Harrisburg, PA — A bipartisan bill that would extend OSHA protections to state and municipal workers is on the move in the Pennsylvania Legislature.
The House passed the Jake Schwab Worker Safety Bill (H.B. 308) with a 111-92 vote on April 9. The bill is now under consideration by the Senate.
Currently, public workers in Pennsylvania are covered by the state’s Accident and Illness Prevention Program, and individual agencies are allowed to select which parts to implement.
“Did you know that private sector workers have more workplace protections than Pennsylvania’s police officers, firemen, corrections officers, road maintenance workers and other public employees?” the bill’s co-sponsors ask fellow legislators in a memo posted to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives website. “Unfortunately, this fact was brought to our attention after Erie resident Jake Schwab was fatally injured at work in 2014. Jake was a mechanic with the Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority, a public sector employer that is exempt from OSHA regulations. As a result, the details of the incident and any safety concerns that would have been raised through an OSHA review have been hard to track.”
The bill also would establish the Pennsylvania Occupational Safety and Health Review Board to oversee compliance with OSHA standards and impose penalties for safety and health violations involving public workers.
Rep. Patrick Harkins (D-Erie), the bill’s primary sponsor, said in a press release that the bill is “a testament to what we can achieve when we come together for the greater good.” He added, “This legislation is about fairness, dignity and the fundamental right to a safe workplace.”
