Work-Place Safety

It has been nearly four decades since the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) was enacted and, while we’ve made great strides in strengthened the safety of working environment for this nation’s workers, there is still a great deal of improvement to be made. Too many workers are injured on the job and too few workers are protected by OSHA. The most recent data shows that more than 8.4 million federal, state and local public employees, in addition to millions of transportation-industry employees, are not covered. That’s why I am an original cosponsor of the Protecting America's Workers Act, which would expand OSHA protection, clarify the safety protections that employers must provide, expand civil and criminal penalties for OSHA violators, increase transparency in the OSHA citation process, and strengthen protections for OSHA whistleblowers.

In addition to strengthening our current workplace safety legislation, Congress is also responsible for creating new standards to protect our workers.

Despite causing as many as 10,000 deaths annually and being banned in over 40 countries around the world, asbestos has yet to be banned in the United States. In fact, the U.S. currently imports over $100 million worth of asbestos products every year. That’s also why I am an original cosponsor of the Ban Asbestos in America Act, which would prohibit asbestos containing products from being imported, manufactured, processed, or distributed in the United States. This legislation would also create a national study to help us better determine the current state of scientific understanding of the disease mechanisms and health effects, while developing recommendations for better measurement methods.

In 2006, we witnessed tragedies at the Sago and Alma Mines that directly reflected the importance of maintaining miner’s health and safety. That’s why I supported the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 2006 , a bipartisan piece of legislation that would call on the Secretary of Labor to improve or revise regulations from the Mine Safety & Health Act of 1977 within 90 days of enactment to strengthen protections for our nation’s miners.