For Immediate Release

July 12, 2005

Washington, DC - Today Congressman Gene Green lashed out at House leadership over their refusal to allow a vote on an amendment that the Congressman brought before the rules committee on Monday evening.

 

Congressman Green submitted an amendment to H.R. 739, The Occupational Safety & Health Small Business Day in Court Act (OSHA).   The amendment would require employers to list contract workers on their injury site log. 

 

“This was not a major expense or an inconvenience to employers,” said Congressman Green.  “Yet, the Rules Committee defeated an amendment that would have allowed my amendment to be considered by a 9 to 4 vote.” 

 

The vote was defeated by a party line vote even though the bill filed had Republican support.

 

Currently, all deaths and injuries are reported to OSHA.  Unfortunately, only those involving direct employees of the site-controlling company are required to be reported by law.

 

“Back in March 23, 2005, fifteen people lost their lives during an explosion and fire at a BP refinery in Texas City,” continued Congressman Green.  “Unfortunately, since the fifteen men were contract workers and because current law does not require companies to report those deaths, the BP site will look just as it did the day before March 23.”

 

When investigations of the catastrophe began it was quickly discovered that it is extremely difficult to assess the safety record of such facilities due to the way employers are required to keep site logs of injuries on the worksite.

 

This is not the first time OSHA has run into the problem.  In 1989 a plant in Pasadena exploded and killed 23 workers and injured 232.  OSHA called for a study to be done on the use of contract labor in the petrochemical industry.  The current data reporting procedures did not capture the full range of injury and illness due to the statistics inclusion of contract workers.  The study found that there was a “Lack of Adequate Injury and Incident Data.”

 

“That’s a shame.  This amendment does not require industry to do anything more than record injuries and accidents on their site log,” concluded Congressman Green.  “Regardless of whether the employee is a contract worker or not, every man should be accounted for.  I am not here to bash employers or OSHA.  The bottom line is people have the right to know the facts.” 

 

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