As a former steelworker for Republic Steel in So. Chicago, I think that Jail would bee too good for the idiots who purposely ignore saftey for the workers. We had more injuries in the rolling mills and open hearths than you could imagine because we were told to do things that violated the saftey codes of the day.
Even though I am in insurance now, I support you guys 110%. Glad someone is fighting for the workers somewhere.
– and what about the workers who violate safety rules thinking that \”it won\’t happen to me\”? Too often, the employer will have a safety program in place, but employees ignore the rules, override safety cutouts, fail to tag out electrical circuits, fail to wear safety belts or properly use safety harnesses. Often because they don\’t want to be bothered or it is too uncomfortable or what difference will it really make. \”We all know what we are doing, we\’re not kids who need watching by big brother\” seems to be an attitude that is too prevalent.
I worked in the safety field for 10 years and saw employees who were continually written up and disciplined for breaking safety rules, violate those same rules again and again. There are companies out there that do not have all the safety programs that they should have but then again there are those who attempt to do an excellent job and the employees take short cuts. Here is another example of grandstanding for a cause, last time I checked the OSHA regulations, there were already jail time penalties written into the violation and penalty process. Go to: http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=OSHACT&p_id=3371 for a complete list of OSHA\’s list of fines and penalties. I also love the stereotype that Republicans are against worker safety. If you want to boil it down to money, I am sure Republicans would like to have lower insurance premiums because ultimately worker injuries and fatalities cut into the greedy bottom line.
I have supervised for 20 years and I have worked for companies that have both had strict safety policies and loose safety policies. In both types, I have been faced with disciplining employees that constantly took shortcuts because it was faster. As a supervisor I am responsible (to some extent) the safety and wellfare of my employees which I take very seriously. I do not agree with this legislation being added to the existing penalties unless there will be jailtime for workers who cut corners because it is faster. Let\’ s just have all discipline go to Congress and have them meter out jail time and then the responsibility would be shouldered by people who appear to be much better qualified to decide what is best in industy. This constant litigation threat is becoming more disgusting to my taste. Perhaps we should have all Supervisor/Manager positions be confirmed by Congress and then they could go to jailif they really believe in this legislation.
Accidently turned off notificatiion – but Supervisor proves my point – it sure isn\’t just the companies. Now, imagine trying to get something like firing, or even just disciplining employees who violate safety standards past a union bargaining unit.
I believe this lawmaker is on the right track.Here in Canada we have Bill C-45 that deals exactly with this problem,it was put in place after 26 miners were killed as a result of safety infractions that the employer knew about.Good luck!
Let me add to what Rick Foxall posted from Canada. I live and teach safety both in the US and sometimes in Ontario, Canada. We can learn much from each other. That new law he talks about C-45 cuts both ways. In Canada, a worker on a construction site who is working on an elevated work surface, must have on a full body harness. If they do not then they are issued a ticket that costs them $200 to $300 out of their pockets. If you read the actual OSHA Act (1969) it does give the federal compliance officers the right to fine employees as well as employers. There is no need for a new law to start issuing fines to individuals and not company accounts. The real trick it to do what works effectively and stop doing what you did in the past if it became impotent.
If there are identical penalities for employees who ignore rules (or can be proven to have ignored safety procedures & rules they were trained in) that cause injury to themselves or others, than this could be a good law! I.E. if the company trained you to wear safety glasses and you chose not to or you ignore a no smoking sign and cause a fire harming others or company property, YOU pay for all the bills plus a fine and possibly imprisonment as well. As there are as many or more employees who ignore safety rules as their are managers who do so, the law as proposed does not accomplish its goal. If you want a safe workplace, insist on the same penalties for ALL who break rules. Far more injuries occur from employee misconduct than from management wrong-doing but in either case, make ALL parties responsible!
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As a former steelworker for Republic Steel in So. Chicago, I think that Jail would bee too good for the idiots who purposely ignore saftey for the workers. We had more injuries in the rolling mills and open hearths than you could imagine because we were told to do things that violated the saftey codes of the day.
Even though I am in insurance now, I support you guys 110%. Glad someone is fighting for the workers somewhere.
– and what about the workers who violate safety rules thinking that \”it won\’t happen to me\”? Too often, the employer will have a safety program in place, but employees ignore the rules, override safety cutouts, fail to tag out electrical circuits, fail to wear safety belts or properly use safety harnesses. Often because they don\’t want to be bothered or it is too uncomfortable or what difference will it really make. \”We all know what we are doing, we\’re not kids who need watching by big brother\” seems to be an attitude that is too prevalent.
I worked in the safety field for 10 years and saw employees who were continually written up and disciplined for breaking safety rules, violate those same rules again and again. There are companies out there that do not have all the safety programs that they should have but then again there are those who attempt to do an excellent job and the employees take short cuts. Here is another example of grandstanding for a cause, last time I checked the OSHA regulations, there were already jail time penalties written into the violation and penalty process. Go to: http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=OSHACT&p_id=3371 for a complete list of OSHA\’s list of fines and penalties. I also love the stereotype that Republicans are against worker safety. If you want to boil it down to money, I am sure Republicans would like to have lower insurance premiums because ultimately worker injuries and fatalities cut into the greedy bottom line.
I have supervised for 20 years and I have worked for companies that have both had strict safety policies and loose safety policies. In both types, I have been faced with disciplining employees that constantly took shortcuts because it was faster. As a supervisor I am responsible (to some extent) the safety and wellfare of my employees which I take very seriously. I do not agree with this legislation being added to the existing penalties unless there will be jailtime for workers who cut corners because it is faster. Let\’ s just have all discipline go to Congress and have them meter out jail time and then the responsibility would be shouldered by people who appear to be much better qualified to decide what is best in industy. This constant litigation threat is becoming more disgusting to my taste. Perhaps we should have all Supervisor/Manager positions be confirmed by Congress and then they could go to jailif they really believe in this legislation.
Accidently turned off notificatiion – but Supervisor proves my point – it sure isn\’t just the companies. Now, imagine trying to get something like firing, or even just disciplining employees who violate safety standards past a union bargaining unit.
I believe this lawmaker is on the right track.Here in Canada we have Bill C-45 that deals exactly with this problem,it was put in place after 26 miners were killed as a result of safety infractions that the employer knew about.Good luck!
Let me add to what Rick Foxall posted from Canada. I live and teach safety both in the US and sometimes in Ontario, Canada. We can learn much from each other. That new law he talks about C-45 cuts both ways. In Canada, a worker on a construction site who is working on an elevated work surface, must have on a full body harness. If they do not then they are issued a ticket that costs them $200 to $300 out of their pockets. If you read the actual OSHA Act (1969) it does give the federal compliance officers the right to fine employees as well as employers. There is no need for a new law to start issuing fines to individuals and not company accounts. The real trick it to do what works effectively and stop doing what you did in the past if it became impotent.
If there are identical penalities for employees who ignore rules (or can be proven to have ignored safety procedures & rules they were trained in) that cause injury to themselves or others, than this could be a good law! I.E. if the company trained you to wear safety glasses and you chose not to or you ignore a no smoking sign and cause a fire harming others or company property, YOU pay for all the bills plus a fine and possibly imprisonment as well. As there are as many or more employees who ignore safety rules as their are managers who do so, the law as proposed does not accomplish its goal. If you want a safe workplace, insist on the same penalties for ALL who break rules. Far more injuries occur from employee misconduct than from management wrong-doing but in either case, make ALL parties responsible!