02/18/2021
Feb 18, 2021 Labor Cmte Testimony, SB 662
Written Public Hearing Testimony of
Kurt Westby, Commissioner
Department of Labor
Labor and Public Employees Committee
February 18, 2021
Good Morning Senator Kushner, Representative Porter, Senator Sampson, Representative Arora and members of the Labor and Public Employees Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with written testimony regarding Senate Bill 662, AN ACT EXTENDING OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION TEN-HOUR TRAINING CARD VALIDITY. My name is Kurt Westby and I am the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor.
The Connecticut Department of Labor (DOL) has concerns about the proposed bill, which seeks to extend the renewal period for the CT Occupational Safety and Health Administration (CONN-OSHA) ten-hour training card (OSHA 10 card) from every 5 years to every 10 years. As the agency responsible for the health and safety of municipal and state employees, we feel that this cost saving measure may compromise the safety of these workers. Training is necessary to maintain an appropriately healthy and safe workplace. Expanding the training gap by such a significant number of years may result in additional illnesses and injuries in the workplace, resulting in an increased risk to workers. As a result, we cannot support this proposed bill as drafted.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide this testimony.
Connecticut Department of Labor ● www.ct.gov/dol
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer