To introduce this letter, this is in responce to my contacting Senator Herbert Kohl of Wisconsin, on the current OSHA regulation that is proposed. This was his responce to my inquiry of whether he would back Sportsmen and women of Wisconsin on killing this issue or he would back OSHA. I will let you read for yourself...

cayugad

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From Senator Herb Kohl:


I appreciate your comments regarding comprehensive Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) reform. As a businessman, I certainly sympathize with your frustration with overregulation. The web of regulations governing businesses is confusing and often counterproductive. For this reason I support efforts to streamline our current regulatory structure.

Having said that, I will not support efforts to gut OSHA and severely restrict its enforcement capabilities. I firmly believe that most employers are committed to maintaining a safe workplace. However, too many Americans continue to die and suffer serious injuries and illnesses due to hazards in the workplace. I recognize that OSHA has been in place for over 20 years now and has not been reformed since its enactment. The work environment has changed greatly during this period, and technology has improved, and I agree that OSHA could be reformed to make it more effective.

I also believe that we need to encourage labor-management cooperation; it is the cornerstone of workplace safety. We must work to ensure that safety and health training programs are available on the job site. However, in accomplishing these goals, we must be careful not to place undue burdens on the business community. Most importantly, we must provide the Occupational Safety and Health Administration with the resources--both financial and personnel--necessary to promote workplace safety effectively.

As I mentioned, I share your concern about overregulation, but I will not support an OSHA reform bill that compromises efforts to save lives, prevent serious injury and illness, and preserve the overall safety and health of our workforce. Also you can be certain that I will keep your thoughts in mind as the Senate debates this issue.


Sincerely,

Herb Kohl U.S. Senator