Members of Congress should have some idea about how difficult it is to comply completely with OSHA standards: Only 28% of their offices do so.
Of the 541 Congressional offices, 154 (64 Senators, 90 House members) were found to be 100% in compliance with OSHA regulations, according to a report in The Hill.
Congress has improved the workplace safety of its offices since last year when only 37 (7%) were in total compliance.
The number of violations per office has fallen as well, from 8.15 last year to 1.75 this year.
Another change: The violations used to be more serious, such as blocked sprinkler heads, stacks of paper on heaters, blocked fire doors and electrical outlets with exposed live wires.
Now the infractions are more likely to be too many extension cords or blocked electrical outlets.
Why the improvements? The Hill reports part of the reason is that members of Congress want to be perceived favorably by voters in their districts.
“They also want to send a message to employers and employees in their states and districts that Congress will live by the laws that apply to employers in the private sector,” said Peter Eveleth with the Congressional Office of Compliance (OC).
The OC’s goal: All offices will have zero violations.
What’s your reaction to these statistics about workplace safety in Congressional offices? Let us know in the Comments Box below.
