Washington Watch
OSHA Saves Lives. But Who Will Save OSHA?
Washington budget battles may seem far from your workplace. But when the axe falls, it's your safety that gets cut.
Both the House and Senate have approved cuts in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the agency in charge of enforcing federal health and safety laws. Both houses of Congress have also reduced the percentage of the uncut funds that are allocated for enforcement. The predictable result is more workplace deaths and injuries.
Weaken Projections. Nearly 500,000 workers are killed on the job each year in America. In that atmosphere, it's hard to imagine that Congress is actually thinking about substantially weakening workplace health and safety.
One bill, S. 1423, would exempt most workplaces from OSHA. Worse yet, said Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), "The bill tells OSHA it can refuse a worker's request for an inspection after finding good cause to believe that the workplace has hazards and violations that threaten safety."
What the conservative leadership in Congress calls "reform" would actually reduce the power of OSHA by taking away the agency's enforcement authority and practically eliminating penalties.
In Public Employee's last health and safety column, we told you about legislation which would severely cripple efforts to protect workplace safety and health. The Occupational Safety and Health Reinvention Act, S. 1423, introduced by Senators Nancy Kassebaum (R-Kan.) and Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), stands the best chance to be enacted. Supporters of the legislation are portraying it as a "moderate" approach to reform.
In reality, S. 1423 would:
- exempt 94 percent of U.S. workplaces from routine inspections;
- limit the right of workers to on-the-job inspections;
- require workers to notify employers before filing a complaint;
- reduce penalties; and
- allow employers' compliance to be voluntary.
Temporary Funding. Since Congress has not yet approved a final spending bill for this year, OSHA has to operate under temporary funding. The agency has been forced to scale back its enforcement, consultation and state-run programs. The value of enforcement and consultation are obvious, but why are state-run programs important to AFSCME members?
Under federal legislation, AFSCME members and other public employees only enjoy federal protection in those states with state-run programs. (Twenty-three states now have them.) No state-run program, no federal protection. States receive a large part of their funding from the federal government. So the federal shutdowns every time temporary funding runs out have meant that several states have had to significantly scale back their programs.
Special Interests. Polls show that the American people support a strong, federally enforced safety and health program. So who are these extremists in Congress listening to when they draft such outrageous legislation? Not to the workers nor to the representatives of workers. Not to those numerous employers who support strong workplace safety and health laws because they know that prevention saves lives and in the long run also saves money. And certainly not to President Clinton who has said that he will veto these measures if they are approved by Congress.
Supporters of these severe bills are listening to certain people in the business community who have opposed OSHA for the 25 years the law has been in existence. These extremists see their best opportunity in two decades to finally rid themselves of a law which they believe imposes too many restrictions on the way they do business.
Fighting Back. Congress must be asked: "Will the workplace safety and health reforms taking place in Washing-ton endanger American workers?" The honest answer is: "yes." We must let our legislators in Washington know that we will not stand for these changes.
Phone them toll-free at (800) 972-3524, or (202) 224-3121 in the Washington, D.C. area. Or write to their offices. Address your letters to: U.S. Senate, Washington DC 20510 or to: U.S. House of Representatives, Washington DC 20515.
