Reactions to the final silica rule issued last week by OSHA have been sharply – and predictably – divided. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said that millions of workers “can literally breathe easier knowing that they will not have to sacrifice their lungs and their lives by working in deadly silica dust. The new OSHA silica rules—nearly 20 years in the making—will save hundreds of workers’ lives a year.”
On Workers’ Memorial Day, April 28, those who have been lost, disabled, injured, or sickened on the job will be remembered. It is also an occasion, says OSHA, to renew a commitment to protecting the health and safety of every worker.
Despite significant advancements in workplace health and safety over the past four decades, 150 people are killed on the job or die from job-related illnesses and diseases every day in the U.S, reports the 2014 edition of the AFL-CIO’s annual Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect.
Theme this year: toxic chemical exposure in the workplace
April 28, 2014
Today is Workers’ Memorial Day, on which individuals who have died on the job are honored in ceremonies all over the country. At the U.S. Department of Labor headquarters in Washington, D.C., Secretary Perez, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels and Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health Joseph A. Main will deliver remarks focusing on the hazards of toxic chemical exposure in the workplace – this year’s theme.
The annual commemoration of those killed on the job is fast approaching, and a variety of organizations are getting ready to hold solemn events on April 28. While Workers’ Memorial Day is observed around the globe, this will be its 25th anniversary in the United States.
The American Federation of Labor – Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) recently posted the following job description, which goes into detail about the myriad responsibilities of the national safety and health specialist, and the high bar set for qualified candidates.
North Dakota, Wyoming, Alaska & Arkansas have highest fatality rates
May 8, 2013
OSHA remains underfunded, understaffed and unarmed with penalties high enough to deter violations, according to the AFL-CIO’s annual report on occupational fatalities in the U.S., which provides background analysis in addition to the data.
Peg Seminario, longtime director of health and safety for the AFL-CIO, told ISHN in an exclusive day after the election interview, “We don’t buy at all the claim that regulations kill jobs. Quite the opposite, according to recent research.”
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.