COSH Network in the News

  • America's Workforce Podcast

    OSHA's Proposed Heat Standards Enter 120-day Comment Period

    9 Jul 2024

    Marcy Goldstein-Gelb, Co-Chair of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (NCOSH), joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s proposed heat rule.

  • OHS Online

    OSHA Announces New Proposed Rule to Shield Workers from Extreme Heat

    9 Jul 2024

    The National Safety Council (NSC) and National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (COSH) both released statements supporting the proposed measure. The NSC pointed out that recommendations it has long advocated for are included in OSHA’s proposal. Meanwhile, the National COSH was “motivated and encouraged” by the news, applauding its “clear framework for promoting a culture of safety and responsibility.”

  • Work-Bites

    OSHA Heat Rules Could Save Your Life—But Will They Be Enforced?

    6 Jul 2024

    “It couldn’t have come a moment too soon,” Marcy Goldstein-Gelb, co-executive director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, told Work-Bites, adding that the proposed rules will protect “untold numbers” of workers.


     

  • Reckon

    How extreme heat and political inaction are killing America’s outdoor workers

    27 Jun 2024

    ”It is absolutely asinine that we have legislators in Tallahassee dictating what local communities should be deciding in their own backyards,” said Esteban Wood, policy director for WeCount, a nonprofit that advocates for immigrant workers in South Florida. “We need to be incredibly responsive to protecting the health and safety of the workers who grow our food, who build our cities, who keep our economies running.”

  • Pittsburgh Tribune Review

    Letter to the editor: Protecting our workers

    8 Jul 2024

    Especially not as some of the world’s best known and biggest companies are the worst offenders — the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (COSH) released its “Dirty Dozen 2023” list that included names like Amazon, FedEx, Norfolk Southern and Tesla.

  • Engineering News Record

    Labor Dept. Proposal Would Require Employers to Protect Workers From Extreme Heat

    2 Jul 2024

    Workers’ safety groups praised the rule. “We are motivated and encouraged by the latest news from OSHA, as it signifies a vital advancement in worker safety,” said Jessica Martinez, co-executive director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, a coalition of worker and safety advocates. “Extreme heat poses serious risks, including heat exhaustion, heat stroke and fatalities, affecting both outdoor and indoor environments. As climate change raises global temperatures, comprehensive heat protection standards are increasingly urgent.”


     

  • msn.com

    Biden administration proposes first-ever workplace heat safety standards

    3 Jul 2024

    "It's a huge deal. And especially now that we're entering the summer months, we need these protections. There will be more awareness around this. We're expecting employers to be able to comply," said Jessica Martinez of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health.


     

  • HR Dive

    OSHA proposes rule to protect workers from extreme heat

    2 Jul 2024

    “This rule provides a clear framework for promoting a culture of safety and responsibility,” Marcy Goldstein-Gelb, co-executive director of National COSH, said in a statement shared with Construction Dive, a sister publication to HR Dive.

  • Restaurant Business

    DOL issues employer mandates for protecting workers from excessive heat

    2 Jul 2024

    “We have long advocated for an OSHA heat standard,” Jessica Martinez, co-executive director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, said in response to the proposed national rules. “We are motivated and encouraged by the latest news from OSHA, as it signifies a vital advancement in worker safety. ... As climate change raises global temperatures, comprehensive heat protection standards are increasingly urgent."

  • Miami Herald

    After helping kill heat law, a major Miami-Dade grower defends its worker safety

    5 Jul 2024

    WeCount, a Homestead-based nonprofit that represents the interests of farm workers, said that the practices the company outlined were a positive step but did not go far enough. The biggest problems are that are no formal regulations and no outside agency monitors whether Costa or other growers fulfill pledges of protection, said Oscar Londoño, the executive director of WeCount.

  • Irrigation & Lighting

    Deadly serious: Heat on the Biden Administration to protect workers from extreme temps

    24 Jun 2024

    Unions and worker advocates are increasingly pressing for heat protections. Gerstein pointed out that the Teamsters recently secured air-conditioning in trucks and other heat protections in their latest collective bargaining agreement. The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health is training workers to advocate for their rights. Employers are encouraged to proactively implement heat safety measures, and government agencies are urged to educate the public and model good practices. Municipalities such as Los Angeles, Phoenix and Miami-Dade County have appointed chief heat officers to help address these issues.

  • Documented

    Big Business Is Trying to Kill New Pro-Worker OSHA Rule

    20 Jun 2024

    “It gives workers an opportunity to speak truth to power about the conditions of a worksite,” said Jessica Martinez, co-executive Director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health. “Having a trusted rep selected by the workers themselves makes a huge difference  when a government inspector is on sight.”

  • Nevada Current

    Unionized iron workers warn contractors they won’t rest until bosses negotiate contract

    3 Jun 2024

    From 2014 through 2023, XL Concrete, the parent company of Black Iron, had 29 safety violations in Nevada, according to the National Council of Occupational Safety and Health. Faced with labor violations and dangerous working conditions, Black Iron workers say their only option is to fight for changes at the company through unionization.

  • Progressive Populist

    Lethal Workplaces: Deaths on the Job Continue

    20 May 2024

    Jessica E. Martinez, MPH, is co-executive director of National COSH. “This is an exciting and challenging time for US workers,” she said in a statement. “It’s exciting to see a renewed interest in joining labor unions, participating in workers’ centers and connecting with advocacy campaigns. The challenge facing workers who are fighting for something better is that conditions in US workplaces are getting worse.

  • Insurance Journal

    “Dirty Dozen” Unsafe Employers Putting Workers at Risk

    20 May 2024

    The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health released a list of its “Dirty Dozen” employers of 2024, examples of employers that National COSH asserts put workers and communities at risk due to unsafe practices, which reportedly lead to preventable illnesses, injuries and fatalities.

  • New York Now

    New York Lags Behind Setting Worker Protections for Extreme Heat

    16 May 2024

    COSH Network Affiliates Carlos Gutierrez from Mid-State COSH and Jessica Maxwell from Workers' Center of Central New York contributed to this article.

  • Mother Jones

    Without Heat Protections, Florida Laborers Brace for a Cruel Summer

    7 May 2024

    Costa Farms was included on the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health’s Dirty Dozen report of unsafe employers in 2024.

  • Nevada Current

    Musk’s Boring Company makes list of ‘Dirty Dozen’ workplace safety offenders

    30 Apr 2024

    Two companies doing business in Las Vegas, the Boring Company and Black Iron, are among the “Dirty Dozen” identified by the National Council of Occupational Safety and Health as workplace safety offenders. National COSH is an organization dedicated to worker safety.

  • The Guardian

    Florida workers brace for summer with no protections: ‘My body would tremble’

    6 May 2024

    Ana Mejia, a farm worker, worked for 11 years at Costa Farms in south Florida where she said she experienced two serious heat stress incidents on the job. Costa Farms was included on the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health’s Dirty Dozen report of unsafe employers in 2024. Costa Farms declined to comment.

  • Sourcing Journal

    Walmart Refutes Calls for Change Over Equal Pay and Employee Safety

    2 May 2024

    Walmart made the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (COSH)’s “Dirty Dozen” list this year. It highlights 12 employers that National COSH believes to be endangering employees; Walmart is the only retailer on the list.