Two summers ago, Wyatt Whitebread drowned in corn at the age of 14. It happened on a hot July morning, while he was working at a grain handling operation in Mount Carroll, Ill. Soon after Whitebread climbed inside a storage bin to help empty it, equipment whirring nearby created a downward force, essentially turning the corn beneath the boy’s feet into quicksand.
The Obama administration on Thursday once again sided with industry instead of workers on regulations and withdrew the Department of Labor's (DOL) proposed rules that would have restricted child workers from the most dangerous tasks in agriculture.
Almost a half century (47 years) after publication of the book Unsafe at Any Speed, which uncovered auto companies unwillingness to spend money on safety features — Ralph Nader has a new organization in his sights as he pursues safety issues — the AFL-CIO.
President Obama on Tuesday informed House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) that his administration is considering seven regulations that would cost more than $1 billion.