Congress introduces bill to combat overdoses
The Workplace Overdose Reversal Kits to Save Lives Act, bipartisan legislation recently reintroduced in the House and Senate, would direct the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to develop employer guidance regarding acquiring opioid overdose-reversal medication and training workers to use it.
Under the bill, OSHA would publish the nonmandatory guidance for private sector employers. However, federal agencies would be required to acquire and maintain opioid overdose-reversal medications and provide voluntary annual training to employees.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports more than 80,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2024, with a majority involving opioids. According to CPWR—The Center for Construction Research and Training, construction workers overall account for about 17% of overdose deaths among the working population even though they are only about 8% of the U.S. workforce.
Roofing contractor fined $600,000
Roofing contractor DME Construction Associates Inc., Setauket, N.Y., entered into a settlement agreement with the Department of Labor to resolve willful safety violations found after an employee fell 18 feet through an unprotected skylight in August 2021 and suffered fatal injuries, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The contractor is not an NRCA member.
An OSHA investigation found DME Construction Associates exposed workers to falls of up to 22 feet at unguarded roof openings and roof edges at an Oyster Bay, N.Y., worksite and failed to provide personal fall-protection equipment to employees.
The settlement affirms all citations issued to DME Construction Associates, including nine willful violations, eight of which were egregious per-instance citations for the company’s failure to provide fall protection for each of the eight employees who were working on the roof.
The settlement agreement states DME Construction Associates must pay a $600,000 penalty and implement enhanced measures to improve worker safety, including developing a comprehensive written company safety plan; ensuring and documenting there is enough fall-protection equipment for every worker on every job site; notifying OSHA of all upcoming jobs at least a week in advance; permitting warrantless entry by OSHA at all worksites; and requiring all DME Construction Associates supervisors to complete OSHA’s 30-hour construction safety training.
DME Construction Associates and owner Peter Chardon pleaded guilty in November 2025 to a criminal violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act related to the fatality.
To stay on top of safety regulations, visit nrca.net/safety.
Bipartisan housing package makes progress
In February, the House overwhelmingly approved legislation (H.R. 6644) that contains a wide range of bipartisan proposals to address a shortage of housing and reduce prices. The measure, which passed the chamber by a vote of 390-9, is part of lawmakers’ efforts to address growing concerns about day-to-day affordability leading up to the midterm elections this fall.
Specifically, H.R. 6644 would require the Department of Housing and Urban Development to issue best practices regarding zoning and design for cities and states; expand affordable housing programs currently available to Americans; and ease regulations for development and construction. The legislation also includes changes to community banking.
Passage of H.R. 6644 comes months after a Senate-led housing bill, S. 2651, the ROAD to Housing Act, stalled. However, it is widely expected the House and Senate will negotiate a final agreement during the next few months.
NRCA has made addressing the need for affordable housing an advocacy priority. It will be a featured topic at Roofing Day in D.C., where two complementary pieces of legislation will be highlighted that would incentivize the conversion of vacant or underused commercial property, as well as the construction and/or upgrading of residential homes in certain areas of the U.S.
