Blog: The Fine Print / posts by Randy Rabinowitz
A Big Job, on a Tiny Budget
Apr 29, 2013 by Randy Rabinowitz
The biggest problem illustrated by the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Tex., is not that OSHA is focusing on the wrong threats, but that its hands are tied and that it does not have the resources or the support to ensure that our nation’s workplaces are safe. The explosion at the West Fertilizer Company illustrates why Congress should act swiftly to strengthen our main workplace safety law so OSHA has the authority and the resources to protect workers.
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We Need Protection from Industrial Hazards in Our Communities
Apr 19, 2013 by Randy Rabinowitz
On Wednesday, a fire at the West Fertilizer Co. in West, TX, caused an explosion so powerful it registered 2.1 on the Richter scale and leveled significant parts of this rural community. As many as 15 people died and around 200 were injured, many gravely. We still do not know what caused the explosion or whether it could have been prevented with better safety practices and regulatory oversight.
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Blogger Gets Debate over Regulations Right
Apr 18, 2013 by Randy Rabinowitz
A Detroit News blogger got the debate over regulations exactly right in a post earlier this week. He noted that when a hazardous product is regulated, alternative products pop up to take their place.
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Protections for Miners Long Overdue
Apr 5, 2013 by Randy Rabinowitz
Three years ago, 29 miners were killed in the infamous Upper Big Branch mine explosion in West Virginia. Regrettably, there have been few substantial changes to prevent future mining tragedies since then. In fact, eight other miners were killed on the job just this year.
Efforts to better protect miners with new legislation have been repeatedly blocked. Last month, the Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act was introduced for the third time.
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Long-Term Chemical Hazards Pose Significant Challenges for Workplace Safety Agency
Apr 2, 2013 by Randy Rabinowitz
The New York Times published a front-page story over the weekend focusing on the problems the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) faces in trying to protect workers from latent hazards posed by chemical exposures at work.
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Tragic Grain Silo Deaths Highlight Need for Stronger Workplace Safety Enforcement
Mar 28, 2013 by Randy Rabinowitz
For anybody concerned about worker safety, recent stories by NPR, the Center for Public Integrity, PBS Newshour, and the Kansas City Star are must-reads. These news reports highlight the recent, tragic deaths of two teenagers who were suffocated in grain storage bins while "walking" the grain (breaking it up so it could flow more easily out of the silos).
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Kudos to the Office of Advocacy!
Feb 28, 2013 by Randy Rabinowitz
The Center for Effective Government recently published a report criticizing the Office of Advocacy at the Small Business Administration for catering to the anti-regulatory agenda of Big Business rather than representing the unique interests of small business. Among other issues raised in our report was a concern that the environmental roundtables held by the Office of Advocacy were too one-sided – with the presentations at the roundtables dominated by opponents of regulation.
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More American Workers Will Die as Silica Rule Delayed
Feb 7, 2013 by Randy Rabinowitz
Silica has long been known to cause silicosis, a progressive, irreversible, but preventable lung disease that kills people. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reported that in 2007, 120 workers died from silicosis; 180-360 new cases of the disease are reported each year. Recent evidence shows that silica exposure also causes lung cancer. OSHA estimates that a lower allowable limit on silica in the workplace would prevent 60 deaths each year.
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Will New House Website Bring Real Small Business Voices to Regulatory Debates?
Feb 1, 2013 by Randy Rabinowitz
Congratulations to Republicans on the House Small Business Committee for launching a new website that purportedly will alert small business owners to regulatory issues affecting them and make it easier for them to comment on pending rules. It would be a significant improvement to the regulatory process if small businesses actually weighed in themselves on the impacts of rules and also commented on the new markets that may be created for small business products and services as a result of standards and safeguards.
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Urgent Public Protections Should Be Treated As Such – Sen. Jay Rockefeller
Jan 31, 2013 by Randy Rabinowitz
At a Senate committee hearing earlier this week, safety advocates told lawmakers that federal agencies need to do more to make the country’s natural gas and hazardous materials pipelines safer.
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