OPINION: Building Back OSHA
By TOM CONWAY
President
United Steelworkers
When Ron Brady drives through highway construction zones, he makes a point of looking for safety violations that threaten workers’ lives.
He’s seen more and more of them the past few years as employers, emboldened by the weakened state of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), grew increasingly comfortable flouting the rules.
Funding and staffing shortages engineered by the previous presidential administration hobbled OSHA and put workers in numerous industries at risk. But now, Congress is poised to pass a bill that would help revitalize the agency and provide the resources needed to protect workers in a growing economy.
Along with many other provisions helping workers and their families, the Build Back Better legislation recently approved by the House would position OSHA to respond to more work sites, investigate additional complaints and proactively address a greater number of hazards.
https://labortribune.com/opinion-building-back-osha/