The Senate has passed and sent to the House a bill that would require the Workplace Safety and Health Program to enforce, for municipal employees, regulations set forth in the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act. State and private sector employees are already subject to the OSHA standards.
 
The Workplace Safety and Health Program, in the Department of Labor Standards, already uses OSHA guidelines when enforcing workplace safety standards for public employees in cities and towns. This bill would codify that these are in fact the standards that municipalities should use, and would make the Commonwealth eligible for matching federal funds for enforcement and training.
 
The MMA is working with the Legislature to ensure that municipal management is represented on an advisory board intended to help the Workplace Safety and Health Program implement the standards. The MMA is also working with the program to provide for training opportunities for cities and towns.
 
If the legislation passes, the provisions are likely to take effect on July 1, 2017.

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