Trump Nixes Second Obama-Era Rule

Posted April 6, 2017 at 6:02 pm

In a move actively supported by TRSA, President Donald Trump on April 3 signed legislation that nullified the second of two OSHA safety rules implemented under his predecessor, Barack Obama, according to news reports.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) had sought the authority to issue citations and fines to companies that failed to record workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths going back as far as five years. The rule was adopted in January in response to a 2012 D.C. Court of Appeals ruling in the case of Volks Construction vs. Secretary of Labor. That decision limited OSHA’s authority to cite companies for recordkeeping violations to no more than six months prior to the incident.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the rule was a “heavy-handed regulation,” that added to paperwork requirements, while doing little to enhance safety. TRSA agreed and signed letters to members of Congress as part of a coalition of pro-business groups seeking to overturn the rule.

President Trump’s signature reaffirming the Volks decision, followed a similar bill in March that nullified another Obama-era OSHA rule that required companies competing for large federal contracts to disclose and correct serious safety and other labor law violations. TRSA opposed this rule too as overly broad and unduly burdensome to business. TRSA submitted comments opposing the rule along with other pro-business groups such as the National Association of Manufacturing and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Click here for details.

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