Congressional Committees Focus on Workplace Safety

This week, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee and the House Education and Labor Committee held hearings on workplace safety.  The HELP Committee focused particularly on mine safety in the Tuesday hearing in response to the recent accident in West Virginia.  During the hearing, lawmakers and regulators were urged to focus on creative policies that will help employers promote safer workplaces before accidents can happen.  The House focused on the portions of the Protecting America's Workers Act that cover whistleblower and victims' rights provisions.  Witnesses expressed to the committee the need for legislation to modernize federal laws that protect workers who blow the whistle on unsafe working conditions and ensure victims of workplace accidents have a voice during OSHA investigations. AGC is closely watching these issues and the impact the passage of any legislation will have on the construction industry.