Published:May 21, 2012Author:Michael Blanding With an election looming and the economy continuing to struggle, the effectiveness of government regulation has become a political football. While advocates hold regulations up as necessary to protect public health and safety, critics see them as arbitrary and costly to business, reducing wages and killing jobs at a time when the United States can ill afford to lose them. Few regulatory agencies have a more direct effect on businesses than the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the federal agency responsible for enforcing regulations to keep workplaces healthy and accident-free. "Needless rules and onerous regulations are often roadblocks to economic growth and job creation," groused one congressman during a House subcommittee hearing on OSHA last ...