Political Quotes

“last week, the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee completed a long and, unfortunately, contentious markup of S. 1423, the Safety and Health Reform and Reinvention Act that amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. While I am very aware of the importance of not overburdening businesses with mountains of paperwork and regulation, I am also cognizant, as a cosponsor--along with my old friend Senator Jacob Javits--of the legislation that created OSHA, of the important need to protect the health, safety, and lives of employees. Much of the debate and discussion that took place during Labor Committee hearings and markups was really over the balance between protections for employees and burdens on employers. During one committee hearing on the topic, a businessman testified in support of a proposal that would prohibit fines on a business if it were to be found in substantial compliance with OSHA regulations. The witness went on say that substantial compliance "does not mean perfection or even near perfection. It does mean better than average." Mr. President, I would not expect perfectly safe conditions or perfect health protections for myself and we probably should not attempt perfection under OSHA rules. We should not, however, settle for better than average safety. I am sure that none of my colleagues would feel comfortable flying on an airline that advertised as having better than average safety.”