WASHINGTON (AP) -- Workers would get new protections from combustible dust explosions like the one that killed 13 people in a Georgia factory in February under legislation passed by the House on Wednesday.
The legislation, passed 247-165, is needed because the Occupational Safety and Health Administration hasn't moved fast enough to keep workplaces free of large levels of dust that can become fuel for fires and explosions, Democrats said.
"If OSHA doesn't act, then we must," said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. "We know that most businesses are doing the best they can to make their workplaces safe. But it's also clear that other businesses may not be doing enough to ensure the safety of their employees."
An explosion Feb. 7 at an Imperial Sugar Co. refinery outside Savannah killed 13 people and has been blamed on dust that ignited. A lawsuit filed Wednesday by a widow of the deceased workers said accumulation of sugar dust inside the plant was so severe that "hand prints and footprints were clearly visible" on floors and walls.
The bill now goes to the Democratic-controlled Senate.
House Republicans suggested Democrats are rushing through legislation without knowing all the facts, since OSHA has not yet finished its investigation at Imperial Sugar. "The bill in front of us presumes that current safety standards were insufficient, but the truth is that we don't know yet whether that is the case," said Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon of California, top Republican on the Education and Labor Committee.
GOP Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina offered an amendment forcing Congress to wait until after an investigation of the accident is complete, but Democrats voted it down 237-178.
The Bush administration already has said it will veto the bill. "The administration has serious concerns with the expedited and one-size-fits-all regulatory approach required by the bill," the White House said in a statement.
The legislation would require OSHA to come up with temporary safety standards within 90 days and final safety standards 18 months after the legislation is signed into law.
Republicans said the bill doesn't give OSHA enough time to do the regulations right. "This accelerated time frame is not only unrealistic but also denies stakeholder input ranging from organized labor to other groups who could provide important and insightful contributions," said Rep. John Kline, R-Minn.
OSHA already has the power to issue new regulations. It put combustible dust standards in place for the grain industry after a series of explosions in the 1980s. But OSHA has declined to act on a 2006 recommendation from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board to enact similar standards for other industries.
In a 2006 study, the board identified 281 industrial dust fires and explosions between 1980 and 2005 that caused 119 deaths and more than 718 injuries.
"I wish we can trust OSHA under this administration to do the job that was laid out to them, but we cannot," said Rep. Lynn Woosley, D-Calif.
