House committee releases DOL appropriations draft

Washington – The House Appropriations Committee released a draft bill that would increase OSHA funding but bar the agency from working on several initiatives, including the proposed Injury and Illness Prevention Program Standard.

The draft bill (.pdf file), released Sept. 29, would provide OSHA with $565.7 million for fiscal year 2012, which runs from Oct. 1, 2011, through Sept. 30, 2012. That total would be a more than $7 million increase from the agency’s FY 2011 budget.

Other initiatives that would be barred include:

• Development and enforcement of the proposed standard requiring employers to record musculoskeletal disorders in a specific column on the OSHA 300 log
• Enforcement of a new directive prohibiting residential construction employers from bypassing fall protection requirements

The bill also would not provide funding for the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program. Additionally, the bill would bar the Mine Safety and Health Administration from developing and enforcing its proposed standard (.pdf file) to reduce black lung disease, and the Department of Labor would be prohibited from developing new training grant programs without an analysis showing such courses are not available for purchase in the marketplace.