After Thomas E. Perez was sworn in as the new Secretary of the Department of Labor (DOL) July 23, ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓsent a letter congratulating him on his confirmation and asking him to consider ABC’s concerns regarding DOL initiatives. 

ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓpointed out that its members believe exceptional jobsite safety and health practices are inherently good for business and understand the value of standards and regulations that are based on solid evidence, with appropriate consideration paid to implementation costs and input from the business community. However, ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓalso pointed out many of the regulations listed in the do not meet this standard and will impose crippling costs on the construction industry with questionable benefits. 

“For the construction industry, unjustified and unnecessary regulations translate to higher costs, which are then passed along to the consumer or lead to construction projects being priced out of the market,” ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓwrote. “This chain reaction ultimately results in fewer projects being built, and hinders businesses’ ability to hire and expand.”

Specifically, ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓasked Perez to take into consideration concerns about the following DOL initiatives.

• Under the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) 
• Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination Obligations and Veterans; and Construction Contractors’ Affirmative Action Requirements 
• Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
• Unwarranted , Lack of Transparency and Failure to Accurately Determine Prevailing Wage Rates
• on OSHA Site Inspections, Dated Feb. 21, 2013
• (I2P2) 
• Occupational Exposure to