Extreme heat in Arizona is not just a seasonal inconvenience. It’s a workplace hazard that is increasingly lasting longer and can make even routine work life-threatening. The Arizona Heat Standards Coalition hosted demonstrations that simulated loading heavy luggage onto airplanes, wearing pesticide-protection suits in agriculture, and working in roofing and landscaping under intense sun.

Trina David worked on the ground crew at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport for 19 years, offloading and loading 4,000 to 6,000 pounds of baggage in less than an hour to get planes out on time. 

Arizona workers demonstrated the dangers of extreme heat Wednesday, pushing for new rules to protect people who work outdoors.

The event, called "Walk an Hour in a Worker's Shoes," let people experience the harsh conditions Arizona workers face every day — from construction to landscaping.

Last year, Cooperative Laundry was named one of the country’s worst employers in any industry — a striking distinction for a small, little-known operator with just two plants in New Jersey and Texas. It landed on the 2025 “Dirty Dozen” list alongside national retail and logistics giants and a private prison operator that runs ICE detention centers. The list is compiled annually by the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, a network of grassroots worker-safety groups.

As extreme heat continues to endanger millions of workers across the United States, workers, unions, worker centers, health and safety advocates, and community organizations are launching a coordinated Fired Up! National Week of Heat Action from August 10-16to demand stronger protections from dangerous workplace heat and educate workers about their rights.

“They’re bringing the work force back to the 1800s,” said Trina David, a crew chief at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport who oversees baggage handling and other activity while planes are parked at gates. The temperature in the city often hits triple digits in the summer, and it can be even hotter on the tarmac.

El Consejo Nacional para la Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional (National COSH, por sus siglas en inglés) anunció esta semana su llamada 'Docena sucia' de los peores centros de trabajo de 2022, una lista que abarca empresas que ponen en riesgo a los trabajadores y las comunidades a partir de prácticas inseguras.

Katelyn Parady, Associate Director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation on the most pressing threats to worker safety in the United States.

Katelyn Parady, associate director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, says she’s proud of the state’s progress on this issue. “But even in Arizona, where there has been some local progress, a large swath of  people continue to be employed in localities and occupations with high heat exposure,” she tells The Progressive. “They know what this does to their bodies. They want increased rest and know that climate change is making this more important than ever.” 

The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH) is applauding New York City officials and worker advocacy groups following the issuance of an executive order to strengthen protections for workers exposed to extreme heat.

The order comes as heat waves become more frequent and intense across the United States and as federal regulators continue developing a nationwide workplace heat standard.

Isola, Mississippi, U.S.A.-based Consolidated Catfish Producers was the sole winner of a USD 848,160 (EUR 734,955) contract awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Under the 21 May award, Consolidated Catfish will supply a total of 192,000 pounds of breaded and unbreaded catfish products. The government agreed to purchase 152,000 pounds of unbreaded, raw catfish fillets at a price of USD 4.08 (EUR 3.53) per pound for a total buy of USD 620,160 (EUR 537,386), as well as 40,000…

Host: Marty Peterson
Producers: Amirah Zaveri and Polly Hansen
As extreme heat intensifies, outdoor and factory workers are facing risks their jobs were never built to handle. With protections still varying by state, advocates are pushing for updated national standards on shade, water, rest and retaliation-free reporting.
Guests: 
Pamela Walaski, president, Board of Directors of the American Society of Safety Professionals
Katelyn Parady, development and strategic programs liaison, National Council for Occupational Safety and Health

Federal mine safety oversight faces unprecedented stability concerns following sudden personnel and operational cuts at an independent regulatory agency, a workplace safety advocacy group warned.

The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health expressed alarm over the reported firing of Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commissioner Moshe Marvit, alongside concurrent layoffs and office closures within the commission. The independent body is legally responsible for resolving mine safety enforcement disputes and evaluating whistleblower retaliation cases.

Fed-up Alliance Ground International workers rallied outside John F. Kennedy Airport Friday to share horror stories about their time at the runway and tarmac service company they claim has little regard for its staff.

“Every single day I come to work, wondering if I’m going to make it home safe at the end of my shift. A lot of the equipment we use is old, broken down, and honestly unsafe,” said John Mosquera, who has worked as an AGI ramp agent with Frontier Airlines at LGA for nearly two years.

AGI was named to the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (COSH) “Dirty Dozen” list of companies with significant workplace safety concerns last month.

For the first time, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH) has listed Hyundai-Kia’s U.S. supply chain in its annual 2026 Dirty Dozen Report. The annual report spotlights 12 employers that have put workers at risk by failing to prevent on-the-job injuries, illnesses, and deaths. 

The designation comes amid growing documentation of unsafe working conditions, labor violations, and exploitative practices within Hyundai-Kia’s U.S. supply chain, including allegations of child labor and coercive prison labor.

The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH) included Revoli Construction, a water and sewer contractor, and D.R. Horton, the largest homebuilder by volume in the U.S., on its 2024 'Dirty Dozen' list. This designation highlights companies with egregious safety records, repeat violations, and, in some cases, worker fatalities linked to preventable hazards. National COSH specifically cited multiple OSHA citations and worker deaths attributed to unsafe conditions at these companies, underscoring systemic failures rather than isolated incidents. The list serves as a public shaming mechanism to draw attention to critical safety lapses within prominent industry players.

Every spring, the National COSH reveals their Dirty Dozen list of companies that have committed the worst OSHA violations and have the most unsafe working conditions, according to the organization. The report was released amid a sharp drop in workplace health and safety enforcement, as federal penalties decline 47 percent in 2025.

The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH) has released it’s annual “Dirty Dozen” list of companies they say show disregard for worker and community safety. Criteria for inclusion included severity of injuries to workers; exposure to unnecessary and preventable risk; repeat citations; and activity by workers to improve health and safety conditions.

The lethal workplace illness silicosis killed thousands each year up through the 1960s but became much rarer in recent decades thanks to union workplace safety fights. The disease is now making a comeback among stonecutters working with manufactured stone. Silicosis is a lethal workplace illness that killed thousands each year up through the 1960s. In recent decades, thanks to union workplace safety fights, it became much rarer. Annual deaths dropped to the hundreds. The disease affected mostly older workers with longer exposures.

So it was hard for stonecutter Gustavo Reyes Gonzalez, thirty-five, to get a clear diagnosis in 2019 when he first developed a cough and shortness of breath. It wasn’t until two years later that he was told he had silicosis — and only had a year to live.

“WBAI Labor reporter Bob Henley was also at the Workers Memorial Day event in Midtown yesterday. Here is an interview he did with Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su, alongside his fellow labor reporter, Tochtli Garcia of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health. We go now to that interview.”

Employees producing an economic surplus for employers to sell in the marketplace risk their life and limbs due to the bosses’ disregard of workplace safety standards. A new report from the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH) delivers the disturbing details.

We turn to the just released Dirty Dozen 2026, highlighting unsafe workplaces, comprised of Occupational Safety and Health Administration violations, and nominations from National COSH’s state affiliates, labor unions and workers centers.