A draft bill being circulated on Capitol Hill would harm wholesale distributors by creating new requirements for employers who operate warehouses and protections for employees.
Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) is seeking cosigners for the Warehouse Worker Protection Act, a law that would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue a proposed standard for ergonomic program management within three to four years. Additionally, the bill would require OSHA to issue a final rule within three years that would require employers to have medical professionals at the workplace to aid injured or ill workers and to provide occupational medicine consultation services. Further, it would establish a Fairness and Transparency Officer in the Department of Labor’s Wage and House Division, whose director may issue orders or regulations as necessary.
In addition to creating new workplace rules, the bill would speed up the timeline for abatement for willful or repeat violations. Employers who fail to correct a violation designated as willful or repeated, and who are not granted a stay, would be assessed a penalty of up to $7,000 for each day while the violation continues.
The bill has not yet been introduced in the Senate, but several business groups and trade associations, including FEDA, have signed on to an opposition list that is being shared with legislators.
Covered workplaces would include warehousing and storage facilities, wholesalers or durable and nondurable goods, electronic shopping and mail-order houses, and couriers and express delivery services.