Protecting America's Workers Act Will Increase Penalties for Workplace Safety Violations

This week, a congressional subcommittee heard how the Protecting America's Workers Act can strengthen OSHA's efforts at increasing workplace safety.

The US House Of Representatives Education and Labor Committee's Subcommittee heard from witnesses who said that the Act would add more bite to OSHA laws. The Act would increase penalties for safety violations, and increase whistleblower protections. It will also enhance enforcement of OSHA's laws, contributing to fewer accidents and a safe workplace.

Every year, more than 5000 American workers are killed in the workplace. Approximately 50,000 are injured, many of them left behind with disabilities and debilitating injuries that impact their ability to ever find a job again. Millions more fall sick from occupational illnesses. 

These statistics have not been dramatically reduced in spite of OSHA's best efforts. The fact is that OSHA's current penalties are far too low to coax employers into investing in workplace safety. Witnesses who testified at the House hearings said that for most employers, penalties for violations are considered the cost of doing business. There simply isn't enough incentive for them to invest precious dollars in workplace safety, and they find it far cheaper to pay off penalties and fines after an accident or death occurs in their workplace, than to invest in safety.

A case in point is the construction industry in Texas. Our state has the worst possible record in construction safety in the country. Employers find it far too easy to compromise on scaffolding safety, trench stability and other aspects of construction safety. The penalties they face are peanuts compared to their profits. The result is dozens of injuries and deaths every year in scaffolding collapse accidents, trench collapses, electrical accidents, power line electrocutions, falls and other accidents on construction sites across Texas.

This dismal scene will not change unless employers are seriously held accountable for their negligence. One of the best parts of the Protecting America's Workers Act is that it will place employers who knowingly place their workers in danger, liable to face felony prosecution and prison time.

The Houston construction accident lawyers at Schechter McElwee Shaffer and Harris represent injured construction workers in trench collapses, scaffolding accidents, fall accidents, electrocutions, crane and forklift accidents and other such construction accidents around the state of Texas.