HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1515        FILED ON: 1/18/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1254

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Michelle M. DuBois

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act to further define public-employee safety with regard to; trenching and excavation; and confined space work.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Michelle M. DuBois

10th Plymouth

1/18/2017

James B. Eldridge

Middlesex and Worcester

 

Kenneth I. Gordon

21st Middlesex

 

Christine P. Barber

34th Middlesex

2/2/2017

Gerard Cassidy

9th Plymouth

2/1/2017

Peter V. Kocot

1st Hampshire

2/2/2017

Michael O. Moore

Second Worcester

2/2/2017


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1515        FILED ON: 1/18/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1254

By Ms. DuBois of Brockton, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1254) of Michelle M. DuBois and others relative to protecting the health and safety of employees engaged in trenching, excavating and working in confined spaces.  Public Safety and Homeland Security.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 3478 OF 2015-2016.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninetieth General Court
(2017-2018)

_______________

 

An Act to further define public-employee safety with regard to; trenching and excavation; and confined space work.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Section 6H.  The Department of Labor Standards shall adopt and enforce regulations that extend safety standards at least as stringent as the OSHA standards to the public sector and public sector employees with regard to (at minimum) the following work areas: trenching, excavation, and confined spaces work.  The Department shall develop a mandatory, annual safety-training schedule for public sector employees who may be expected to take part in these working conditions.   For the purpose of this section “public sector employees” is as defined in section 6 ¾, specifically “all state, local, governmental, public employees”.

The Department shall have the right to enter and inspect all places of employment, compel witnesses and evidence, and, issue fines and stop work orders for violations of its safety regulations.  No employee shall be penalized by an employer in any way as a result of such employee's filing of a complaint or otherwise providing notice to the department in regard to the occupational health and safety of such employee or others taking part in trenching, excavation, and confined spaces work. The department or the attorney general may enforce the provisions of this statute.