Coronavirus Shows Us Why Occupational Health and Safety Is Life or Death for Workers
The power of organized labor won the Occupational Safety and Health Administration 49 years ago today. That victory has saved thousands of lives in workplaces across the country — but we need to think even bigger than regulatory reforms now.
Family members of miners killed in mining disasters in West Virginia in 2016 and in Alabama in 2001 during a Congressional forum on mine safety sponsored by US House of Representatives Democrats February 13, 2006 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.Chip Somodevilla / Getty
It took a global pandemic to put occupational health and safety back on the center stage of American politics. It has become personal for many, as millions of workers agonize daily over the choice between making a living or staying healthy. It’s more than a bread-and-butter issue — it’s life or death.
Right now, both unionized and nonunion workers are fighting for protective equipment, hazard pay, paid sick leave, and other measures. However, most unions and federal agencies are not adequately prepared to deal with a workplace safety dilemma of this scale.
Every day there are reports of nurses, doctors, and EMS drivers treating patients without N95 masks to protect themselves — already dozens or perhaps even hundreds of health care workers have died from coronavirus. Even American public transit workers have fallen ill on-the-job, with nearly a hundred having died from COVID-19 so far.
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