Bill > H4779

This bill amends existing Massachusetts law to further define standards of employee safety by adding new members to an advisory board and establishing new regulations for workplaces not covered by existing safety laws. Specifically, Section 1 of the bill adds representatives from several municipal and educational associations, including the Massachusetts Municipal Association, Inc., the Massachusetts Highway Association, the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, Inc., the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, Inc., the New England Water Works Association, Inc., and the Massachusetts Municipal Management Association, to an existing safety advocacy group. Section 2 then introduces a new section to Chapter 149 of the General Laws, which will require the state department to adopt regulations that provide at least the same level of employee protection as the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (often referred to as OSHA), including its general duty clause, for workplaces not already covered by existing state safety laws; in the absence of a specific state regulation, the department will apply the relevant federal OSHA provisions. This new section also grants the attorney general the authority to file civil lawsuits to enforce these safety standards, and the entire act is set to become effective on July 1, 2017.