CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A state senator wants to study the West Virginia Occupational Safety and Health Act, which is supposed to provide safety inspectors for state offices, but has never been funded since it was passed in 1987.

"According to a 2002 legislative audit, the West Virginia Occupational Safety and Health Act has never been properly implemented or enforced," according to a resolution introduced by Sen. Jeff Kessler, D-Marshall.

State lawmakers have never provided funding to hire inspectors to visit offices and other locations state employees work.

If an inspection program were created, federal funds would pay for half of it.

Under Kessler's resolution, the Joint Committee on Government and Finance would conduct the study and provide it, as well as draft legislation, to legislators when they begin their regular term in January 2011.

The resolution "would enable the Legislature to finally begin studying WVOSHA and, hopefully, to craft a bill to develop a state plan that would meet federal Department of Labor requirements to get a 50 percent federal funding match," said John Thompson, president of West Virginia Public Workers Union/UE Local 170.

A bill to reform OSHA died recently, Thompson said, because no legislative committee acted on it.

"Now, we have two weeks left to get something accomplished. We hope the Legislature will pass Kessler's resolution. Then we will have a committee to conduct a study and prepare a bill for next year."

Larry Matheney, secretary-treasurer of the West Virginia AFL-CIO, said, "One of our legislative priorities in West Virginia is to make sure that public employees, who get up very morning to go to their offices or state road garages, enjoy the same safety protections as workers in private industry."

Reach Paul J. Nyden at pjny...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5164.