After Thomas E. Perez was sworn in as the new Secretary of the Department of Labor (DOL) July 23, ABC sent a letter congratulating him on his confirmation and asking him to consider ABC’s concerns regarding DOL initiatives. 

ABC pointed out that its members believe exceptional jobsite safety and health practices are inherently good for business and understand the value of standards and regulations that are based on solid evidence, with appropriate consideration paid to implementation costs and input from the business community. However, ABC also pointed out many of the regulations listed in the July 3 DOL regulatory agenda do not meet this standard and will impose crippling costs on the construction industry with questionable benefits. 

“For the construction industry, unjustified and unnecessary regulations translate to higher costs, which are then passed along to the consumer or lead to construction projects being priced out of the market,” ABC wrote. “This chain reaction ultimately results in fewer projects being built, and hinders businesses’ ability to hire and expand.”

Specifically, ABC asked Perez to take into consideration concerns about the following DOL initiatives.

• “Persuader” Reporting Under the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) 
• Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination Obligations Regarding Individuals with Disabilities and Veterans; and Construction Contractors’ Affirmative Action Requirements 
• Right to Know Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
• Unwarranted Expansion of Davis-Bacon, Lack of Transparency and Failure to Accurately Determine Prevailing Wage Rates
• Letter of Interpretation on OSHA Site Inspections, Dated Feb. 21, 2013
• Injury and Illness Prevention Program (I2P2) 
• Occupational Exposure to Crystalline Silica