The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“ON PROTECTING AMERICA'S WORKERS ACT OF 2007” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E879 on April 26, 2007.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
ON PROTECTING AMERICA'S WORKERS ACT OF 2007
______
HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY
of california
in the house of representatives
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Act (OSHA), passed in 1970, promised America's workers safe and healthy workplaces.
However, OSHA has gaps in coverage and approximately 8.6 million State, county and municipal employees are not covered by the law. Public employees have the same health and safety problems as do private-sector workers but have no protection in more than 20 States and the District of Columbia.
In addition, millions of airline and railroad employees, as well as Department of Energy contractors, are inadequately covered.
Another sad reality is that many employees already covered by OSHA are afraid to report health and safety violations for fear of retribution. When an investigation does occur, however, workers and families are often left in the dark about the progress of the investigation, and too often, even when an employer commits multiple violations, penalties are weak and ineffective.
The Protecting America's Workers Act improves upon OSHA in a number of ways: It raises civil penalties on employees and makes felony charges available against employers who commit willful violations. It also expands coverage to include public employees and millions of other workers who are inadequately covered by other laws. In addition, the Act improves upon current whistleblower protections, specifically giving workers the right to refuse to do hazardous work and protecting against employer retribution. Finally, it requires OSHA to investigate all cases of death and serious injuries and gives workers and families the right to meet with investigators.
Since the passage of OSHA in 1970, much progress has been made. It has been reported that over 349,000 lives have been saved. Nonetheless, too many workers are still dying--5,764 in 2005--and millions of others are injured or become ill by working in unsafe and unhealthy conditions. The provisions of the Protecting America's Workers Act strengthen OSHA so that it can meet its promise to ensure safe and healthy workplaces for all Americans.
____________________
