Longtime readers know that one of the windmills I’ve been tilting at in this space for quite some time now is the problem of combustible dust — invisible particles that build up in some workplaces, creating a dangerous risk of explosions — and how little OSHA was doing to protect workers from it.
Well, times have changed. There’s a new sheriff in town and she’s ready to do something about combustible dust:
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said Tuesday that the government would soon propose new safety rules to protect workers from industrial dust that can cause explosions and a popcorn flavoring chemical linked to lung disease.
The announcement is part of her efforts to boost safety enforcement at the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration…
“As we dedicate the building of this monument to fallen workers, we must also rededicate ourselves to defending and enforcing every man and woman’s rights to a safe and healthful working environment,” Solis said.
It’s a simple proposition: every working person has the right to a safe working environment. But for eight years, it was left behind by an Administration so eager to curry favor with corporations that it forgot its responsibility to protect workers’ lives and health.
Combustible dust is only one corner of the problem, though — as CtW Health and Safety Coordinator Eric Frumin told Congress yesterday, health and safety laws need to be enforced more strongly across the entire economy:
While testifying today before the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections regarding stronger Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enforcement, Change to Win Health and Safety Coordinator Eric Frumin called for stronger criminal sanctions for ignoring safety hazards that lead to a worker’s death or serious injury. Frumin singled out Waste Management, Inc., the industrial laundry giant Cintas Corporation, steel pipe manufacturer McWane, Inc., and BP North America as examples of employers whose failure to fix known hazards led to fatalities…
The House Subcommittee held the hearing to examine a March 31, 2009 report by the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Labor regarding lapses under OSHA’s Enhanced Enforcement Program…
“OSHA needs to know where corporate leaders are hiding the evidence of mismanagement,” said Frumin. “The EEP still lacks the proper focus on multiple, severe workplace hazards and violations, and needs further strengthening.”
“Enforcement after workers die is not really enforcement at all. We need real change,” continued Frumin. “That is the change America voted for last year, and we are more than willing to work with Congress, with responsible employers, and with others to see that American workers receive that change.”
Ending the era when corporations can simply ignore the law and put workers’ lives at risk without fear of punishment? That’s change we can believe in!
UPDATE (May 4): Now with video!
Comments (1)
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Hey! I'm an organizer with UNITEHERE on the Hotel Workers Rising campaign in Indianapolis, IN. Indianapolis hotel workers are engaged in a struggle of historic proportions. There are currently no union hotels in America's 12th largest city, yet huge majorities of workers at the Sheraton, Westin, and Hyatt Regency hotels have demanded a card-check neutrality agreement. They have yet to hear back from the hotel owners. Work conditions in Indianapolis hotels are really tough. Housekeepers routinely clean up to 30 rooms per day and make just $7.25/hr. We've just put together an inspirational video documenting this 2-year struggle. It would be great if you could put it up on your blog for people to watch. Thank you,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exBtVnZaWUk
Posted by michael biskar on May 3, 2009 at 9:28 PM
Posted on May 3, 2009 at 9:28 PM