Andy Biggs sided with corporate profits over Arizonans’ worker safety as he worked to remove workplace safety protections, including trying to abolish the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Biggs filed legislation to dismantle OSHA, the agency credited with improving workplace safety without illegal retaliation and setting standards to protect workers from asbestos, arsenic, benzene, lead, cotton dust, and other carcinogens. Without OSHA holding corporations accountable, employers would be enabled to further neglect workplace safety and working conditions for Arizonans would worsen.
HEADLINE: “Lawmaker Introduces Bill To Demolish Workplace Safety Agency, Slams 'Bloated Federal Government'” [Law and Crime, 2/3/25]
HEADLINE: “Here's Why Rep. Andy Biggs Wants To Abolish OSHA Oversight Nationwide” [AZ Central, 2/6/25]
November 2021: Biggs Introduced Legislation To Abolish The Occupational Safety And Health Administration, Claiming “OSHA Was ‘Usurping States’ Authorities.” According to Ogletree Deakins, “U.S. Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) first introduced the ‘Nullify the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Act’ or ‘NOSHA Act’ in November 2021, legislation aimed at abolishing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). His justification for filing the bill was that OSHA was ‘usurping states’ authorities and forcing [President] Biden’s vaccine mandate on the private sector.’” [Ogletree Deakins, 2/19/25]
Biggs’ Motivation For Abolishing OSHA Also Stemmed From The 2021 Mandate For COVID Vaccines For Private Sector Workers. According to AZ Central, “When asked for comment on the pending bill, a Biggs spokesperson provided a video that Biggs shared to YouTube on Tuesday, in which he said the motivation behind the proposed law is ‘in the spirit of President Trump's effort to reduce the size and scope of the government.’ Biggs mentioned he was motivated by the 2021 OSHA mandate to coronavirus vaccines for private sector employees, a move that the U.S. Supreme Court later blocked.” [AZ Central, 2/6/25]
Biggs Also Opposed An OSHA Proposal To Establish An 80-Degree Threshold To Mandate Employers To Enact More Safety Measures, Which He Claimed Would Restrict Outside Arizonan Workers. According to AZ Central, “In the video, Biggs also expresses frustration over an OSHA proposal to initiate an 80-degree threshold to force employers to enact further safety measures, which he said would limit the efforts of those working outside in the hot Arizona sun. Biggs said he believed state governments would be more apt to handle the needs of workplace safety, citing Arizona's participation in a state-specific agreement with OSHA since 1985.” [AZ Central, 2/6/25]
OSHA Was Founded To Ensure Safe And Healthy Working Conditions Without Illegal Retaliation, And The Agency Monitored Safety Standards, Created Educational Resources, And Created A System To Protect Whistleblowers. According to AZ Central, “OSHA was founded in 1970 by Republican President Richard Nixon, and the agency's website described its mission to ‘assure America's workers have safe and healthful working conditions free from unlawful retaliation.’ OSHA monitored and enforced safety standards in both the private and public sectors, created educational resources and established a system to protect workplace whistleblowers. The organization was part of the Labor Department and under the leadership of the assistant secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, who answered to the secretary of Labor.” [AZ Central, 2/6/25]
OSHA Was Credited With Improving Workplace Safety, Including Establishing Standards To Protect Workers From Asbestos, Arsenic, Benzene, Lead, Cotton Dust, And Other Carcinogens, And Creating Ergonomic Standards For Workplace Equipment. According to Law and Crime, “In the 50 years since OSHA's formation, it has been credited with improving workplace safety in a variety of ways ranging from setting standards for protecting workers from asbestos, arsenic, benzene, lead, cotton dust, and other carcinogens to creating ergonomic standards for workplace equipment and shielding whistleblowers who raise safety concerns in the workplace.” [Law and Crime, 2/3/25]
Without OSHA Holding Company Accountable For Unsafe Working Conditions, Enforcement Would Be Left To The States, Which May Lack Resources Or Political Will To Penalize Corporations And Would Allow Employers To Continue To Neglect Workplace Safety. According to WorkersCompensation.com, “OSHA has been instrumental in holding companies accountable for unsafe conditions, as seen in recent cases against major discount retailers. Companies like Dollar General and Family Dollar faced significant fines for repeated safety violations, including blocked emergency exits, improper storage of hazardous materials, and unsafe working conditions. Without OSHA, enforcement would be left to individual states, many of which may lack the resources or political will to impose similar penalties. Weak enforcement would allow unsafe practices to persist, resulting in higher injury rates and more claims within the workers' compensation system. Eliminating federal oversight could embolden some employers to neglect workplace safety, putting more workers at risk.” [WorkersCompensation.com, 2/14/25]