Associated Builders and Contractors commended the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Education and the Workforce for approving four measures introduced by Rep. Charles Norwood (R-Ga.) that will improve workplace safety and reduce regulatory burdens on the small businesses that make up the majority of America’s construction industry.
“ABC applauds the House Education and the Workforce Committee for approving these four bills and calls on House leadership to bring the measures to the House floor for a full vote,” said Kirk Pickerel, ABC president and CEO. “The reforms contained in these four bills are vital to ensuring that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration carries out its duties in a fair, efficient and responsible manner.”
The four OSHA reform bills are these:
(H.R. 739) The Occupational Safety and Health Small Business Day in Court Act: This provides the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission with flexibility to use its discretion to extend the 15-day deadline for employers to file responses to OSHA citations to resolve cases on merit rather than legal technicalities.
(H.R. 740) The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission Efficiency Act: This increases the size of the OSHRC from three to five members to increase the speed and efficiency with which workplace safety and health cases are reviewed and resolved.
(H.R. 741) The Occupational Safety and Health Independent Review of OSHA Citations Act: This restores checks and balances by ensuring that the OSHRC, and not OSHA itself, interprets the law and provides an independent review of OSHA citations.
(H.R. 742) The Occupational Safety and Health Small Employer Access to Justice Act: This requires that OSHA more fully assess the merits of a case before bringing unnecessary enforcement actions against small businesses.
“ABC supports OSHA and continually strives to improve construction jobsite safety. However, under OSHA’s current system, small businesses are forced to spend excessive amounts of time and money to defend against an OSHA citation,” Pickerel said. “Many small businesses do not have the resources available for a proper defense and as a result, often settle their disputes with OSHA on very unfavorable terms merely to be done with them, even if they have a good case to plead.”
During the 108th Congress, Norwood joined House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chairman John Boehner (R-Ohio) in the introduction of four identical OSHA reform bills. The measures passed the House with strong bipartisan support but were subsequently blocked by the Senate.
