The Problem of Wording

Standards must be precise enough to prevent misinterpretation and ambiguity, but they must be broad enough to apply generally to all mines. The stakes are high because inaccurate and poorly worded standards can endanger miners lives. 

Documents submitted as testimony in Congressional hearings show how minor editorial changes can diminish worker safety. The first document pre- 

Many of Bruce s comments reveal a grammarian s annoyance at poorly worded language. Bruce faults the document s lack of parallelism and criticizes other errors that he believes were introduced capriciously or as the result of word-processing errors. He complains that this kind of error is difficult to understand since the proper wording is contained on a flexible disk for the word processing units.  

The problem of wording ultimately reflects deeper concerns about how to produce technical documentation that can improve the health and safety of workers. As Pyro demonstrates, imprecise and poorly worded standards can derail the agency s intentions and leave workers unprotected. But too much focus on precision can also prevent the agency from promulgating standards to regulate new technologies. 

Mine 8ifily wi HMitti POB 2M67 Oanw, Color tfo 90225 

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