AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said the White House’s planned government-wide review of regulations could end up being a “distraction” for agencies already dealing with scarce resources. “To the extent that analysis draws them away from enforcing the regulations and protecting the health and safety of workers, we think it’s a distraction,” Trumka said. “We think we would have rather not seen it.”
The construction trade association Associated Building Contractors (ABC) was one of 150 business groups that received a letter from Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) in December, asking for their ideas about federal regulations “that have negatively impacted job growth.” ABC responded with a list heavy on opposition to labor protections, such as requirements for prevailing wage and labor-management agreements on federal construction projects.
Oregon Senate Republicans want a two-year suspension of all state agency rulemaking because they say excessive government regulation is keeping businesses from creating jobs. The moratorium would include environmental rules and regulations governing business practices. For example, the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division is considering rules that would increase penalties for employers cited for serious violations.
Federal authorities say that a fatal 2008 accident at a Bayer CropScience chemical plant in West Virginia could have been prevented by stricter safety auditing, and have recommended a series of steps to avert future disasters. The explosion killed two workers and injured another eight when a 4,000-gallon tank known as a residue treater exploded and, leaving a trail of flames behind it, slammed into a pesticide manufacturing unit.
Two company officials charged in the death of a pregnant teenager who collapsed of heat stroke after working in a sweltering California vineyard have agreed to a plea deal that will likely spare them a trial appearance and a lengthy jail sentence.
Lead Enterprises, a Miami-based recycling and lead manufacturing company, was hit with 32 safety and health violations, and faces more than $300,000 in fines for knowingly neglecting to protect employees from lead exposure, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
A truck driver was killed Wednesday afternoon at a natural gas drilling site when his vehicle overturned, authorities said Thursday. According to Fort Worth police, the truck driver was backing an 18-wheeler hauling water into the pad site when the ground around it gave way, causing the vehicle to overturn.
