WASHINGTON, D.C. – A bill that would expand the OSH Act coverage to public-sector workers, increase penalties, and open the door for felony charges to employers (among other proposed changes) has been referred to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

Similar legislation has been introduced in the past several congresses, but this time the OSH Act reform has been targeted by Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn..

The proposed changes would:

• Cover over 8.5 million more American workers that work in federal, state and local public-sector entities.
• Increase penalties for violations to include felony charges available to employers whose repeated and willful violations result in a worker’s death or serious injury.
• Update whistle-blower provisions, which have not been updated since 1970.
• Give workers and their families the right to meet with OSHA investigators after an incident.
• Mandate that OSHA investigate all (not most) cases of death or serious incidents of injury in the workplace.
• Expand the general duty clause to include all workers on the worksite, including subcontractors.
• Require a site log for general contractors to record injuries and illnesses among workers at a worksite, including subcontractors.

The bill is called, “Protecting America’s Workers Act April 28, 2015.”

Safety First Consulting helps businesses identify OSHA compliance deficiencies in their workplaces, manage their safety programs, and become accountable for the results. In addition to offering custom written safety programs for companies, Safety First Consulting provides required safety training, industrial hygiene sampling, noise sampling, and workplace inspections.

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