New Legislation to Strength OSHA Introduced in the Senate

New legislation ( S.1580) was introduced last week in the US Senate by Senator Reid on behalf of Senator Kennedy and co-sponsored by:

COSPONSORS(19)
Sen Akaka, Daniel K. [HI] - 8/5/2009
Sen Bingaman, Jeff [NM] - 8/5/2009
Sen Boxer, Barbara [CA] - 8/5/2009
Sen Brown, Sherrod [OH] - 8/5/2009
Sen Casey, Robert P., Jr. [PA] - 8/5/2009
Sen Dodd, Christopher J. [CT] - 8/5/2009
Sen Durbin, Richard [IL] - 8/5/2009
Sen Feingold, Russell D. [WI] - 8/5/2009
Sen Franken, Al [MN] - 8/5/2009
Sen Harkin, Tom [IA] - 8/5/2009
Sen Lautenberg, Frank R. [NJ] - 8/5/2009
Sen Leahy, Patrick J. [VT] - 8/5/2009
Sen Menendez, Robert [NJ] - 8/5/2009
Sen Merkley, Jeff [OR] - 8/5/2009
Sen Murray, Patty [WA] - 8/5/2009
Sen Sanders, Bernard [VT] - 8/5/2009
Sen Schumer, Charles E. [NY] - 8/5/2009
Sen Stabenow, Debbie [MI] - 8/5/2009
Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon [RI] - 8/5/2009


The legislation will strenghten the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and will make the woprkplace a safer environment.

Senator Reid stated, "“We now have strong partners in the White House and at the Department of Labor who are committed to making our workplaces safer. But they need action by Congress as well. That is why today we are reintroducing the Protecting America’s Workers Act, to take concrete steps to address many of the failures of the existing law.”

Senator Kennedy declared in his introductory remarks, "Mr. President, today I am pleased to introduce the Protecting America’s Workers Act. Almost 40 years ago, Congress set out to guarantee a safe workplace for all Americans. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 was landmark legislation that has dramatically improved the well-being of working men and women. Since then, the annual job fatality rate has dropped from 18 deaths per 100,000 workers to less than four. Thousands of lives have been saved each year. These are not abstract numbers— they represent thousands of families who have been spared the pain and heartache of losing a loved one on the job.....We need to send a strong message that it is unacceptable to treat workers as expendable or disposable."