Re: OSHA: An agency that is ripe for an overhaul

[Guest guest]

Vince,

I think you are incorrect with your evaluation. Reforming OSHA could have tremendous impact on worker safety. OSHA is to oversee what the private sector does. They have no teeth to do so and in many cases, negative incentive. We have had some foxes watching the occupational injury workhouse.

Probably the simplest way for me to show you, would be the poultry workers in S. Carolina. This one involved IME's (aka defense medical exams) of injured poultry workers by company doctors, ACOEM and the US Chamber of Commerce. Gee, where have I heard those names connected before with the wrongful denial of illness and injury?

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/blog/2008/07/expos_reporters_answer_viewer.html

Forgive me, but I don't see how 'reforming" OSHA will have any effectat all on occupational health and safety. Health and safety is not a result of Federal government intervention.Like any other good in society, it is a product of the alignment ofincentives. In other words, the key to achieving and sustaining safe,healthful workplaces is ensuring that the interests of employers(profits, protection of property, retaining productive workers,business sustainability) and employees (wages, personal safety andhealth) are aligned. To do this, the employer and employee must first overcome all of theobstacles interfering with such an alignment. Some of the obstaclesare of nature and must be managed. Many others are economic,regulatory, and bureaucratic.Reforming a federal agency with a half-billion dollar budget, thatcannot even inspect 2% of business establishments in a year will becompletely ineffective, and may even do more harm than good. We, as health and safety professionals must take a holistic view ofthe entirety of all of the interests and obstacles at work in theserelationships, and offer solutions that will advance toward the goalof injury- and illness-free workplaces for all. >> > OSHA: An agency that is ripe for an overhaul > Lawmakers should get past politics and take occupational health andsafety > seriously > > Sun, Nov 30, 2008 (2:04 a.m.) >

Sharon Noonan KramerOne site keeps you connected to all your email: AOL Mail, Gmail, and Yahoo Mail. The NEW AOL.com.

[Guest guest]

Sharon:

Regarding:

" Vince,

I think you are incorrect with your evaluation. Reforming OSHA could have

tremendous impact on worker safety. OSHA is to oversee what the private

sector does. They have no teeth to do so and in many cases, negative

incentive.

We have had some foxes watching the occupational injury workhouse.

Probably the simplest way for me to show you, would be the poultry workers

in S. Carolina. This one involved IME's (aka defense medical exams) of

injured poultry workers by company doctors, ACOEM and the US Chamber of

Commerce. Gee, where have I heard those names connected before with the

wrongful denial of illness and injury? "

Response:

So now you are an occupational risk expert too?

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Tony

.......................................................................

" Tony " Havics, CHMM, CIH, PE

pH2, LLC

5250 E US 36, Suite 830

Avon, IN 46123

www.ph2llc.com

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90% of Risk Management is knowing where to place the decimal point...any

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