WASHINGTON (AP) -- Workers in two industries are the focus of new safety rules being proposed by the Labor Department.
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis is planning to announce Tuesday new rules aimed at limiting exposure to a chemical that gives microwave popcorn its buttery flavor but has been linked to severe lung disease among plant workers.
Solis also is proposing rules to help prevent industrial dust accidents.
A department official says Solis is expected to announce the rules when she travels to Silver Spring, Md., to speak at the groundbreaking ceremony for a memorial to workers who have died on the job. The official discussed the new rules on condition of anonymity because the details have not yet been worked out.
Solis has pledged to step up enforcement of worker-safety regulations and to create safety rules in areas where the Bush administration had declined to act.
