June 14, 2011 at 07:17 PM
A draft proposal for wide-ranging occupational safety and health reform floated on Capitol Hill by a key safety organization is viewed by some as a potential compromise among varied interests on both sides of the aisle, as it would increase criminal penalties for certain violations but also increase reliance on voluntary protection programs (VPP) and third-party audits. Sources say the criminal penalty provisions in the proposal are the same as in last year's Protecting America's Workers Act (PAWA), sponsored by Democrats, while the group's call to bolster voluntary programs echoes GOP proposa