to materialize.
Regulations are, in essence, a tax on doing business ultimately paid by the public.
Some regulations may be justified, but many are Mickey Mouse nuisances existing only because power granted must be power exercised, even if it's for no justifiable purpose. Opponents of the new regulations will no doubt fight a rear-guard action to prevent implementation, but they shouldn't expect much relief, even if their cause makes it to the Supreme Court. Business groups say environmental regulators should be required to balance the compliance costs of their mandates against the expected health-benefit results. Neither the court's conservatives nor its liberals, however, seemed convinced by arguments that regulatory costs should bear some relationship to the good they are intended to accomplish. This is historically consistent, according to analysts, which is unfortunate given the tenor of the times.