August 23, 2004—Senator Michael B. Enzi (R-WY) for introducing a package of legislation on July 22, S. 2719 the Safety Advancement for Employees Act of 2004, aimed at encouraging enhanced cooperation of employers, employees and government in advancing occupational safety and health.
The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) is pleased that Senator Enzi has included elements of this legislation that would encourage employers to conduct voluntary safety and health audits.
ASSE has encouraged Senator Enzi to reintroduce this language, previously known as the SAFE Act, and will work to help ensure that these provisions becomes law. The federal government does not have the resources necessary to provide either the inspections or consultation services necessary to help ensure safe and healthy workplaces across the country, says ASSE.
This legislation encourages voluntary efforts of employers to seek out safety and health practitioners with proven competence and professional independence to put in place safety and health programs that must meet stringent requirements set out in the legislation. These voluntary audits will not supplant federal enforcement and cooperative efforts but will add another element in this nation’s ability to increase the number of safe and healthy workplaces.
ASSE is also pleased that Senator Enzi provided needed leadership in moving forward the issue of hazard communication by including in the bill language to require the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to develop model material safety data sheets and to establish a commission to tackle the complicated issues of how to bring this nation’s hazard communication approaches together with the globally harmonized system.
The ability of this nation to work with the world in a hazard communication system is vitally important for maintaining manufacturing and trade competitiveness. As noted in the legislation, a commission that includes safety and health professionals is the best possible first step to advance this goal.
