Opinion ID: 314814
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Proceedings in the Department of Labor

Text: 9 In May 1971, the Secretary, acting under Sec. 655(a), promulgated a general sanitation standard, avowedly as a national consensus standard, which included the subject of lavatories that is here at issue. 36 F.R. 10593, 10594. This standard, 29 C.F.R. Sec. 1910.141, was based on a 1968 American National Standards Institute (ANSI) general sanitation standard and required that in all places of employment whether industrial or nonindustrial 10 At least one lavatory    shall be provided for every 10 employees    or portion thereof, up to 100 persons; and over 100 persons one lavatory for each additional 15 persons or portion thereof. 11 Although petitioner now questions whether the ANSI standard met the statutory requirement for a national consensus standard, neither it nor, so far as appears, anyone else challenged this within the 60 days allowed by Sec. 655(f). 12 On July 15, 1972, the Secretary issued, under Sec. 655(b), a notice of rulemaking, 37 F.R. 13996, which proposed a substantial revision of the standards previously adopted. With respect to lavatories it was proposed to reduce the requirements for offices in a manner not here material but to retain those previously provided for all other. Id. at 13998. The reason for the change was explained as follows: 13 Not all office workers need or do wash at the end of the working day. The number of lavatories required in the present standard and ANSI Z4.1 is based more on industrial occupancies, where the load on washing facilities is likely to be heavier, and concentrated at specific periods of the working day. 14 Id. at 13996. Comments and requests for a hearing having been received, the Secretary published a notice of informal hearing, 37 F.R. 20571. Such a hearing, the bulk of which was devoted to proposals other than that here at issue, 3 was held on November 8-10, 1972. 15 Thereafter the Secretary promulgated, 38 F.R. 10930, 10933 (1973), a revision of 29 C.F.R. Sec. 1910.141. This set up the following requirements for lavatories: 16 TABLE J-2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Type of employment Number of Minimum number of lavatories employees ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nonindustrialoffice buildings, 1-15 ......... 1. public buildings, and similar establishments. 16-35 ........ 2. 36-60 ........ 3. 61-90 ........ 4. 91-125 ....... 5. Over 125 ..... 1 additional fixture for each additional 45 employees. Industrialfactories, 1-100 ........ 1 fixture for each 10 warehouses, loft buildings, employees. and similar establishments. Over 100 ..... 1 fixture for each additional 15 employees. 17 No mention was made of the objections that had been proffered to the minimaproposed for industrial establishments or of the reasons for rejecting them. 18 This petition for review of the portion of the standard concerning lavatories in industrial establishments followed. Another panel stayed enforcement of the standard pending argument of an expedited appeal; we continued the stay.