Top management commitment, plus effective occupational health and safety management systems are the keys to ensuring that a risk at one company location will not be ignored elsewhere within the organization, according to Frank White, ORC Senior Vice President. Mr. White testified April 23 at a hearing held by the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections. 

Entitled, “Improving Workplace Safety: Strengthening OSHA Enforcement of Multi-Site Employers,” the House panel called the hearing in response to allegations that a Cintas worker was killed by hazards the company knew existed in a number of its facilities. OSHA fined Cintas $2.78 million after investigating the death of the worker, the largest service sector fine in OSHA history. 

In her opening statement, subcommittee chairwoman Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif, explained what she hoped to accomplish at the hearing. “Our main purpose today, is to assist OSHA and employers to better protect employees…and to solve the problem of corporations with multiple sites in multiple states.” Also testifying, in addition to Mr. White, were Emmanuel Torres, son of the Cintas worker who lost his life; Ron Taylor, Partner, Venable LLC; and Randy Rabinowitz, Member, American Bar Association, Occupational Safety and Health Law Committee. 

“The indispensable foundation for effective action is the establishment of a clear and authoritative policy from a corporation’s senior leadership, preferably the CEO, stating explicitly that the corporation as a whole will insist on full compliance with all worker safety and health standards,” declared Mr. White in his testimony.  

Mr. Torres and Ms. Rabinowitz said OSHA was not doing enough with respect to corporate-wide enforcement. They called on Congress to force the agency to get tough on large companies that don’t address similar hazards at all their facilities. 

Mr. Taylor pointed to OSHA’s Enhanced Enforcement Program, and other tools such as repeat and willful citations, to make the case that the agency is currently well-equipped to deal with large employers who fail to mitigate hazards at multiple worksites. 

Mr. White called on OSHA to do more to promote the value of workplace safety and health management systems.

“In the long term, nothing will have a more significant impact on the reduction of risks, injuries and illnesses, as well as improved compliance, than the widespread adoption of such systems – OSHA can play a critical role in this effort,” said the ORC Senior Vice President. 

To view an archived webcast of the hearing or to download a complete copy of Mr. White’s testimony, go to: http://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/wp-2008-04-23.shtml.