[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 46 (Friday, March 29, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E514]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     A BILL TO AMEND THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ACT OF 1970

                                 ______


                         HON. NANCY L. JOHNSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 29, 1996

  Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce a bill, 
for myself, Representative Shays of Connecticut, Representative Franks 
of New Jersey and Representative Horn of California, to amend the 
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to require that OSHA 
inspections of commercial and residential construction sites be 
conducted by inspectors who have been specifically trained for such 
work by the Department of Labor.
  My proposal will require that inspectors of commercial and 
residential construction meet certain experience and training 
requirements and be specifically certified to perform construction site 
inspections. Although many construction inspectors take courses offered 
by OSHA, they are not required to do so, allowing many to perform this 
important work with little or no formal training in the often 
complicated procedures used in the construction industry.
  Construction site inspections comprise nearly half of all inspections 
done by OSHA. More seriously, the rate of accidents in the construction 
industry is significantly higher than in other industries. Based on 
1994 Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the rate of nonfatal injuries per 
100 full-time workers is 11.8 percent for the construction industry 
compared to 8.4 percent for all private industry. Total deaths from 
occupational accidents in 1994 were 6,588 or 5.3 per 100,000 employed, 
but there were 1,027 deaths or 14.8 per 100,000 in the construction 
industry. Therefore, I believe that it is not only prudent and sound 
public policy to make sure that those who do construction site 
inspections are well qualified, but that this reform is overdue.
  Under current OSHA rules, OSHA inspectors can go from inspecting 
beauty salons to inspecting high-rise steel structures on a daily 
basis. Since most work-related deaths occur in the construction 
industry, I believe that my proposal will significantly improve the 
quality of OSHA inspections, the overall effectiveness of OSHA, and 
save lives.
  I urge my colleagues to join in support of this important effort to 
improve the way OSHA construction inspections are performed.

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