Policymakers and the courts have disagreed for years on the fairness and enforcement of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) use of the multi-employer doctrine when it comes to safety violations found on a jobsite. Now, advocates for the construction and roofing trades are pushing for a series of statutory reforms that allow prime contractors on a site to help subcontractors with safety.

“The kind of thing I'm thinking about is collaborative efforts to ensure safety,” said RC Legal Insights Expert Trent Cotney in a recent conversation with RC about a new white paper he helped draft for the National Construction Policy Institute. “The reason why I wanted to write this white paper is that time and time again, I've been asked by contractors, ‘Hey, I want to help my subs, I want to give them PPE and train them.’”