The U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday voted to repeal regulations that penalized employers for not maintaining a log of workplace injuries and illnesses for five years, instead of the six months required by law.
According to information provided by Rep. Bradley Byrne, the bill’s sponsor, the Occupational Safety and Health Act requires employers to maintain such a log for a five-year span, but explicitly says that employers can only be cited for record-keeping violations within a six-month time period. In December, however, Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA) finalized the “Volks” rule, which extends the threat of penalty up to five years.
“OSHA’s power grab is not only unlawful, it does nothing to improve workplace safety,” said Byrne, R-Ala. “What it does do is force small businesses to confront even more unnecessary red tape and unjustified litigation.”
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This is the latest federal action to rein in regulations using the Congressional Review Act. The Stream Protection Rule and regulations on resource extraction and the background check database were rolled back earlier this year. The House has also passed 10 other measures to repeal rules, including the Blacklisting Regulation, which denied government contracts based on alleged violations without due process.
