Key congressional leaders recently received draft legislation to address needed reforms in the federal occupational safety and health laws to help improve workplace safety and health in the United States from the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE).
According to the ASSE, the bill, entitled “Enhancing Occupational Safety and Health Protections in the 100th Year Act of 2011,” is intended to help improve OSHA and NIOSH capabilities and better encourage employer responsibility for worker safety and health. (WCxKit)
The comprehensive draft legislations a first for ASSE, which was celebrating its 100th anniversary as a society last week in Chicago, during their 44th annual Professional Development Conference.
“While the direct responsibility for saving lives and preventing injuries and illnesses in this nation’s workplaces rests with employers, we can all do a better job of helping them and encouraging them to meet that responsibility,” said ASSE President Darryl Hill in letters to the chairman and ranking members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. “For the past 100 years, ASSE’s member occupational safety, health, and environmental professionals have worked day and night in all industries to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses. They have seen results but at the same time know that more needs to and can be done,” Hill added.
Hill noted this is an important time for the profession and for ASSE. “That’s why, on this our 100th Anniversary, ASSE offers this draft legislation to build on what we have learned is missing in the way this nation oversees workplace safety and health. After 40 years of the OSHA Act and other decisions made following its passage in 1970, workers should be able to rely on a thoughtful reexamination of that Act’s effectiveness, which we hope our draft legislation encourages.”
In his letters, Hill notes that the changes to the OSHA Act ASSE offers are structural in nature, meant to help OSHA work better, be more effective in its outreach, and keep up with rapidly advancing knowledge about how to protect workers and workplaces. (WCxKit)
ASSE’s bill contains provisions on coverage of public sector employees; updating permissible exposure limits; advancing a risk-based regulatory approach; encouraging collaborative rulemaking; enhanced definition of competent person; encouraging OSHA consideration of voluntary consensus standards; enabling OSHA to update standards with voluntary consensus standards; relocation of NIOSH within the Department of Health and Human Services; increased criminal penalties for those responsible for safety culture in an organization; encouraging employer risk assessment through third party consultations; encouraging risk assessment through safety and health audit privilege; codification of the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP); and expanded access to VPP for small businesses.
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: [email protected].
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