A federal resolution rolling back the length of time businesses have to keep updated records for employee injuries and illnesses was one more attack on the consumer and environmental regulations that have helped create a safety net for generations of workers.
By a relatively close margin, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to make it harder for workers to track on-the-job injuries - and therefore to hold employers accountable when appropriate.
The lawmakers voted 232-191 to nullify a rule that businesses have to keep updated records for employee injuries and illnesses for up to five years after an incident, likely decreasing the record-keeping time to six months.
Only six Republicans had the courage to defy their colleagues and speak up for their constituents - and two of them hail from New Jersey.
Reps. Frank LoBiondo (R-2nd) and Chris Smith (R-4th) opposed the measure repealing the regulation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Under the existing rule, companies can be fined for record-keeping infractions during the five-year span after the incident.
N.J. leaders vote no on repealing workplace safety rules
All the Democratic members of Congress representing New Jersey also voted against the repeal.
The resolution was one more attack on the consumer and environmental regulations that have helped create a safety net for generations of workers across a wide diversity of occupations.
In their frenzy to dismantle basic safeguards for the working man and woman, President Donald Trump's GOP enablers in Congress are ignoring the dangers inherent in many lines of work.
Records kept by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that the occupations with the highest number of job-related incidents involve construction and transportation workers, freight movers and nursing assistants - all of which employ a large percentage of New Jersey workers.
Speaking on their behalf, Smith said, "Whether a woman or man works in a factory warehouse, office suit or any other workplace, they and their families should be assured that every possible threat and hazard is mitigated."
A former OSHA deputy secretary recently blogged that thorough records are crucial for setting safety standards and developing protocols for preventing injury.
A six-month requirement for record keeping was too short for OSHA to determine if companies were following the law, the official said.
For that reason, it's hard to fathom the argument by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) that any record-keeping period longer than six months is "a completely illegitimate power grab that would do nothing to help workers while doing a lot to undermine the rule of law."
We don't buy it, Congressman.
Given the nature of many work-related injuries or illnesses - sprains, fractures, respiratory ailments, emotional damage - it can take months just to get a doctor's appointment, let alone a valid diagnosis.
We give LoBiondo and Smith credit for recognizing that reality, and for giving it priority when it came time to cast their vote.
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