In a press release from the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (COSH), the organization said that investigations into both of these tragedies “must include questions about why workers were on the job during extreme weather conditions. "What kind of warning systems were in place? What processes do Amazon and Mayfield have in place for emergency preparedness and response?" asked Marcy Goldstein-Gelb, a co-executive director of COSH."

“Pushing these costs onto workers is wrong-headed and an unprecedented departure from all previous OSHA standards,” said Jessica Martinez, co-executive director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, which advocates for better working conditions. “Employers, who have a responsibility to provide a safe workplace, have always been required to pay the costs of tests and screening for occupational illnesses and for personal protective equipment; this case should be no different,” she added.

The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, a leading workplace safety advocacy group, called that decision “wrong-headed,” noting that it represents a break with precedent for the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. “Employers, who have a responsibility to provide a safe workplace, have always been required to pay the costs of tests and screening for occupational illnesses and for personal protective equipment; this case should be no different,” Jessica E. Martinez, co-executive director of National COSH, said in an emailed statement.