Masonry Magazine January 2005 Page. 10
Government Affairs
# New Congress Brings
# New Opportunity to
# Promote Commonsense
# OSHA Reform
Congressman Charlie Norwood
If I've learned one indisputable fact about the federal government these past 10 years I've served in Congress, it's that common sense is the rarest of all commodities on Capitol Hill.
Consider, for example, the way Washington, D.C.s federal bureaucrats have historically said "thanks" to millions of small business people (mason contractors included) for providing critically important goods, services and jobs that drive our country's economy. As you well know, the appreciation that should be shown has typically been replaced with only more and more rules, regulations and red tape. That's a "thanks" hard-working Americans could live without and one we've tried to change in Congress in the last decade.
One place where the federal government's "thanks" has improved significantly is at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). After all, it wasn't that long ago that just the utterance of those four simple letters together were enough to send shivers down the spine of just about anyone working for a living in the U.S. Through its overly complex regulations and "gotcha" mentality of enforcing them, OSHA was rightfully perceived as an agency less concerned with delivering a safe work environment for American workers and more interested in delivering the wrath of the federal government down upon those business folks who weren't up to snuff.
The good news is that OSHA is changing. As Chairman of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee in the House's Education & the Workforce Committee, I've encouraged and witnessed OSHA become an agency much more willing to work with businesspeople through cooperative partnerships to promote safety at work and reduce injuries and illness.
The better news is that the results are changing, too. According to the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupational injury and illness rates have dropped for five consecutive years- down to the lowest level since the U.S. began collecting this information (5.3 cases per 100 workers).
Who knew? Apparently working with businesspeople to make workplaces safer works better than working against them.
All kidding aside, while OSHA's new approach has been a big step in the right direction, there is still more that needs to be done to help businesses achieve the goal we all want: fewer injuries and illnesses in the workplace.
In the 108h Congress that just adjourned, I introduced four common-sense bills that would continue to build on the significant progress made at OSHA. While the measures passed out of Committee and on the House floor with significant bipartisan support, our day in the Senate never came. So I'll be introducing these again in the 109 Con- gress and pushing for Senate action as well.
First, the Occupational Safety and Health Small Business Day in Court Act would give the commission reviewing OSHA citations more flexibility where it needs it. It would allow those folks to make exceptions to the arbitrary 15-day deadline for employers to file responses to OSHA citations when a small business misses the deadline by mistake or for good reason.
Secondly, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission Efficiency Act would increase the membership of the reviewing commission from three to five members. This would ensure that cases are reviewed in a timely manner.
Also, the Occupational Safety and Health Independent Review of OSHA Citations Act would ensure that the commission reviewing citations issued by OSHA is an independent judicial entity. This is to make it clear and simple that the reviewing commission, not OSHA, would
www.masoncontractors.org
# For Mason's
# Hydrated Lime...
Contractors and Architects Rely on MIRACLE MORTA-LOK Type "S" hydrated mason's lime Outstanding workability saves time and money A unique combination of strength and elasticity Meets all national specifications (ASTM, UBC, BOCA, SBCC) Available nationwide