(The AFL-CIO issued the following news release on April 28.)
WASHINGTON — Latino and immigrant workers are among those facing the greatest risks of injury and death on the job, a new AFL-CIO job safety report says. On Workers Memorial Day, April 28, the AFL-CIO will release Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect—A National and State-by-State Profile of Worker Safety and Health in the United States. In addition, thousands of workers will hold Workers Memorial Day events nationwide to honor those hurt and killed on the job and to highlight the ongoing struggle for improved safety and health protections at the workplace. Overall, the study shows reported rates of workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities have fallen slightly or were unchanged; however, Latinos continue to incur a disproportionate share of on-the-job fatalities.
The AFL-CIO report details new government data showing on average, 15 workers were fatally injured and more than 12,000 workers were injured or made ill each day on their jobs in 2003. According to the report, direct costs of occupational injury and illness have amounted to a staggering $1 billion per week. The annual cost of these injuries was between $198.4 billion and $297.6 billion in direct and indirect costs. The study also shows protections across the states vary widely. Wyoming, Alaska and Montana had the highest fatality rates, while Delaware, Connecticut and Massachusetts had the lowest.
Despite prevailing job safety challenges and mounting costs, the level of federal resources being devoted to job safety and health protections remains inadequate. There continues to be no substantial regulatory activity by the Bush administration at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In past years, the Bush administration has withdrawn numerous pending actions from its regulatory agenda. Most recently, Bush’s fiscal year 2006 budget proposed to increase funding for programs to achieve voluntary compliance by employers while completely eliminating vital worker safety training programs at OSHA.
This week, union members and community activists will hold Workers Memorial Day events nationwide to call for an end to workplace injustices, renewing our fight for stronger safety and health protections for all of America’s workers.
For a copy of Death on the Job, go to www.aflcio.org after 9 a.m. on Thursday, April 28. For advance copies, call 202-637-5018.
2005 Workers Memorial Day Events
(Below is a partial listing of events)
ALABAMA
Fairfield
CALIFORNIA
Oakland
CONNECTICUT
Bridgeport, Hartford, Waterbury
FLORIDA
Miami-Dade, Broward
GEORGIA
Macon
ILLINOIS
Alton, Bloomington, Galesburg, Peoria, Rockford, Wood River
INDIANA
Eransville, Kokomo
IOWA
Des Moines, Sioux City, Mason City
KANSAS
El Dorado
LOUISIANA
New Orleans
MARYLAND
Cumberland, Hagerstown
MASSACHUSSETTS
Boston, Dartmouth, Lynn, Haverhill,
MICHIGAN
Flint, Lansing, Trenton
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Concord
NEW JERSEY
Atlantic City, Haledon
NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque
NEW YORK
White Plains, Lathan, Ferwsburg
NORTH CAROLINA
Charlotte
OHIO
Akron, Canton, Mansfield
OREGON
Eugene
PENNSYLVANIA
Harrisburg, Johnstown, Philadelphia
SOUTH CAROLINA
West Columbia
TENNESSEE
Jackson, Memphis
TEXAS
El Paso, San Antonio
WASHINGTON
Everett, Olympia, Spokane
WEST VIRGINIA
Charleston
WISCONSIN
Milwaukee, Wisconsin Rapids, Wausau