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Builders Support OSHA Reform Package

Four bills introduced on Feb. 10 by Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-Ga.) would improve the enforcement of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's many rules and regulations among small business owners, according to NAHB.

“The vast majority of NAHB’s members own small businesses and often find themselves unequipped to negotiate OSHA’s reams of regulations and requirements,” said NAHB President David Wilson. “This legislative package will help to reduce some of the regulatory burdens faced by our members when they try to work within OSHA’s complicated system of due process, and will provide OSHA with greater flexibility to respond to small businesses without sacrificing workplace safety.”

Of particular note to home builders are H.R. 739, the “Occupational Safety and Health Small Business Day in Court Act,” and H.R. 742, the “Occupational Safety and Health Small Employer Access to Justice Act.” The first bill would allow OSHA to give businesses more than 15 days to respond to a citation; the second would make it easier for companies to recover attorneys’ fees when they successfully defend themselves against a citation.

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H.R. 740, the “Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission Efficiency Act,” would add two more administrative law judges to the three-member Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC), which hears appeals of violations. At its current size, the commission frequently has to delay hearings because it does not have a quorum. The measure is designed to address this problem.

H.R. 741, the “Occupational Safety and Health Independent Review of OSHA Citations Act,” would require judges to defer to the OSHRC when OSHA cases are appealed to the courts.

The four bills are identical to OSHA reform measures passed by the House last spring.

“These bills would improve workplace safety and help to level the playing field for small businesses that seek to defend themselves in OSHA actions that are brought against them,” said Wilson. “We urge the House to approve these measures and call on the Senate to introduce similar legislation.”

To read the legislation, click here, and enter the bill numbers in the box at the upper left.

For more information, e-mail Jenna Hamilton Morgan at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8407.
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