House Democrats Introduce Bill to Strengthen Worker Health and Safety Law

Statement

This week, Democrats on the House Education and the Workforce Committee reintroduced the Protecting America's Workers Act, legislation that strengthens and modernizes the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. The bill would give the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) tools to ensure that employers promptly correct hazardous working conditions, protect workers from retaliation when they blow the whistle on unsafe working conditions, and hold employers accountable for violations that cause death or serious injury to workers. The OSHA Act has not been meaningfully updated since it was passed in 1970.

"This week marked the seven-year anniversary of the devastating 2010 Kleen Energy Plant explosion in Middletown, Connecticut that cost the lives of six workers -- including my friend Ron Crabb -- and injured dozens more," said Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), the lead sponsor of the legislation. "As the 2010 incident in Middletown and the catastrophic explosion in 2013 at the West Fertilizer plant in Texas demonstrate, the benefits of ensuring a safe and healthy workplace are not just confined to the facility's property - local communities also have a major stake in the safety of these workplaces. Since OSHA was first created, great strides have been made in protecting American workers, but too many workers are still injured, falling ill, or even killed when working in unsafe and unhealthy conditions. We need to make sure OSHA can continue its vital mission to protect America's workers, so that moms and dads across this country will safely return home to their families after a hard day's work."

"This legislation will improve the health and safety of American workers," said Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), the top Democrat on the committee. "The fact remains that penalties for harming workers are often dismissed as the cost of doing business for some employers. Congress needs to increase these outdated penalties and give real teeth to the law, so that workers can remain safe while trying to earn a living."

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