ABC commended President Trump for signing a resolution into law eliminating the Obama administration’s controversial “Volks rule” (formally known as Clarification of an Employer’s Continuing Obligation to Make and Maintain an Accurate Record of Each Recordable Injury and Illness final rule). Congress passed the resolution through the Congressional Review Act (CRA).

“The Volks rule, finalized by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) under President Obama, imposed a massive paperwork burden on contractors without improving jobsite safety,” said ABC Vice President of Legislative and Political Affairs Kristen Swearingen. “Associated Builders and Contractors members value workplace safety and regulations based on sound evidence; however, OSHA’s rule directly contradicted the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the U.S. Court of Appeals decisions. ABC looks forward to continuing to work with OSHA to develop standards that include real-world input from contractors and accomplish the agency’s important goal of improving jobsite safety without unduly burdening job creators.”

Under the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act, contractors are still required by OSHA to maintain injury and illness logs for five years. The CRA resolution (H.J. Res. 83), does not change contractors’ responsibility to maintain injury and illness logs, however, it limits OSHA’s ability to retroactively cite contractors for past incidents to the six month statute of limitations set by the OSH Act and multiple U.S. Court of Appeals decisions.

ABC sent letters to members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate ahead of the CRA resolution votes on the Volks rule urging them to support the resolution and informing them ABC would consider the vote a key vote on its 115th Congressional Scorecard.