Republican Calls to Scrap Workplace Safety Agency

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Newsweek

Published Feb 04, 2025 at 11:34 AM EST


House Republican Andy Biggs introduced a bill on Sunday that would abolish the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a Department of Labor agency tasked with overseeing workplace safety.

The Arizona representative argued that OSHA's role should be taken over by "state governments and private employers." Newsweek contacted Biggs and the Department of Labor for comment on Tuesday via email.

Why It Matters

Following his second inauguration on January 20 President Donald Trump has taken a number of steps to combat what he regards as overregulation by the federal government.

On January 31, he issued an executive order which requires that when an agency comes up with a new regulation it must "identify at least 10 existing rules, regulations, or guidance documents to be repealed."

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/republican-calls-scrap-workplace-safety-agency-2025932

[Irish_Dem]

1. This is like China and Russia.

The safety of the people is not a concern.
Buildings fall down. Giant holes in sidewalks.
Medications sold willy nilly over the counter.
Food safety is not a thing.

[BootinUp]

2. Only losers do jobs where they can be hurt anyway!

Psst, sarcasm.

[IronLionZion]

3. Injuries and death are the price of freedom

safety gets in the way of profits.

[ananda]

4. Republicans need to be locked up in strait jackets.

All of them.

There is something so deeply wrong with them
I have no words.

[nowforever]

5. 2 weeks into electing an ignorant maniac

No shock, we all knew that revenge and destruction was his intent if elected. It is frightening and soul crushing to see what he is doing. Don't see how we recover from this.

[sakabatou]

6. I am not surprised

They want to go back to the days of robber barons, and where you pay was in workplace stubs instead of actual cash.

[3catwoman3]

7. Do they want to nail the windows shuts so we can have...

...more Triangle Shirtwaist fires?

[electric_blue68]

21. I was Just Thinking that! 😦😑🤬🤬🤬 Ty for remembering.

I was just going to mention it.

I am a NYC'r, and I have passed that building, read the story, and seen the photos!

EFFIN' SHAME on YOU, Anndy Biggs!!!!!
(they have No shame!)

[3catwoman3]

22. No shame, no soul, and no humanity.

And no decency.

[electric_blue68]

23. THIS 👆

[liberalgunwilltravel]

8. We are at war.

Act like it.

[GB_RN]

9. Jesus H Christ On A Stick!

Because the life of every day workers was a goddamned utopia when states and private businesses were responsible for workplace safety. 🤦‍♂️

[mwooldri]

10. Project 2025 at work...

I believe this is what the project called for. Abolishing OSHA.

Not the best move. Considering that in MAGA run states workers protections were rolled back. Like employers not having to provide water to employees. Employees working outside. In the Florida sun. While OSHA didn't have anything specific on that, it's obvious that if OSHA went "to the states" we'd get multi tiered workers safety standards, confusion by employees what to do in the case of a workplace incident, and employers bribing state officials to allow them to get away with some shady/sketchy stuff.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

11. OSHA was established by an act of Congress. NT

[BumRushDaShow]

12. ...

S.2193 - Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970

(that's a baby law - only 31 pages! )

[mahatmakanejeeves]

13. OSHA has the support of big business.

Not kidding.

Big companies can afford to hire safety engineers. Small companies cannot. OSHA thus acts as a barrier to entry, keeping big companies entrenched.

Also, OSHA offers one set of regulations, not several sets of regulations, so it’s easier to deal with than the alternative.

Someone will take Andy Biggs aside and explain the birds and the bees to him, at which point the light bulb will come on in his head.

[BumRushDaShow]

14. Biggs is like Steve King

there is no amount of "explaining" that will penetrate.

[Rebl2]

15. Knew it

was only a matter of time. Repugs have always disliked osha.

[liberal N proud]

16. My dad helped set many of the organizations policies

When the agency started, they brought in people from labor unions to help guide the rules and regulations. He made many trips to DC to share what he say as necessary in the meat packing industry.

[Seinan Sensei]

17. That would be like getting Dow ChemicaL

to oversee the safety of Agent Orange in the (military) workplace.

[lark]

18. They (fascist R's) are actively trying to kill off the worker class so rich can steal all our SS $$$.

Make it legal to kill workers is their new theme?

[ratchiweenie]

19. Well of course he did, the A-HOLE.

[Johnny2X2X]

20. People forget

Sure, there are many companies that care about worker safety and try to do right by that. But there are companies who would end all worker safety measures if they could turn a buck quicker. And even the good companies will cut corners on safety in a pinch. These unsafe work places don't become unsafe overnight, they become unsafe over time as stuff isn't maintained properly and procedures aren't updated. Why spend money updating a safety procedure because some process changed when you can just stick with the old procedure?

[electric_blue68]

24. Are they (I guess they are) so determined to ruin certain laws & agencies that they put sone of their own family, and...

friends at risk of injury, illness, ever possibly death related to work place safety?! Some their people must work in certain jobs, industries, etc.

Stunning in it's care-less-ness, evilness.