Did you know that private sector workers have more workplace protections than Pennsylvania's police officers, firemen, corrections officers, road maintenance workers, and other public employees? The reality is that while most private sector employees are covered by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA), public sector employees do not receive the same protection.
 
Unfortunately, this fact was brought to our attention after Erie resident Jake Schwab was fatally injured at work in 2014. Jake was a mechanic with the Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority, a public sector employer that is exempt from OSHA regulations. As a result, the details of the incident and any safety concerns that would have been raised through an OSHA review have been hard to track.
 
This legislation will extend OSHA protections to public sector workers in Pennsylvania. All workers deserve the right to work in an environment that is free from unnecessary health and safety hazards, including the public sector workers that have some of the most dangerous jobs in the Commonwealth. The public employees of Pennsylvania have dedicated their careers to public service. It is time we honor Jake Schwab’s memory and improve safety in public employee workplaces. Please join us in supporting this potentially life-saving legislation.

During the 2023-24 legislative session, this legislation was introduced as HB 299 and it passed the House on May 2, 2023.