[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 97 (Wednesday, June 14, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1238]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 THE INTRODUCTION OF THE VOLUNTARY PROTECTION AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 1995

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                          HON. JAMES A. HAYES

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 13, 1995
  Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, at a time when our economy demands that 
American businesses become more efficient to remain competitive, the 
relationship between management and labor, employer, and employee can 
no longer afford to be the confrontational one of the past. Improving 
health and safety in the workplace should not be divisive, but must 
instead be intuitive and one of our top objectives in facilitating 
greater productivity.
  It is with this in mind that I join today with my fellow Louisiana 
colleague Congressman Richard Baker to introduce the Voluntary 
Protection Authorization Act of 1995.
  Our bill is intended to codify the highly successful Voluntary 
Protection Program [VPP] administered by the Occupational Safety and 
Health Administration. Under the current loose regulatory structure, 
VPP promotes effective health and safety program management that 
requires the participation and cooperation of both management and 
nonmanagement employees. Our legislation establishes framework that 
maintains the integrity of the existing program by providing the 
appropriate incentives to businesses to develop and implement high 
quality health and safety plans.
  Authorizing VPP will level the playing field and allow the program 
the opportunity to compete for scarce dollars with other training and 
compliance assistance programs which have traditionally received 
insufficient resources. By doing so, we will endeavor to enhance the 
commitment to health and safety in the workplace that can never be 
fully realized through enforcement alone.
  There are approximately 155,000 employees and 200 worksites, 
including two in my southwest Louisiana district, presently 
participating in VPP. Labor and management have come together to 
improve among other important things, employee motivation, lower lost 
workdays, and workers compensation costs and claims. These are just a 
few examples of the benefits and accomplishments of VPP.
  Health and safety is an issue that should not be volatile. Labor, 
management, and Government must work cooperatively toward the common 
goal of sustainable economic progress. Our bill represents such an 
effort. The proposal enjoys the support of representatives of the small 
businesses community, large industry, the VPP Participants Association, 
and rank-and-file labor of participating firms. I welcome my colleagues 
to join us in moving this consensus, bipartisan bill forward.


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