The New York Times ran an interesting story yesterday about safety in biology research labs. The reporters were clearly hamstrung by the lack of real data on the issue, but the anecdotes – which include a University of Chicago scientist who died of the plague he was studying – make for troubling reading.

The bottom line, at least according to a 2006 survey by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, seems to be that there are fewer injuries and illnesses in industry research labs than in the average workplace. But some worry that biology labs have fewer federal regulations than a typical factory, despite the variety of chemicals and pathogens that can be found there. Among the worried: the new director of the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, who told the NY Times: “We have inadequate standards for workers exposed to infectious materials.”

What to do about it? The article suggests that OSHA is contemplating action. But even if OSHA beefs up regulations, its 2000 inspectors will likely have trouble enforcing them, the director cautions. With over 130 million workers in 7 million workplaces to oversee, they’re already pretty busy.