Workplace Health and Safety

One of the basic rights of workers in America is the right to a safe workplace. No worker should have to fear injury or death just for showing up for work.

Unfortunately, for many workers, this freedom from fear remains out of reach. Corporate corner-cutting and Bush Administration rollbacks have put millions of workers at risk. In 2005 alone, 5,700 workers were killed on the job, with 4.2 million suffering injuries.

Change to Win is committed to securing a safe and healthy workplace for every working American.

The Protecting America's Workers Act

On April 26, 2007, a new bill called the Protecting America's Workers Act was introduced in the U.S. Congress. If passed into law, this legislation would strengthen worker protections in several key areas:

Covering more workers -- 8.5 million workers not now covered by Federal health and safety regulations would get protection
Increasing penalties for lawbreakers -- stiffer punishments are provided for companies whose negligence results in worker injury or death
Protecting whistleblowers -- workers who "blow the whistle" on unsafe conditions in the workplace would receive more extensive protection from retribution
Improving accountability and transparency -- more information about workplace injuries would be made public, and workers would have increased access to Labor Department investigators
Clarifying employer responsibilities -- employers would be clearly required to pay for necessary safety equipment for their employees

Workers have been speaking out in support of the Protecting America's Workers Act: