Opposition mobilizes to OSHA reform passage (7/29)
The House Education and Labor Committee approved July 21 legislation that would increase criminal and civil penalties for OSHA violations, strengthen whistleblower protections and speed up hazard abatement. The Robert C. Byrd Miner Safety and Health Act (H.R. 5663), passed on a largely party line vote of 30-17, would also provide stronger enforcement tools to the Department of Labor to enforce mine safety regulations.
During markup of the bill, committee Republicans complained they were excluded from the legislative process, and argued that the OSHA reform provisions, which they largely opposed, should be considered separately from reforms affecting the Mine Safety and Health Administration.
The legislation affecting OSHA would provide victims of accidents and their family members greater rights during investigations and enforcement actions. In addition, OSHA would be allowed to assert concurrent enforcement jurisdiction in states with OSHA state plans, if the state is failing to maintain protections for workers that is at least as effective as federal OSHA.
Committee Democrats approved a number of amendments to the original bill and the amended bill is not yet available. Companion legislation to H.R. 5663 has not been introduced in the Senate.
SOLIS APPLAUDS
U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued a press statement touting the bill:
“There is a tremendous need for swift action on this legislation. I can think of no better way to honor the memory of Senator Robert C. Byrd and all of those workers who have died tragically on the job than to quickly pass this legislation. I hope the full House will take up this bill before the August recess.”
NAM TAKES EXCEPTION
From the National Association of Manufacturers’ blog Shopfloor:
“…the bill goes far beyond the regulation of mining to rewrite vast portions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act that affect all businesses. Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-WA) proposed an amendment to strike the far-reaching OSHA provisions in order to keep the legislation focused on addressing mine safety issues. Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) also offered an amendment to strip out one of the more egregious provisions of the bill, language that radically expands criminal penalties for certain OSHA violations via a nebulous system that requires simply a “knowing” standard. Such a standard is unheard of in safety laws and would significantly deter efforts by manufacturers to prevent accidents in the workplace.
“Manufacturers regularly perform safety audits of their workplaces in order to assess any potential hazards that may exist. However this provision would find “any company officer or director” subject to criminal penalties if an employee was seriously injured as a result of hazard identified in the audit – even if the employer was in the process of making the necessary changes to address the hazard.
“The bill has the potential to come up for a vote next week during House leadership’s push for manufacturing-oriented legislation. It seems counterintuitive, to say the least, to be pushing legislation that would burden employers with additional costs and more threats of litigation during a time when Members of Congress have publicly committed themselves to improving the competitiveness of our manufacturing economy.
“BILL HAS BIG HOLE”
Robert Heise, president of the Minnesota Associated Builders and Contractors, issued this statement regarding the OSHA bill:
”The bill uses language from the Protecting America’s Workers Act (H.R. 2067/S. 1590), which affects employers in all industries. The bill would amend the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act by changing the penalty scheme for safety violations by altering the requirement for criminal liability from acts that are deemed “willful” to acts that are deemed only “knowing,” and broadening the definition of employer from “any responsible corporate officer” to “officer or director.”
”…under the bill, employers could be required to make immediate and costly changes in response to a citation without OSHA showing that there is an imminent threat and without being provided a hearing or judicial review of the inspector’s allegations.
”The problem is that most inspectors are not industry experts and lack knowledge or background in industry-specific safety practices and operations and that the increased emphasis on enforcement would take away the cooperative relationship most ABC members enjoy with OSHA.
“H.R. 5663, as written, will not improve safety, but will instead create greater cost and litigation, and hamper job creation. ABC members will continue to make their concerns known as the bill makes its way through Congress. “
OPPOSTION GETS ACTIVE
The Coalition for Workplace Safety (CWS), headed by the U.S Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers, protested the bill in a letter sent this week to Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor, and Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., ranking minority member on the committee. More than 200 other organizations and their chapters signed the letter.
During markup of the bill, committee Republicans complained they were excluded from the legislative process, and argued that the OSHA reform provisions, which they largely opposed, should be considered separately from reforms affecting the Mine Safety and Health Administration.
The legislation affecting OSHA would provide victims of accidents and their family members greater rights during investigations and enforcement actions. In addition, OSHA would be allowed to assert concurrent enforcement jurisdiction in states with OSHA state plans, if the state is failing to maintain protections for workers that is at least as effective as federal OSHA.
Committee Democrats approved a number of amendments to the original bill and the amended bill is not yet available. Companion legislation to H.R. 5663 has not been introduced in the Senate.
SOLIS APPLAUDS
U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued a press statement touting the bill:
“There is a tremendous need for swift action on this legislation. I can think of no better way to honor the memory of Senator Robert C. Byrd and all of those workers who have died tragically on the job than to quickly pass this legislation. I hope the full House will take up this bill before the August recess.”
NAM TAKES EXCEPTION
From the National Association of Manufacturers’ blog Shopfloor:
“…the bill goes far beyond the regulation of mining to rewrite vast portions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act that affect all businesses. Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-WA) proposed an amendment to strike the far-reaching OSHA provisions in order to keep the legislation focused on addressing mine safety issues. Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) also offered an amendment to strip out one of the more egregious provisions of the bill, language that radically expands criminal penalties for certain OSHA violations via a nebulous system that requires simply a “knowing” standard. Such a standard is unheard of in safety laws and would significantly deter efforts by manufacturers to prevent accidents in the workplace.
“Manufacturers regularly perform safety audits of their workplaces in order to assess any potential hazards that may exist. However this provision would find “any company officer or director” subject to criminal penalties if an employee was seriously injured as a result of hazard identified in the audit – even if the employer was in the process of making the necessary changes to address the hazard.
“The bill has the potential to come up for a vote next week during House leadership’s push for manufacturing-oriented legislation. It seems counterintuitive, to say the least, to be pushing legislation that would burden employers with additional costs and more threats of litigation during a time when Members of Congress have publicly committed themselves to improving the competitiveness of our manufacturing economy.
“BILL HAS BIG HOLE”
Robert Heise, president of the Minnesota Associated Builders and Contractors, issued this statement regarding the OSHA bill:
”The bill uses language from the Protecting America’s Workers Act (H.R. 2067/S. 1590), which affects employers in all industries. The bill would amend the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act by changing the penalty scheme for safety violations by altering the requirement for criminal liability from acts that are deemed “willful” to acts that are deemed only “knowing,” and broadening the definition of employer from “any responsible corporate officer” to “officer or director.”
”…under the bill, employers could be required to make immediate and costly changes in response to a citation without OSHA showing that there is an imminent threat and without being provided a hearing or judicial review of the inspector’s allegations.
”The problem is that most inspectors are not industry experts and lack knowledge or background in industry-specific safety practices and operations and that the increased emphasis on enforcement would take away the cooperative relationship most ABC members enjoy with OSHA.
“H.R. 5663, as written, will not improve safety, but will instead create greater cost and litigation, and hamper job creation. ABC members will continue to make their concerns known as the bill makes its way through Congress. “
OPPOSTION GETS ACTIVE
The Coalition for Workplace Safety (CWS), headed by the U.S Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers, protested the bill in a letter sent this week to Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor, and Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., ranking minority member on the committee. More than 200 other organizations and their chapters signed the letter.
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