Texas Border Business
Washington, DC – U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar, Ph.D. (TX-28) introduced the Hazardous Workplace Accountability Act of 2024.
This legislation directs the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to require that safety data sheets for hazardous materials be provided in both English and Spanish. This bill will increase access to important safety information for our nation’s Spanish-speaking workforce by requiring chemical manufacturers to provide this critical information to employers and workers exposed to hazardous chemicals.
“Workers – from the manufacturing industry to transportation to agriculture – make up the economic backbone of South Texas. I introduced this bill to make sure that our workforce has the resources to be informed and safe on the job,” said Dr. Cuellar. “The Hazardous Workplace Accountability Act of 2024 will require employers to make crucial safety material accessible for Spanish speakers. In Congress, I will continue to fight for legislation that protects hard-working South Texans.”
“Every single worker has the right to safety and protection on the job,” said SMART General President Michael Coleman. “Workers need to have the information required to safely handle hazardous chemicals at work – and far too often, Spanish-speaking workers aren’t provided that information in their first language. The Hazardous Workplace Accountability Act is a common-sense piece of legislation that will help protect tens of thousands of workers, including SMART members, in frontline industries from coast to coast. SMART strongly supports this legislation, and we urge its swift passage in the House of Representatives.”
“Providing clear, accessible information on workplace health and safety is quite simply a matter of life and death, and all workers deserve to have resources available to them in their primary language. The USW commends Rep. Henry Cuellar’s Hazardous Workplace Accountability Act as an important step in keeping workers safer and healthier on the job,” said Dave McCall, USW International President.
“Farmworkers across the nation will benefit tremendously from the Cuellar bill. This is the kind of common-sense legislation our country needs. AFOP applauds its introduction and supports its swift enactment,” said Daniel Sheehan, Executive Director of the Association of Farmworkers Opportunity Programs.
OSHA, within the U.S. Department of Labor, is responsible for ensuring workers have safe and healthy working conditions. It provides training, implementation and enforcement of standards, and provides anti-retaliation rights under provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Currently, OSHA’s standards only mandate that safety data sheets to be provided in English. Translation to other languages is only optional.
Safety data sheets provide important information on various hazardous chemicals workers are exposed to. They outline health hazards, different protective measures, and safety precautions for handling, storing, and transporting these types of chemicals.
With over 40 million individuals speaking Spanish in the United States, this standard will ensure that Spanish-speaking workers who are exposed to hazardous chemicals are provided with information on how to safely handle these chemicals.
The Hazardous Workplace Accountability Act of 2024 is supported by the American Federation of Government Employees, Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs, International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART), National Education Association, and United Steelworkers.
The text of the bill can be found here. For more information on the Hazardous Workplace Accountability Act of 2024, please click here.