Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia Introduces Legislation to Beef Up Construction Site Safeguards Against Injuries and Illnesses

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Garcia (TX-29) introduced the Worksite Reporting Act, H.R. 2872, a bill that improves safety and security on construction sites by requiring site-controlling employers to keep a log for all recordable injuries and illnesses occurring among all employees on a project, regardless of who employs the worker.

"The safety and well-being of our construction workers and workforce should always come first," Rep. Garcia said. "The Worksite Reporting Act ensure that employers and site-managers keep an eye on all serious injuries and illnesses, whether they are contractors or direct-employees, and record them so that safety improvements can be made to ensure they never happen again."

Currently, employers have to record injuries and illnesses only for workers they directly employ. This means employers in control of a worksite, such as a construction project, do not have to record injuries suffered by workers technically employed by contractors, subcontractors, or temporary help or employee leasing services.

The bill would direct OSHA to amend its recording and reporting regulations to require employers with primary control over a worksite to maintain a log of injuries and illnesses suffered by all workers at the location.

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Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2018, becoming the first Latina ever to represent Texas 29th Congressional district.