Under Barab, OSHA lays out aggressive plan to cut workplace, construction accidents

Tuesday, 05 May 2009

In news that should interest every New York construction accident attorney, Jordan Barab, acting secretary of OSHA, laid out a comprehensive plan to overhaul the agency's handling of employers with repeat safety violations , Workers Comp Insider reports.

The plan's core is a special, intensive inspection and enforcement program for large employers with repeat violations. This program, along with increased cooperation with the Department of Justice to prosecute these serial violators and a slew of new, stimulus-funded inspectors, may actually put a dent in the incidence of workplace and construction accidents.

Perhaps even more heartening was the news of legislation, crafted by Democrats in Congress and the Department of Labor, that would impose criminal felony charges on certain, serious violations and require employers to report every accident that occurs in their workplace. Representative Lynn Woolsey has introduced the Protecting America's Workers Act in the House, the Las Vegas Sun reports.

With strong laws and strong enforcement OSHA can create a serious disincentive to ignoring its safety regulations. Most New York construction accident lawyers would probably agree that Mr. Barab's strategy of focusing on employers with repeat safety violations is the best way to cut workplace and construction accidents.

These are the employers who, due to apathy or greed, continue to violate safety rules even after OSHA fines them. They cannot use ignorance as an excuse for putting their employees in harm's way.

Those who defend these employers and protest a government that meddles with business never address the human cost of ignoring safety. If these same people worked in an environment where they were exposed to the risk of a workplace accident or construction accident, I think they would change their tune.