Democratic lawmakers have reintroduced the Protecting America's Workers Act, a legislation that has been introduced by both parties over the past 15 years, Safety+Health Magazine reports. The previous 16 iterations of the bill have been unsuccessful since it was first presented in 2004.
This bill would reverse the recent rollback of OSHA’s electronic recordkeeping rule and reinstate the “Volks” rule, allowing the agency to cite employers for recordkeeping violations within five-and-a-half years of an incident occurring instead of six months.
The Protecting America's Workers Act also would:
- Increase maximum and minimum civil penalties for certain categories of violations.
- Allow for felony charges – instead of only misdemeanors – for individuals or organizations that knowingly commit OSHA violations that result in death or serious bodily harm.
- Require OSHA to investigate cases of death or serious injury at all workplaces covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.
- Mandate that employers abate hazardous conditions while a serious, willful or repeat citation is contested. Currently, employers do not have to abate hazards in those situations.
