For the second year in a row, the Legislature is primed to debate whether the state should boost protections for employees who are working outside when it’s very hot or very cold. And in advance of Wednesday’s first committee hearing on the bill to do that, a primary sponsor and a primary opponent discuss its merits on “Colorado Chamber Office Hours.”
Rep. Meg Froelich, D-Greenwood Village, explains the changes that House Bill 1272 has undergone since she introduced a similar bill last year, and she expands on further changes that she expects to make to the version that was introduced last month. Froelich also talks about why she believes the state must collect data on workplace injuries that occur during extreme temperatures to determine whether it needs to step in and write up best practices for companies or even to have employers create their own sets of rules for operating in those conditions.
Michael Gifford, advocacy director for the Associated General Contractors of Colorado, offers a counterargument that the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration already regulates workplace safety, making these state efforts unnecessary. In addition, industries such as his also promote best practices already, rendering any new efforts by the state duplicative and seemingly opening the door for further regulations, Gifford says.
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