Opens Subcommittee Hearing on Bill to Strengthen OSHA Penalties

Washington, DC –Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Senior Republican on the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, raised concerns with the “Protecting America’s Worker’s Act” at a hearing to address that piece of legislation.

“This Committee does not have sympathy for those employees who don’t take safety seriously,” said Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers at yesterday’s hearing.  “But with any legislative proposal, we must ensure that this bill does not have any unintended consequences.  One potential consequence of changing the legal standard after forty years may be a dramatic number of safety and health citations going to trial.  At a time when companies are already operating on stiff margins, the last thing we should do is siphon resources away from safety toward litigation.”

As introduced, the Protecting America’s Workers Act would amend the Occupational Safety Act to raise the monetary civil penalties assessed against employers. In addition, the bill enhances Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s ability to bring a criminal indictment against employers as well as strengthens the time of imprisonment from six months and one year to 10-20 years in prison. 

“We need to ensure that the proposed statutory changes do not result in lost jobs or compromise the safety of those jobs,” said Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers.  “Yet, at the same time, we need to ensure that every job is conducted in accordance with the most current safety and health standards.”