SUBCOMMITTEE ON DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR AND HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE AND RELATED AGENCIES DANIEL J. FLOOD, Pennsylvania, Chairman WILLIAM H. NATCHER, Kentucky ROBERT H. MICHEL, Illinois W. R. HULL, Jr., Missouri EDWARD J. PATTEN, New Jersey GARNER E. SHRIVER, Kansas Robert M. Moyer and Henry A. Neil, Jr., Staff Assistants TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 1971. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR WORKPLACE STANDARDS ADMINISTRATION WITNESSES LAURENCE H. SILBERMAN, UNDER SECRETARY OF LABOR ROBERT D. MORAN, ADMINISTRATOR, WORKPLACE STANDARDS ADMINISTRATION GEORGE C. GUENTHER, DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR, WORKPLACE STANDARDS ADMINISTRATION HORACE E. MENASCO, DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF LABOR WORKPLACE STANDARDS ADMINISTRATION PETER G. NASH, SOLICITOR OF LABOR CONRAD M. JONES, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF BUDGET POLICY AND REVIEW, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAM Mr. FLOOD. We now have the Department of Labor, Workplace Standards Administration, salaries and expenses. The request is for a supplemental appropriation to provide for the 1971 expenses of administering the new occupational safety and health program. The presentation will be made by Mr. Laurence H. Silberman, who is the Under Secretary of Labor. Do we have a biographical sketch of you, Mr. Silberman? BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF LAWRENCE H. SILBERMAN Mr. JONES. We will provide one for the record. (The information follows:) LAURENCE H. SILBERMAN, UNDER SECRETARY OF LABOR Laurence H. Silberman's nomination by President Nixon as Under Secretary of Labor was confirmed by the Congress on September 1, 1970. Previous to the nomination Mr. Silberman was serving as Solicitor of Labor. In that capacity, he (49) was the agency's chief legal officer and supervised all legal activities, including enforcement proceedings under various laws for which the Department has authority. Born October 12, 1935, in York, Pa., Mr. Silberman receive a B.A. degree in history from Dartmouth College in 1957 and an LL.B. from Harvard Law School in 1961. From 1961 until 1967 Mr. Silberman practiced law in Honolulu, specializing in labor law. From 1964 until 1967 Mr. Silberman was a partner in the law firm of Moore, Silberman & Schulze. Mr. Silberman also lectured on labor law and legislation at the University of Hawaii and served as a member of the Hawaii Bar Association Ethics Committee. In late 1967, Mr. Silberman came to the Appellate Division of the General Counsel's Office of the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C. Mr. Silberman is married to the former Rosalie Gaull of Boston, Mass. They live with their three children, Robert, Katherine and Anne in Potomac, Md. Mr. FLOOD. I see you have a prepared statement, Mr. Silberman. How do you wish to proceed? GENERAL STATEMENT Mr. SILBERMAN. Mr. Chairman, it is a fairly short statement, and I would propose to read it. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, the supplemental budget request for fiscal year 1971 is for $10,900,000. This is to cover the Department's startup costs for implementation of the WilliamsSteiger Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, which becomes effective April 28 of this year. In enacting this law, both the Congress and the President have recognized the critical need for rapid and effective action to reduce occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities which are taking such a heavy human and economic toll. The Department is now doing everything it can to be prepared to handle its responsibilities, but the timely appropriation of this supplemental budget request is essential if we are to make a successful start at meeting the many goals of the Act. May I say parenthetically, Mr. Chairman, we are very grateful for the early date of the hearing on this supplemental appropriation. DEPARTMENTAL EFFORTS TO IMPLEMENT THE ACT We are establishing a separate Administration headed by a new Assistant Secretary to carry out the Department's responsibilities under the Act. However, the Department has been planning for implementation of the Act since long before its passage by Congress, and we have been able to commence action rapidly within the present organization. Since the President signed the Act on December 29, Department task forces have been at work with the following objectives: 28. 1. Promulgation of an "initial standards" package on or about April The "initial standards" package will consist of construction, maritime, and general industries safety and health standards. The package is being compiled from established Federal standards and national consensus standards as required by the Act. The setting of construction safety standards has been expedited in order to promulgate them prior to April 28. |