OSHA’s recordkeeping rule up for repeal
A worker safety advocacy group is urging Americans to contact their U.S. senators and oppose the Congressional Review Act Resolution of Disapproval which would repeal an OSHA rule clarifying an employers' obligation to keep accurate records of work related injuries.
“This resolution gives license to employers to hide injuries, falsify injury records and violate the law without any sanctions,” said Charlene Obernauer, Executive Director of the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH). “This resolution will reverse 45 years of worker protection and will undermine worker safety and health in the most dangerous industries.”
The rule does not impose any new costs or obligations on employers, nor does it affect small businesses. It covers larger employers in the most dangerous industries.
“The rule simply clarifies OSHA's authority to hold employers accountable for their longstanding obligation to maintain injury records that are accurate, a requirement that has been in effect since the Nixon Administration,” said Obernauer. “This rule does not kill jobs, it prevents jobs from killing workers.”
She added that if Congress repeals the regulation through H.J.Res.83 - SJ. Res 27, “it will be impossible for OSHA to effectively enforce recordkeeping requirements and there is no question that underreporting of injuries, already a widespread problem, will get much worse in the most dangerous industries putting workers in danger.”
A vote on the measure could come as early as Monday, March 20.
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