The U.S. Senate Wednesday voted to repeal regulations that penalized employers for not maintaining a log of workplace injuries and illnesses for five years, sending the measure to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it.
According to the bill’s supporters, the Occupational Safety and Health Act requires employers to maintain such a log for a five-year span but explicitly states that employers can only be cited for record-keeping violations within a six-month time period. In December, however, Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA) finalized the “Volks” rule, which extends the threat of penalty up to five years.
“It’s a regulation that purports to look out for workers’ best interests but actually does little to achieve that outcome. The Volks Rule merely empowers Washington bureaucrats and increases paperwork burdens instead,” Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said.
This is the second Labor Department regulation to be rolled back using the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress and the President to block rules issued by federal agencies by resolution. Earlier this year, a Labor Department rule that barred federal contractors for receiving contracts because of allegations of regulatory violations without due process was overturned.
