Masonry Magazine May 1976 Page. 20
Washington Wire
(Continued from page 19)
Congress. It would require pension benefits be equal for everyone retiring after 1979. Currently, equal employer contributions provide smaller benefits for women, because on the average they live longer and the funds must stretch further.
INDUSTRY MAY HAVE TO NOTIFY WORKERS
OF HAZARDS faced on the job. Legislation has been introduced in Congress to force immediate disclosure. The government would first warn employers of possible hazards in the plant. A warning would be required as soon as possible if serious danger is found; it wouldn't demand formal standard-setting or complex administrative action.
Employers would then be required to post warning notices in work areas where they could be seen by affected employees.
OSHA IS RESPONDING TO COMPLAINTS that it
processes work too slowly. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration plans to change procedures. It plans to use guidelines instead of standards in emergency health crises. The agency issued guidelines in the Kepone and the lead smelter situations. Publication of emergency standards now requires adopting final standards, a requirement that OSHA believes, diverts personnel from other activities.
The new policy gives employers a break in meeting OSHA rules. They aren't cited for violating guidelines, as with rules.
U.S. SAFETY INSPECTORS MAY SOON NEED
WARRANTS to make inspections. That's the significance of a ruling by a Federal Court in Texas recently. If upheld, employers could object to surprise inspections and force delays. A Texas retailer refused to permit inspectors to enter his discount store. The Labor Department asked the Court to require an inspection under the law. But the Court held that, when employers object, a search warrant is needed. The government must show there is reason to feel the law has been violated.
The government is currently appealing the District Court's decision, arguing that firms could stop safety enforcement.
STEALING FROM U.S. BUSINESS FIRMS TAKES
PLACE on a much bigger scale than most businessmen realize. So says the U.S. Department of Commerce. The agency puts the losses at $40 billion a year-heavily among retailers. And small firms seem to get hit and hurt-relatively more than the bigs.
Losses from in or outside theft are costs, just as labor or materials. If uncontrolled, they can seriously hurt a firm or ruin it in the end. It's vital to stop such "rip-offs."
PROBLEMS IN GETTING PRODUCT LIABILITY
INSURANCE are getting study. The entire area is becoming increasingly troublesome for American industry. The existing data is meager, but the White House is trying to get the facts. The number of product liability claims has risen
20
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May, 1976