Statement of Charles N. Jeffress
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health
February 27, 1998
Contact: Stephen Gaskill (202) 219-6091
The Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) today responded to the current order
that put the agency's targeted enforcement program, the Cooperative
Compliance Programs (CCP), on hold. That motion was filed in the
DC Court of Appeals.
"Today, we filed a motion asking the Court to expedite the review
schedule for OSHA's Cooperative Compliance Program (CCP). I am
convinced that the CCP is the best way to help make the most hazardous
workplaces in the country safer for the hundreds of thousands of workers
who depend on jobs at these sites. It is important to note that the Court's
ruling on February 17 was not based on the merits of the case, but was
instead a temporary ruling until the issues could be fully considered."
"We have also notified the Court of an alternative targeting system that
we are prepared to implement until the Court rules on the CCP. OSHA
must be able to carry out its duties to protect workers, and this alternative
targeting system will complement the inspections we conduct in response
to complaints and referrals."
|