SPRINGFIELD – To improve accessibility and offer additional protections to workers, the Illinois Senate approved an initiative by State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) to modernize the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

“Illinois’ OSHA protects all state and local government workers,” said Glowiak Hilton, chair of the Senate Commerce Committee. “To ensure employees have adequate working conditions, it’s critical for employers to have inspection details and citations as quickly as possible.”

In collaboration with the Illinois Department of Labor, Glowiak Hilton’s measure allows post-inspection notices and citations to be sent via email instead of solely USPS certified mail.

In addition, the proposal streamlines the process to match state and federal standards, declares intentional violations can be penalized per occurrence by up to $10,000 and expands discrimination provisions to maintain consistency with existing law.

House Bill 4604 passed the Senate Wednesday and moves to the governor for final consideration.