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Washington — Democratic lawmakers have reintroduced the Protecting America’s Workers Act, which would extend OSHA coverage to more than 8 million state and local government employees.
The bill, introduced on Workers Memorial Day (April 28), would also reinstate the “Volks” rule. This would allow OSHA to cite employers for recordkeeping violations within 5½ years after an incident instead of six months. The rule was repealed by a Congressional Review Act resolution during President Donald Trump’s first term in April 2017.
Other provisions would:
- Authorize felony penalties against employers “who knowingly commit OSHA violations that result in death or serious bodily injury.” Those penalties could extend to corporate officers and directors.
- Require OSHA to investigate all cases of death and serious injuries that occur within a place of employment.
- Update obsolete consensus standards that were adopted by OSHA in the 1970s.
- Strengthen whistleblower protections.
- Expand injury and illness records that employers have to report and maintain.
- Mandate that employers correct hazardous conditions in a timely manner.
“While the Occupational Safety and Health Act (of 1970) has helped protect Americans for generations, too many workers are still facing injury, illness or death,” Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), the bill’s sponsor, said in a press release. “Congress must pass the Protecting America’s Workers Act to ensure workers can return home to their families safely.”
Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, was one of the bill’s four co-sponsors as of May 6. The others: Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Donald Norcross (D-NJ) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
The bill has been introduced several times in both the House and Senate over the past two decades. None of those previous bills has advanced out of committee. The first was introduced by the late Sen. Edward “Ted” Kennedy (D-MA) in April 2004.
“The Protecting America’s Workers Act makes long overdue improvements to the enforcement provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, expands coverage to millions of workers who are currently excluded from the law’s protections, and strengthens whistleblower protections,” Scott said in the release. “These reforms are critical to deterring the most serious violations that endanger workers’ safety on the job. Passing this bill would be a major step toward ensuring our nation’s workers can do their jobs and come home safely to their families at the end of the day.”
The bill has been referred to the House Education and Workforce Committee.
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Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication