Proposed OSHA Amendments Favor Entrepreneurs
Small-business owners facing fines and citations from the Occupational
Safety & Health Administration may get help this year in
defending themselves.
Four bills addressing entrepreneurs’ biggest complaints
against OSHA already have been passed by the House of Representatives.
Now they need to make it through the Senate, where they have
been read twice and referred to committee.
House Resolutions 739, 740, 741 and 742 would amend the Occupational
Safety and Health Act of 1970 to allow companies with fewer
than 100 employees and a net worth of less than $7 million
to recoup attorneys’ fees after a successful appeal.
They also would give businesses more time to file an appeal
if they have reasonable grounds for missing the 15-day deadline,
speed up the review process and make the appeals review panel
more independent.
Similar bills introduced in 2004 never reached a vote. [March
2006 PET AGE]
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