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OSHA vs. new House majority on enforcement
Ergonomics, noise, accident prevention likely topics
By Jim Stanley
President, FDRsafety
OSHA's agenda to increase enforcement, which includes such items as ergonomics, noise standards and an injury and illness prevention program, seems destined to run into resistance from the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives.
It's fairly clear that changes to the OSH law proposed last year are done for. In their place, OSHA seems likely to move towards implementing its agenda through regulation, enforcement policy and reinterpretation of existing standards, among other techniques.
The House on the other hand seems likely to try to increase its oversight on OSHA and increase review of OSHA's non-legislative approach.
Dennis Morikawa and Jonathan Snare of the Morgan Lewis law firm, two of the leading legal lights on OSHA matters, addressed the approaching OSHA landscape during a recent presentation to the Mid-Atlantic Construction Safety Council.
They point to a statement by incoming House Majority Leader Eric Cantor promising a comprehensive review of existing and proposed regulations that "impose additional unnecessary costs on employers and job creators."
Morikawa and Snare said that will likely mean review of:
OSHA cutbacks on Voluntary Protection Program One example of OSHA's likely approach in the new year is its plans to cut back on the Voluntary Protection Program, in which management, labor and OSHA work cooperatively to prevent accidents. OSHA's FY 2011 budget request proposed eliminating the $3.1 million appropriation to run the program and redirecting the funding elsewhere. In its place, OSHA wants a fee-based system to fund the program.
Congressional opposition appears to be forming against this approach and a bill has been introduced forbidding OSHA from charging participants a fee to participate in the Voluntary Protection Program.
OSHA also has proposed changing the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program to limit the exemption that SHARP sites receive from programmed inspections and allows OSHA to terminate a SHARP consultation visit and refer the site for OSHA enforcement.
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said in 2009 there was a "new sheriff in town" when it comes to OSHA enforcement. As the new year unfolds, it will be interesting to see if the sheriff will be walking as tall.
Jim Stanley is president of FDRsafety and a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA. He may be contacted at jstanley@fdrsafety.com or (513) 317-5644.
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Five top safety/health experts join FDRsafety
Company adds expertise in construction, steel, industrial hygiene, forklifts and OSHA compliance
By Fred Rine
CEO, FDRsafety
FDRsafety is adding to its expertise in construction, steel, industrial hygiene, forklifts and OSHA enforcement with the appointment of five new senior advisors to the company.
They are:
Dick Smith - Former Corporate Director of Safety for AK Steel.
Chris Kirby - Former Global Director of Safety Engineering for Praxair Inc.
Nancy McClellan - CEO of Better Health Systems, an industrial hygiene company.
David Hoover - President of Forklift Training Systems.
Antonio Pietroluongo - Retired Assistant Area Director for OSHA.
The five join three other senior advisors who provide expertise in combustible dust, electrical safety and automotive safety.
They are:
Mike Taubitz - Former Global Director of Health and Safety for General Motors.
Jim Maness - Former Corporate Safety & Compliance Officer for Bunge North America, a large international grain company.
Mike Gibson -- An expert in OSHA - NFPA and electrical safe work practices.
These eight senior advisors allow us to offer deep expertise across a wide range of safety specialties, which is the hallmark of FDRsafety.
For information about how our senior advisors and the rest of our team can help you, contact FDRsafety.
Fred Rine, CEO of FDRsafety, is a former Managing Director of Safety for FedEx.
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www.FDRsafety.com
FDRsafety
278 Franklin Road
Brentwood, Tennessee 37027888-755-8010
info@FDRsafety.com
Our services include:OSHA compliance consultation Safety staffingTraining Industrial hygieneExpert witnessesMotivational speakers
ABOUT FDRsafetyAt the heart of FDRsafety is this simple idea: Extensive expertise and experience bring the best results. FDRsafety is led by two nationally recognized, long-time leaders in safety: Fred Rine and Jim Stanley. Each has decades of experience improving occupational safety and health performance at companies of all sizes, including complex multi-billion dollar, multinational organizations. FDRsafety can meet your needs for a wide range of safety and health services, including training, OSHA compliance, safety staffing and expert witnesses. Contact us to learn how we can help you reduce accidents, meet federal, state and local legal requirements, reduce costs, and most importantly, protect your greatest assets - your employees.
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