[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 62 (Thursday, May 12, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H3242-H3243]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1500
                         VOLUNTARY OSHA EFFORTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Jindal). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that today we heard some 
very important testimony on workplace safety during a hearing we had in 
the Subcommittee on Workplace Protections. We wanted to hear from 
safety advocates in the small business community on how well voluntary 
employer compliance programs are working to improve workplace safety 
while at the same time protecting jobs and small businesses from 
unnecessary red tape and lawsuits.
  I have heard employers say many times, and know from my own firsthand 
knowledge, that OSHA regulations are simply too complex and too 
difficult to understand. It is a red-tape nightmare, Mr. Speaker. That 
is a good description for the piles of OSHA rules, regulations, 
guidance documents, and interpretive letters that employers must dig 
through to try to determine the right thing to do in the business place 
to come into compliance. Mr. Speaker, I do not think they ought to be 
spending their time bringing their workplace into compliance with OSHA 
red tape. They ought to, instead, be spending their time making their 
workplace safer.
  Small businesses want to comply with our Nation's health and safety 
laws for many reasons, one of which is it simply pays for them to do 
so. From the testimony we heard today, it is evident that OSHA's past 
``gotcha'' enforcement scheme of fines and lawsuits is actually leading 
to a less safe workplace, as small business owners are forced to hunker 
down to protect themselves instead of seeking out help to improving 
their workplace safety.
  Fortunately, OSHA has already recognized the need for compliance 
assistance, and Secretary Chao is to be commended for her vision and 
leadership in this regard. Now we are actually starting to see the 
results of her efforts over the last 5 years, and those results are 
positive and encouraging.
  The Government Accountability Office, fondly known as GAO, has found 
that the companies involved in voluntary OSHA compliance programs have 
contributed to the safest workforce in our Nation's modern history. GAO 
asked for more data from Congress on how well these programs are 
working, and we need to provide that just as soon as possible.
  But one overall fact we already know is that encouraging OSHA to help 
businesses instead of prosecuting them is having far better results in 
creating safer workplaces, and this is especially true with small 
businesses. We can continue this process with some powerful force 
multipliers with OSHA, through voluntary employer efforts to work

[[Page H3243]]

with private consultants and industrial safety specialists to foster a 
safer workplace.
  OSHA will never have the resources to visit every American work site 
to ensure compliance, but this exciting new compliance tool can ensure 
that workplaces that would never see a visit from an OSHA inspector 
will have access to world-class safety specialists. At the same time, 
our business owners should be encouraged to invite OSHA to their work 
site and engage the agency in compliance assistance without fear of 
reprisal from Federal bureaucrats. In the process, we can continue to 
maintain the safest workplace in the world where our businesses can 
continue to compete in a global economy.
  There are still the last holdouts from the failed ways of the past 
who would like to see Federal bureaucrats spread out across the country 
to harass and punish people who are trying to make a living. In order 
to do that, we would have to have 108,000 new inspectors at OSHA, and 
even then they could only visit our businesses every 2 years. That will 
never happen, and it is not going to work.
  Mr. Speaker, we are on the verge of winning a great victory for 
workplace safety by expanding voluntary compliance programs. Let us 
resolve to defeat the naysayers. If we succeed, we can create a 21st-
century OSHA that will be far more effective in creating a safe 
workplace for every American worker, no matter how small or remote 
their place of business. We can continue teaching Federal bureaucrats a 
lesson in manners when dealing with their fellow citizens, and, in 
fact, their employers.

                          ____________________