Worker Safety Regulations Dramatically Loosened Under Bush Admin.

http://www.pww.org/article/articleview/10816/1/365

HOUSTON — Federal investigators concluded in a report issued on March 20 that the longstanding disregard for safety by BP management resulted in the catastrophic explosion at its Texas City oil refinery on March 23, 2005.

According to the investigation, the worldwide oil giant hoped to save 25 percent in costs through budget cuts in 1999 and 2004. Fifteen people died and 180 were injured as a result of the company’s drive to increase profits. Immediately after the disaster, BP attempted to place the blame for the blast directly on the workers themselves.

BP has spent $1.5 billion cleaning up the aftereffects of the explosion, which is more than 45 times the amount of money they saved in their first round of cuts, according to the report. BP’s strategy was to beat its competitors at cost-cutting and thereby boost profits. It slashed training and safety programs as well as equipment in this effort.

Murdered by ‘money and profits’

Refinery workers and their families responded to the report. Eva Rowe, who lost her parents in the explosion, stated she believes they were “murdered

The Department of Homeland Security wants us to duct tape windows against chemical attacks. Real progress toward safer workplaces and communities would result from expanding emergency response and process safety management standards to cover more facilities and chemicals. We hear a barrage of concerns about the potential for terrorists using infectious diseases to create biological weapons. Yet, promulgating the stalled standard for airborne tuberculosis would have an added benefit of protecting workers from a host of other airborne infectious agents.

Another standard that OSHA has failed to finalize is the standard that would clarify when employers pay for personal protective equipment. OSHA has withdrawn more than a dozen important rules from the regulatory agenda under this administration. The current Administration is recommending cutting 10 people responsible for OSHA standard setting.
Bush Calls Cuts an Increase

The Bush Administration issued reports comparing the budget request of FY03 to the request for FY04. This deliberately misleading description of the Administration’s OSHA budget calls a $3 million cut an increase in funding.

Even level funding would be a cut, given inflation. The number of workers and workplaces increases every year, so coverage would decrease even with compensation for inflation.

The Administration calls a $7 million dollar cut in worker training a level appropriation request. In fact, the Administration’s request of $4 million for worker oriented training is a 77% cut. In other statements, the Administration indicated the intention to zero out funding for union programs, spending the entire $4 million for training on something else.

The Administration is seeking $67 million for employer-controlled compliance assistance. This is an increase of $7.2 million from last year. Whether such assistance should be publicly funded or a focus for OSHA is questionable. Certainly, seeking such increases when worker-training funds are being slashed demonstrates a bias in favor of employers. At the same time Bush is seeking to cut 64 federal enforcement positions at OSHA. Compliance assistance only works when there is strong enforcement to back it up.

http://www.uaw.org/hs/03/02/hs01.cfm

So, nothing untoward about appointing the same people who made a living trying to scrap safety regulations to WRITE those regulations? Did you even read the article, which clearly outlines the impact on workers' lives and health that this new laissez-faire attitude towards workplace safety has had? Or are you just reacting instinctively to protect Dear Leader from this reality-based attack on his policies?

Spend $10,000 to save a nickle

As long as the $10,000 comes from the taxpayers, & the nickel winds up in the pocket of a wealthy campaign contributor. Surely you can see the wisdom in this....

George W. & George H.W. Bush - Living proof that the Dumbshit doesn't fall far from the Dumbass.

Unions brought us the weekend; yes, they did, how many decades ago? What do unions do now? They pander to illegal workers, union whiney asses who are some of the laziest workers I ever met. That said, safety in today’s workplace is as much as walking in through the gate/door; it happens. Safety on the job regardless of Gov't cuts has increased throughout the US, well maybe except where they cannot read English.

Whining about work safety is a waste of time, and really just pure BULLSHIT, but I guess when you pass up your 100 hours, poof! must have something to do.

Here's the real neo-c0n wet dream.

For the ordinary American, the price of "New Democracy" in other countries is the death of real democracy at home. ~~~Arundhati Roy

With all the manufacturing jobs being outsourced, I suppose it is harder to get killed working at Walmart or Burger King.

pfffft

"we’re finally at a moment when Bush needs the world more than the world needs Bush"--UNKNOWN

 One election at a time......