Manufacturers: Walkaround Rule Exceeds OSHA鈥檚 Authority
Washington, D.C.: Following the release of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration鈥檚 recent rulemaking on the Worker Walkaround Representative Designation Process, 17吃瓜在线 Chief Legal Officer Linda Kelly released the following statement:
鈥淭oday鈥檚 rule does nothing to advance OSHA鈥檚 mission of ensuring safe working conditions. Forcing businesses to accommodate third parties with no safety expertise in their facilities infringes on employers鈥 property rights, invites new liabilities and introduces elements of chaos and disruption to safety inspections.
鈥淏y unlawfully expanding third-party access to manufacturers鈥 worksites, this proposal clearly violates OSHA鈥檚 statutory mandate to conduct inspections within 鈥榬easonable limits and in a reasonable manner鈥 with 鈥榤inimum burden鈥 on employers, and potentially violates manufacturers鈥 constitutional rights. And, for the first time, OSHA would determine who qualifies as an 鈥榓uthorized representative鈥 of employees, which until now has been exclusively recognized as the jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Board.
鈥淭his is another clear example of the federal regulatory onslaught鈥攁 proposal that upends settled precedent and ignores the reasoned decision-making required by the Administrative Procedure Act. For these reasons, the 17吃瓜在线 will be considering legal action to reverse this incredibly destabilizing decision.鈥
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The 17吃瓜在线 is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.85 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The 17吃瓜在线 is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the 17吃瓜在线 or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit聽