Senate Overturns OSHA Rule

The Senate recently voted to overturn the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rule extending the amount of time a company can be penalized for failing to report workplace injuries and illnesses from six months to five years, commonly referred to as the Volks rule.

The Associated General Contractors of America and the National Association of Home Builders both came out in support of the resolution to nix the Volks rule, saying it contradicted a 2012 U.S. Court of Appeals decision that said OSHA could not cite employers for recordkeeping violations past the six-month limitation. The resolution will now go to President Trump, who has indicated he will sign it.

What does this mean for construction fleets?

The construction industry prides itself on its commitment to protecting the health and safety of its workers, and employers have long been required to record and maintain work-related injuries and illness data over a five-year span. Reverting back to a shorter timeframe within which they can be penalized for such violations will not change this. Construction fleets are required to comply with a host of safety regulations, in addition to the constant pressures to reduce costs and produce more for less. Thankfully, they now have modern tools and technologies at their disposal to ease the burden.  

GPS fleet management tools provide insight into where every worker is, at what speed they’re traveling and any accidents that may occur. They automate inspection forms for vehicles and alert managers when an asset may be in need of repair – protecting workers and the public from faulty machinery. And they protect a fleet’s bottom line by providing insight into assets usage, including excessive use or idling, and finding efficiencies in the workflow to streamline and speed up projects.

To read more on the Senate’s reversal of the Volks rule, visit: http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/325313-senate-nixes-obama-era-workplace-rule.

To learn more about the benefits of GPS fleet tracking software, visit: http://www.teletracnavman.com/gps-tracking-benefits.