Masonry Magazine August 1995 Page. 23
MCAA Influences OSHA in Congress
Congressman pledges to pass a bill which will take the bite out of OSHA for once and for all--a bill that will encourage safety in the workplace, but stop OSHA's confrontational tactics.
By Thomas Joseph Membership Director
WITH THE NEW Republican majority in Congress barely six months old, the federal agency that has caused the greatest challenge to mason contractors in the work place is finally being reviewed. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which was created in 1970 by a liberal Congress, is now being brought back into the mainstream by a new Congress which is more sympathetic to small business concerns, especially when it comes to OSHA.
MCAA belongs to and participated in the Associated Specialty Contractors Legislative Conference in April, in which over two hundred contrators and association staff members visited key members of Congress concerning issues that affect our industry.
The number one issue for discussion at the conference was OSHA reform. MCAA's officers who participated in the conference set up a private meeting with the member of Congress who has introduced a new OSHA amendment which will, as he said, "take the bite out of OSHA once and for all."
That member of Congress is Representative Cass Ballenger of Hickory, North Carolina. Ballenger is the chairman of the subcommittee which oversees OSHA in the House of Representatives.
Congressman Ballenger speaks as a small businessman who has dealt with OSHA in the workplace and has found it extremely difficult to deal with. In our meeting with him on April 3rd, a serious discussion was held in the areas of how to reduce the heavy burden that OSHA has unfairly placed on the contractor.
Ballenger pledged to pass a good bill that will encourage safety in the workplace, but stop once and for all the confrontation and lack of education that OSHA provides.
On June 14, Ballenger delivered on his promise to change how OSHA operates once and for all. His House Resolution #1834 bill allows for new emphasis on consultation and training programs, regulatory reform, takes the "quota "mentality out of the penalty system, adds fairness to the inspection process, and encourages employee participation and protection.
The bill provides for: Consultation and training programs. Reserves at least 50 percent of OSHA funds for consultation, training, education and compliance programs. Creates a new program al-