New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce v. Hughey

774 F.2d 587, 88 A.L.R. Fed. 809, 15 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 21030, 12 OSHC (BNA) 1489, 1985 U.S. App. LEXIS 23654
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Third Circuit
DecidedOctober 10, 1985
DocketNos. 85-5087, 85-5088 and 85-5095
StatusPublished
Cited by39 cases

This text of 774 F.2d 587 (New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce v. Hughey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce v. Hughey, 774 F.2d 587, 88 A.L.R. Fed. 809, 15 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 21030, 12 OSHC (BNA) 1489, 1985 U.S. App. LEXIS 23654 (3d Cir. 1985).

Opinion

[590]*590OPINION OF THE COURT

GIBBONS, Circuit Judge:

This is an appeal from a final summary-judgment in consolidated actions challenging the constitutionality of the New Jersey Worker and Community Right to Know Act, N.J.Stat.Ann. § 34:5A-1 to -31 (West 1984), which requires the disclosure of substances that may pose environmental hazards. The plaintiffs1 contend that the statute is preempted in its entirety by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Pub.L. No. 91-596, 84 Stat. 1590 (1970), codified at, 29 U.S.C. §§ 651-678 (1982) (OSH Act), and that the disclosure requirements are an unreasonable exercise of the state’s police power which will result in a taking of trade secrets without due process. The district court, 600 F.Supp. 606 (D.N.J.1985), held that the Right to Know Act, as applied to workers in the manufacturing sector,2 is preempted by the OSH Act and OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard, 29 C.F.R. § 1900.1200 (1984). The district court further held that the provisions of the Right to Know Act that apply to employers outside the manufacturing sector are unseverable. The court therefore permanently enjoined enforcement of the Act against employers in the manufacturing sector until the state submits a plan to the Secretary of Labor, pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 667(b), and obtains his approval of the state enforcement plan. The court also entered a declaratory judgment that the Act is not a taking of trade secrets without due process, and is not preempted as applied to employers not in the manufacturing sector. All parties appeal. Since we review a summary judgment our review is plenary. We affirm in part and reverse in part.

I.

The Right to Know Act

The legislative findings and declaration of purpose are included in the statute, which provides in relevant part:

[T]he proliferation of hazardous substances in the environment poses a growing threat to the public health ... [and] individuals have an inherent right to know the full range of risks they face so that they can make reasoned decisions and take informed action concerning their employment and their living conditions.
... [L]oeal health, fire, police, safety and other government officials require detained [sic] information about the identity ... of hazardous substances ... in order to adequately plan for, and respond to, emergencies____
... [T]he toxic contamination of the air, water, and land in this State has caused a high degree of concern among its residents ... [which is] needlessly aggravated by the unfamiliarity of these substances to residents.
The Legislature therefore determines that it is in the public interest to establish a comprehensive program for the disclosure of information about hazardous substances in the workplace and the community, and to provide a procedure whereby residents of this State may gain access to this information.

N.J.Stat.Ann. § 34:5A-2 (West 1984). Thus the New Jersey Legislature intended the Right to Know Act to make informa[591]*591tion about toxic chemicals available, (1) to all New Jersey residents who might be exposed to such chemicals, in the workplace or elsewhere, and (2) to public safety officers who might need such information to prevent, or respond to, emergencies.

The Right to Know Act directs the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to develop an environmental hazardous substance list, which must contain:

substances used, manufactured, stored, packaged, repackaged, or disposed of or released into the environment of the State which, in the department’s determination, may be linked to the incidence of cancer; genetic mutations; physiological malfunctions, including malfunctions in reproduction; and other diseases; or which, by virtue of their physical properties, may pose a threat to the public health and safety.

N.J.Stat.Ann. § 34:5A-4(a). The DEP promulgated such a list pursuant to the Act. N.J.Admin.Code tit. 7, § 1G-2.1 (1984). DEP is further directed to develop an environmental survey “designed to enable employers to report information about environmental hazardous substances at their facilities.” N.J.Stat.Ann. § 34:5A-4(b).

A separate section of the Act directs the Department of Health to develop a workplace hazardous substance list which must include: (1) all substances regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) under 29 C.F.R. § 1910, subpart z; (2) all environmental hazardous substances; and (3) all substances that “pose[ ] a threat to the health or safety of an employee.” N.J.Stat.Ann. § 34:5A-5(a). The workplace hazardous substance list, therefore, by definition includes all substances on the environmental hazardous substance list, and may include some additional substances. The list as promulgated is codified at N.J.Admin.Code, tit. 8, § 59 App. A (1984). The Department of Health must develop a “hazardous substance fact sheet” for every item on the workplace hazardous substance list. N.J.Stat.Ann. § 34:5A-5(d). The Department of Health is further directed to designate a “special health hazard substance list” indicating those substances that are so dangerous that employers will not be permitted to make a trade secret claim as to them. N.J.Stat.Ann. § 34:5A-5(b). Finally, the Department of Health is directed to develop a workplace survey to facilitate reporting of workplace hazardous substances by employers. N.J.Stat.Ann. § 34:5A-5(c).

Employers must provide completed surveys to county health departments, local fire and police departments, and to the Department of Health (workplace surveys) or the DEP (environmental surveys). N.J.Stat.Ann. § 34:5A-7. Upon receipt of an employer’s completed workplace survey, the Department of Health must provide the employer with a hazardous substance fact sheet (prepared by the Department, pursuant to section 5(d) of the Act) for each hazardous substance reported by that employer. N.J.Stat.Ann. § 34:5A-8(a). The Department of Health must keep the workplace surveys on file, and make them available to any person who submits a written request. N.J.Stat.Ann. § 34:5A-10. Likewise, DEP must maintain a current file of environmental surveys and make them available to any person who makes a written request. N.J.Stat.Ann. § 34:5A-9. The Act provides that “any person” may obtain access to environmental and workplace surveys; this information is not limited to employees.

Several sections of the Act are designed to ensure that information about hazardous substances is communicated to employees in particular. Employers must maintain a central file of workplace and environmental surveys, and notify employees of the file’s availability. N.J.Stat.Ann. § 34:5A-12. Each employer must also implement an employee education and training program designed to inform employees of the risk of hazardous chemicals, and to train them in precautions for safe handling of hazardous substances in the workplace. N.J.Stat.Ann. § 34:5A-13. The Act also requires employers to label containers of hazardous substances. N.J.Stat.Ann.

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New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, Chemical Industry Council of New Jersey, New Jersey Business and Industry Association, Chemical Specialties Manufacturers Association, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Magnesium Elektron, Inc., Cp Chemicals Inc., Chem-Mark, Inc., Exxon Chemicals Americas, a Division of Exxon Corporation, Schering Corporation, Essex Chemical Corporation and Ingersoll- Rand Company, and Shell Chemical Company, a Division of Shell Oil Company v. Robert E. Hughey, Commissioner of Environmental Protection J. Richard Goldstein, M.D., Commissioner of Health and William Van Note, Acting Commissioner of Labor and the State of New Jersey, in No. 88-5283. Appeal of New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce, Chemical Industry Council of New Jersey New Jersey Business and Industry Association Chemical Specialties Manufacturers Association, Inc. Merck & Co., Inc. Magnesium Elektron, Inc., Exxon Chemical Americas, a Division of Exxon Corporations Ingersoll-Rand Company and Shell Chemical Company, a Division of Shell Oil Company, in No. 88-5283. Fragrance Materials Association of the United States, Flavor and Extract Manufacture's Association, Bush Boake Allen, Inc., Fragoco, Inc., Firmenich, Inc., International Flavors and Fragrances, Inc., Isogenics, Inc., H.J. Kohnstamm & Co., Inc. v. Mane Fils, Inc., Noville Essential Oil Company, Inc., Polarome Manufacturing Corp., Roure Bertrand Dupont, Inc., Takasago USA Inc., Ungerer & Co., and Universal Fragrance Corporation, in No. 88-5332 v. William Van Note, Acting Commissioner of Labor for the State of New Jersey J. Richard Goldstein, Commissioner of Health for the State of New Jersey Robert E. Hughey, Commissioner of Environmental Protection for the State of New Jersey, in No. 88-5332, and Joseph H. Rodriguez, Public Advocate of the State of New Jersey New Jersey State Industrial Union Council, Afl-Cio (Iuc) Citizen Action of New Jersey Philadelphia Area Project on Occupational Safety & Health (Philaposh) New Jersey Environmental Lobby New Jersey State Firemen's Mutual Benevolent Association (Fmba) International Association of Firefighters, New Jersey Afl- CIO (Iaff) Communication Workers of America, & Glass Workers International Union, Afl-Cio, Local 514-G Pennsylvania Federation Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees, Afl-Cio Coalition Against Toxics League of Conservation Voters (New Jersey) Student Public Interest Research Group of New Jersey (n.j. Pirg) Environmental Action (Washington, d.c.) League of Women Voters of New Jersey Sierra Club (New Jersey) American Lung Association of New Jersey New Jersey Tenants Organization (Njto) New Jersey Association of County Health Officers and New Jersey Health Officers Association, Defendants-Intervenors in No. 88-5332
868 F.2d 621 (Third Circuit, 1989)

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774 F.2d 587, 88 A.L.R. Fed. 809, 15 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 21030, 12 OSHC (BNA) 1489, 1985 U.S. App. LEXIS 23654, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/new-jersey-state-chamber-of-commerce-v-hughey-ca3-1985.