Robert Jarvis wants answers. “Why’d you make us work that day?” he asks. “Why?”
With five workers dead and one still missing since Hurricane Helene struck on Sept. 27, many of us in Tennessee and around the country also want to know what went wrong that day – and if we can prevent it from happening again.
The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (COSH) strongly supports OSHA’s proposed rule to address heat-related hazards for both indoor and outdoor workers. The rule, which was announced today, is a critical step in protecting millions of workers from heat-related illnesses and injuries.
As we progress towards an ordinance here in Southern Arizona, let’s be bold in our determination to effectively confront the ever-more-deadly challenge that heat presents in our workplaces. We have the resources in our community to make this program the model for the rest of the state. Let’s honor the memory of Dario Mendoza – and others who, like him, shouldn’t have died on the job – by passing the robust heat exposure ordinance our workers need and deserve.
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.”
