Private sector employees have workplace safety protections under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, more commonly known as OSHA.

Those same protections are generally not afforded to public sector workers – police, fire, road crews.

The state House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill that now heads to the Senate that would extend those protections to the public sector.

And municipal officials at Wednesday night’s Council of Governments meeting are concerned.

The bill, sponsored by Erie Rep. Patrick Harkins, passed 116-84 with some bipartisan support. Rep. Kathy Rapp opposed the bill.

In addition to extending the protections to the public sector, the bill would also create a Pennsylvania Occupational Safety and Health Review Board, establish workplace inspections and set penalties for violations.

Harkins’ legislative memo said his awareness of the issue dates to a 2014 fatal injury of a mechanic at the Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority and that, without OSHA preview, the details of the incident “have been hard to track.

“All workers deserve the right to work in an environment that is free from unnecessary health and safety hazards, including the public sector workers that have some of the most dangerous jobs in the Commonwealth.”

Youngsville Borough Councilman Troy Clawson, who leads the COG’s legislative committee, raised the issue as “something we all need to be cognizant of.”

“As a municipality, I don’t want this to happen,” he said of the bill, explaining that he is “all for safety but currently we have a lot of safety things in place.”

He cautioned that this legislation would result in a climate where it is not a big jump until similar regulations could be imposed on volunteer fire departments.

“That’s going to cost money,” City of Warren Manager Mike Holtz said.

Mead Township Supervisor Marica Madigan added that the proposal was rejected by the state-wide township convention.