The cuts to NIOSH pose a dire threat to immigrant workers, particularly those in high-heat, high-risk jobs like agriculture, warehousing and construction, said Jessica Martinez, executive director of the nonprofit National Council for Occupational Safety and Health. “We will see more injuries, more heatstroke and more deaths. The workers who feed us, build for us and care for our families deserve protection, not abandonment.”

“This is one of the biggest attacks on public health I have ever seen in my career,” said Charlene Obernauer, executive director of the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH). “When you think about the work NIOSH does and what dismantling the agency means, it is pretty significant.”

“NIOSH reports in multiple languages are crucial,” Jessica E. Martinez, executive director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, a national federation of 25 grassroots worker organizations including NYCOSH.

The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH), a group that advocates on behalf of workers, is taking an even dimmer view of the HHS’s workforce reductions. “The gutting of NIOSH is a direct assault on workers’ safety, health and lives, leading to more death, more injury and less accountability,” said Jessica Martinez, executive director of National COSH, in a statement.

“NIOSH plays a vital role in protecting worker health and safety,” said Jessica E. Martinez, Executive Director of National COSH. “Changes to its structure must not compromise its mission or the well-being of workers.”

The National COSH Network, a bilingual federation of grassroots worker organizations, including NJWEC, built campaigns around the day. They provide tools to write reports, organize events and more.

The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, a worker advocacy group, said in a press release that the bill “undermines essential protections” by restricting state enforcement of safety rules, disclosing the identity of workers who file workplace complaints, and limiting the time frame for workers to file complaints and the state to issue citations.

The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health is voicing concerns about Kentucky’s proposed House Bill 398 (HB 398), legislation the group said threatens to “dismantle essential workplace safety protections in a state already grappling with alarmingly high workplace fatality rates.”

“We cannot allow legislation that places the lives of workers at risk and fosters an environment where speaking out against unsafe conditions is not only discouraged but also dangerous,” National COSH Executive Director Jessica Martinez said in a statement. “What happens in Kentucky can set a troubling precedent for workers everywhere.”

The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH) is raising urgent concerns about Kentucky’s proposed House Bill 398 (HB 398), legislation that threatens to dismantle essential workplace safety protections in a state already grappling with alarmingly high workplace fatality rates – 5.0 per 100,000 workers, significantly above the national average of 3.5. 

The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH) is raising urgent concerns about Kentucky’s proposed House Bill 398 (HB 398), legislation that threatens to dismantle essential workplace safety protections in a state already grappling with alarmingly high workplace fatality rates

Keeling will be under pressure to take some of these initiatives across the finish line. Jessica E. Martinez, executive director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, said her group wants OSHA to adopt a national heat rule.

“Now more than ever, OSHA must be a strong and proactive agency that enforces safety laws, protects all workers, and moves urgently to adopt critical new standards, including a national heat protection rule,” she said.

Jessica E. Martinez, executive director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH), says that by restricting DEI policies, organizations like hers would not be able to effectively reach the most vulnerable workers, like undocumented immigrants who may need workplace training in languages other than English.

“Heat is something that a lot of people misunderstand, but high indoor heat is something that we see a lot in this work,” said Jessie Cruz, who represents the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health in Chicago. “This bill is protecting a lot of warehouse workers from unrealistic quotas and hazardous safety conditions, but we would like to see more addressing indoor heat and ergonomics for the workers.”
 

Attending the fry station is one of the most dangerous jobs in commercial kitchens, noted Miso Robotics. Almost 80% of fast-food employees have sustained burns within the past year, according to a 2024 survey conducted by Hart Research Associates on behalf of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health.
 

Day laborers hired to clean up homes often don’t have protective equipment or safety training, exposing them to “severe hazardous materials” and dangerous environments, said Jessica Martinez, executive director for the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, a network of labor organizations that has trained workers in post-hurricane recovery. She added that Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric also discourages workers from asking for basic resources because they fear being targeted and deported.
 

National COSH is accepting nominations for its 2025 Dirty Dozen report and relocating its annual COSHCON conference to Chicago.

“We know from long experience that the surest way to make our workplaces safer is to put workers at the center of the conversation,” said Jessica E. Martinez, executive director of National COSH. “Workers know their jobs. They know where the hazards are and how to eliminate them.

“More than 5,200 deaths on the job is still way too many,” said Jessica Martinez, executive director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH). “We are also deeply concerned that Black and Brown workers continue to suffer from a higher rate of occupational fatalities, a sign of the persistent effects of discrimination in our workplaces.”
 

"We know from long experience that the surest way to make our workplaces safer is to put workers at the center of the conversation," said Jessica E. Martinez, executive director of National COSH. "Workers know their jobs. They know where the hazards are and how to eliminate them.

“The average third grader gets more training in what to do (with an active shooter) than most workers,” said Jessica Martinez, executive director of the National Council on Occupational Safety and Health, a public interest group."