January 26, 2001
Contact: Sue Hensley 202-331-5964, Erica Bohm (858) 541-2049

Washington, DC — In a big victory for the National Restaurant Association, an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) decision spared the restaurant industry more than $35 million in compliance costs. The burdensome OSHA regulation would have required restaurants to maintain a comprehensive record of on-the-job injuries, and then report them to OSHA monthly.

"Imposing this requirement on the restaurant industry would have been regulating just for the sake of regulating," said National Restaurant Association President and Chief Executive Officer, Steven C. Anderson. "Given the industry's impressive safety record, this paperwork requirement is not warranted for the restaurant industry, and OSHA made the right decision in exempting the industry."

The Association has been fighting to maintain the restaurant exemption that OSHA proposed to eliminate for five years. Ending the exemption would have required restaurants to spend more than 20 hours a month filling out paperwork. This would have greatly burdened the nation's time-crunched restaurateurs — especially since the vast majority of restaurants are small businesses.

In announcing that restaurants would continue to be free from the requirement, OSHA said the restaurant industry was one of the "safer" industries. In fact, on-the-job accidents in restaurants are at their lowest level in 30 years and still declining. The Association's Workplace Safety Program administered by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, and a multitude of other training programs have been instrumental in providing a safer working environment for the 11.3 million restaurant and foodservice workers in the United States.