[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 111 (Tuesday, July 11, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H6739-H6740]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          OSHA'S NEW ATTITUDE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of May 
12, 1995, the gentleman from Colorado [Mr. Hefley] is recognized during 
morning business for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HEFLEY. Mr. Speaker, I am holding a copy of the administration's 
newest initiative regarding OSHA. It is bound in red, white, and blue, 
and is filled with lots of rhetoric about changing the way OSHA thinks.
  In past Congresses I, and many of my colleagues have criticized many 
of OSHA's ridiculous regulations.
  We watch OSHA deny the regulations exist at the same time they are 
scrambling to change them.
  I want to believe this is an honest attempt at reform. I would like 
to believe that OSHA tuned in to C-SPAN one day and said, ``By golly, 
those Republicans are right. We've got to change our emphasis.''
  But I do not think that is how it happened.
  November 8 happened.
  For OSHA, this document is a matter of self preservation.
  I brought another document to the floor with me today.
  This is the one the administration would like you to forget.
  In the 103d Congress, the administration's idea of OSHA reform was 
H.R. 1280.
  OSHA supported the Comprehensive OSHA Reform Act of 1994.
  The legislation which increased penalties, regulation, and paperwork.
  This is dated October 3, 1994.
  Let's compare these documents:
  In 1994, OSHA wanted to impose $62 billion in new costs on the 
private sector. In 1995 OSHA is backing down from strict new standards 
on ergonomics.
  In 1994, OSHA wanted to redefine occupational safety health standards 
in order to justify costly new mandates. In 1995, OSHA plans to 
``improve, update, and eliminate confusing and out of date standards.''
  In 1994, OSHA wanted to mandate even more paperwork requirements on 
even more businesses. In 1995 OSHA wants to decrease redtape and 
paperwork.
  In 1994, OSHA was willing to put their ideas into law. In 1995 OSHA 
is not so willing.
  These two documents represent one of the great flip-flops of this 
administration.
  If the administration wants to change OSHA's approach, why don't they 
put the change into law? 

[[Page H 6740]]

  OSHA's new approach means nothing if we leave them the ability to 
change back to their old gestapo attitude whenever the political 
climate will tolerate it.
  Meanwhile, OSHA's absurdities continue:
  We heard about the specially designed rubber gloves used by Secret 
Service officials at the White House.
  It was OSHA which cited serious violations of workers safety at 
Secret Service guard stations.
  In speaking with over 15 guards at our own capitol buildings, I 
failed to find a single officer who had ever been cut or injured, or 
that had ever heard of an officer being cut or injured, while searching 
someone's belongings.
  They do have rubber gloves, but are allowed to use them at their 
discretion.
  But that's not all. Back in my home district, a dental office was 
recently cited with 11 violations, all of them serious and most of them 
for paperwork violations.
  One violation included the office's written hazard communication.
  The office took the OSHA approved guidelines from another dental 
office and used them.
  OSHA cited them because they had scratched out the name of the 
dentist that originated the booklet and wrote in their office name.
  To come into OSHA compliance the office had to retype the 65 page 
document, word for word.
  In other citations, OSHA took the word of a disgruntled employee and 
made citations based on her accusations.
  The dentist was cited for bloodying gloves while working on one 
patient, and then using the same gloves, still bloodied, on another 
patient.
  It is difficult to believe that any dentist, or any patient for that 
matter, would allow that to happen.
  He was also cited for putting used gloves in the same container as 
new gloves, even though OSHA found no evidence of either of these 
practices actually occurring.
  It's time for OSHA to use a little common sense. It's time for real, 
permanent, and radical OSHA reform.


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