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PROMISESAFE JOBS

FOR ALL

RENEW THE

Workers Memorial Day • April 28

WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY

MATERIALS

2021

CONTENTS Workers Memorial Day Flier 2021 (English) 1 Workers Memorial Day Flier 2021 (Spanish) 3 Workers Memorial Day Events and Actions 2021 5 Sample Talking Points for Workers Memorial Day 2021 6 Protecting Workers from COVID-19 Executive Council Statement 8 Protect Workers Now from COVID-19: Support OSHA and MSHA 12 Emergency Temporary Standards for COVID-19 Fact Sheet The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act Will Save Lives Fact Sheet 13 Protect Workers from Violence on the Job Fact Sheet 14 Sample Workers Memorial Day Proclamation 16 Sample Workers Memorial Day Resolution 17 Sample Workers Memorial Day Event Advisory 18 Sample Workers Memorial Day Event Release 19 Sample Workers Memorial Day Letters to the Editor 20 Sample Latino Workers Memorial Day Event Release (English) 21 Sample Latino Workers Memorial Day Event Release (Spanish) 22 Safety and Health Facts 2021 23 Profile of Workplace Safety and Health in the United States 29 2019 Fatality Demographics by State 33 COVID-19 Cases and Deaths by State 34 Workers Memorial Day Fatality Data Guide 36

OBSERVE WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY APRIL 28 PASS THE PRO ACT

PROMISESAFE JOBS

FOR ALL

RENEW THERENEW THE

FIFTY YEARS AGO on April 28, Workers Memorial Day, the Occupational Safety and Health Act went into effect, promising every worker the right to a safe job. The law was won because of the tireless efforts of the labor movement, which organized for safer working conditions and demanded government action. Unions and our allies have fought hard to make that promise a reality—winning protections that have made jobs safer and saved lives. But our work is not done. Each year, thousands of workers are killed and millions suffer injury or illness because of dangerous working conditions.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the inextricable link between workplace safety and health and our communities. The virus has killed more than 500,000 people in this country so far—devastating working families, with a disproportionate impact on people of color. Unions and our allies stepped up to demand and win job protections from this highly contagious virus. We organized for safe jobs and the right to speak out against unsafe working conditions. We demanded access to the ventilation, respirators and other measures that protect workers from inhaling the virus at work. Given the lack of federal action, unions won protections in states and held state and local leaders accountable. Organized labor and our allies were key to strengthening job safety to save lives.

Worker safety and workers’ voice go hand in hand. The popularity of unions is at 65%—one of the highest marks since the OSH Act was implemented in 1971—and 60 million nonunion workers say they would vote for a voice on the job today. That is why America’s labor movement is leading the campaign to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would give all workers who want to form a

union a fair path to do so. Strong unions hold employers and the government accountable to keep workers safe. Strong unions raise the baseline level of job safety protections for all.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the lack of resources and accountability for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to ensure workers are protected on the job, as well as the structural failures that have prevented workers from organizing for safer working conditions. Workplace safety agencies have been hollowed out with a reduction in staff and a stagnant budget. Many workers never see OSHA in their workplace. Penalties are too low to be a deterrent. Workers are not adequately protected to speak out against unsafe working conditions and to join a union without retaliation. As we look to the next 50 years of national worker protections, Congress must strengthen workplace safety agencies to renew their promise to working people, and issue life-saving protections against workplace violence, infectious diseases, heat illness, silica in mining and toxic chemicals—preventable hazards that kill tens of thousands of workers each year.

On April 28, the unions of the AFL-CIO will observe Workers Memorial Day to remember those who have suffered and died on the job, and to renew the fight for safe jobs. We will mobilize to pass the PRO Act, so workers have a voice on the job. We will stand united to strengthen workers’ rights and protections, and demand resources and actions needed for job safety enforcement. We will fight for the right of every worker to a safe job, until that promise is fulfilled.

Decades of struggle by working people and our unions have improved working conditions and made jobs safer, but it has not been enough. This year we have an opportunity to strengthen our rights and protections, so everyone can come home safely at the end of a work shift, and without chronic illnesses from exposures at work.

As we grieve those we have lost from COVID-19 and other workplace hazards, we must continue to push forward. We must: • Ensure that all workers have the necessary protections from COVID-19 at work.• Pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act to ensure workers have a safety

voice on the job and the right to freely form a union without employer interference orintimidation.

• Pass the Protecting America’s Workers Act to provide OSHA protection to the millionsof workers without it, stronger criminal and civil penalties for companies that seriouslyviolate job safety laws, and improved anti-retaliation protections.

• Increase efforts to protect the safety and health of Black, Latino and immigrant workers,who are disproportionately affected and especially targeted for speaking up againstunsafe working conditions.

• Increase the job safety budgets and improve job safety enforcement.• Win new protections on workplace violence, silica exposure in mining, heat illness,

exposure to asbestos and other toxic chemicals, and other hazards. • Defend hard-won safety and health protections and workers’ rights from attacks.

WHAT YOU CAN DO ON WORKERS MEMORIAL DAYThings are still a little different as we continue safety practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there are still many ways to recognize Workers Memorial Day and keep everyone safe from COVID-19. • Organize an online campaign to call for stronger safety and health protections using our

digital toolkit, which may be found at www.aflcio.org/WorkersMemorialDay. Demand thatelected officials put workers’ well-being over corporate interests.

• Use the AFL-CIO’s digital toolkit to call for the Senate to pass the PRO Act to ensure allworkers have a voice on the job.

• Hold a virtual candlelight vigil, memorial service or moment of silence to rememberthose who have died on the job, and highlight job safety problems at workplaces in ourcommunity.

• Host a phone event or webinar with members of Congress in their districts. Involveinjured workers and family members who can talk firsthand about the need for strongsafety and health protections, the ability to speak up against unsafe working conditions,and joining together in union to keep workplaces safe. Invite local religious andcommunity leaders and other allies to participate in the event.

• Conduct virtual workshops to empower workers to report job safety hazards andexercise workplace rights. Invite union members, nonunion workers and communityallies to participate.

• Create a memorial at a workplace or in a community where workers have been killed onthe job.

• Create and share an online photo and storyboard campaign on social media toremember workers who have been killed on the job.

• If you are working during the pandemic, organize an outdoor, socially distanced event atyour workplace to stand together to protect all workers' right to a safe job, and to holdyour employer accountable for keeping you safe.

• Invite the press to your Workers Memorial Day events to increase public awareness ofthe dangers working people face on the job.

• Come together in person once this pandemic is over. As a labor movement, we Mournfor the Dead and Fight for the Living on April 28, and every day of the year.

For additional information or to order materials, contact:AFL-CIO Safety and Health815 16th St. NWWashington, DC 20006Phone: 202-637-5305Email: oshmail@aflcio.orgWebsite: aflcio.org/WorkersMemorialDay

MOURNFOR THE DEAD

FIGHTFOR THE LIVING

#1uSafety #IWMD2021 #WMD2021

APRIL 28 WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY

OBSERVEMOS EL DÍA DE CONMEMORACIÓN DEL TRABAJADOR CAÍDO EL 28 DE ABRIL APRUEBEN LA LEY PRO

HACE CINCUENTA AÑOS, el 28 de abril, Día de Conmemoración del Trabajador Caído, entró en vigor la ley OSH (Ley de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacionales), que promete que todo trabajador tiene derecho a un empleo a salvo de peligros. Esa ley se ganó gracias a los incansables esfuerzos del movimiento sindical, que se organizó para tener condiciones laborales más seguras y exigió al Gobierno tomar medidas. Las organizaciones sindicales y nuestros aliados hemos luchado arduamente para hacer realidad esa promesa, ganando protecciones que han hecho los empleos más seguros y que han salvado vidas. Pero nuestro trabajo no ha terminado. Cada año, miles de trabajadores y trabajadoras mueren, y millones más sufren lesiones o enfermedades por las peligrosas condiciones de trabajo que son prevenibles.

La pandemia de COVID-19 puso en relieve el lazo inextricable que hay entre la seguridad y la salud en el centro de trabajo, por una parte, y nuestras comunidades, por otra. El virus, hasta ahora, ha acabado con la vida de más de 500 mil personas en este país, devastando a familias obreras y causando un impacto desproporcionado entre la gente de color. Los sindicatos y nuestros aliados hemos intervenido para exigir y ganar protecciones en el empleo contra este virus altamente contagioso. Nos organizamos para tener trabajos a salvo y por el derecho de alzar la voz contra condiciones de trabajo inseguras. Exigimos acceso a una ventilación, equipo de protección personal, y otras medidas que protegen a los trabajadores contra la inhalación del virus en el trabajo. Debido a la falta de medidas federales, los sindicatos ganaron protecciones en los estados e hicieron rendir cuentas a los dirigentes estatales y locales. El movimiento obrero organizado y nuestros aliados fuimos claves en el fortalecimiento de la protección en el trabajo para salvar vidas.

La seguridad del trabajador y la voz del trabajador van de la mano. La popularidad que tienen las organizaciones sindicales es de un 65% —una de las marcas más altas desde 1971, cuando se implementó la ley OSH—, y 60 millones de trabajadores y trabajadoras sin sindicato dicen que ellos hoy votarían por tener una voz en el trabajo si se les diera la oportunidad. Por eso es que el movimiento sindical estadounidense está encabezando una campaña nacional para que se apruebe la

ley PRO (Ley de Protección del Derecho a la Organización Sindical), la cual daría a las decenas de millones de trabajadores que quieran formar un sindicato una justa vía para hacerlo. Las organizaciones sindicales fuertes hacen que los empleadores y el Gobierno se hagan responsables de mantener a sus trabajadores a salvo. Los sindicatos fuertes suben el nivel de protecciones de seguridad para todos.

La pandemia de COVID-19 expuso la falta de recursos y de autoridad de la OSHA (Administración de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacionales) y de la MSHA (Administración de Seguridad y Salud de las Minas) para asegurar que los trabajadores estén protegidos en el empleo, así como las fallas estructurales que han impedido que los trabajadores se organicen en sus centros de trabajo para exigir condiciones laborales más seguras. Las agencias para la seguridad en el sitio de trabajo han quedado desvalijadas, al reducírseles el personal y estancarles sus presupuestos. Muchos trabajadores jamás ven a la OSHA en sus lugares de trabajo. Los castigos son demasiado bajos como para disuadir. A los trabajadores no se les protege adecuadamente para denunciar condiciones de trabajo inseguras y afiliarse a una unión sindical sin represalias. Mientras consideramos los próximos 50 años de protecciones al trabajador bajo la OSHA y la MSHA, el Congreso debe fortalecer los recursos necesarios para que las agencias renueven su promesa a los trabajadores, y apliquen protecciones salvavidas contra la violencia en el centro de trabajo, las enfermedades infecciosas, las enfermedades por calor, la sílice en la minería y las substancias químicas tóxicas: peligros prevenibles que acaban con la vida de decenas de miles de trabajadores cada año.

El 28 de abril, los sindicatos de la AFL-CIO observarán el Día de Conmemoración del Trabajador Caído para recordar a quienes han sufrido y han muerto en su trabajo, y para renovar la lucha por empleos a salvo. Nos movilizaremos para que se apruebe la ley PRO, a fin de que los trabajadores tengan voz en el empleo. Nos mantendremos unidos para fortalecer los derechos de los trabajadores y sus protecciones, y para demandar los necesarios recursos y medidas para hacer cumplir las protecciones en el empleo. Lucharemos por el derecho de todo trabajador a tener un empleo seguro, hasta que esa promesa sea cumplida.

PROMESATRABAJOS SEGUROS

PARA TODOS

RENOVEMOS LARENOVEMOS LA

Tras décadas de luchas de los trabajadores y de nuestros sindicatos, se han mejorado las condiciones laborales y se han hecho más seguros los empleos, pero no ha bastado. Este año, tenemos la oportunidad de fortalecer nuestros derechos y protecciones, para que todos puedan regresar a sus casas a salvo al final de un turno laboral, y sin enfermedades crónicas contraídas por su exposición en el trabajo.

En tanto nos condolemos por la pérdida de quienes se llevó la COVID-19 y otros peligros en el lugar de trabajo, debemos seguir presionando por seguir adelante, logrando: • Asegurar que todos los trabajadores y trabajadoras tengan las protecciones necesarias contra la

COVID-19 en el trabajo.• Hacer que se apruebe la ley PRO (Ley de Protección del Derecho a la Organización Sindical) para

garantizar que los trabajadores tengan una voz sobre la seguridad en el empleo y el derecho de formar libremente un sindicato sin interferencia ni intimidación del empleador.

• Aprobar la Ley de Protección de los Trabajadores de Estados Unidos, para dar protección de laOSHA a millones de trabajadores sin ella, así como castigos más fuertes, penales y civiles, a lascompañías que infringen seriamente las leyes de seguridad en el empleo, y mejores proteccionescontra las represalias.

• Mejorar los esfuerzos por proteger la seguridad y la salud de los trabajadores de raza negra, morenae inmigrantes, los cuales se ven desproporcionadamente afectados y son especialmente atacados pordenunciar las condiciones de trabajo peligrosas.

• Aumentar los presupuestos para seguridad en el empleo y mejorar el cumplimiento de la seguridaden el empleo.

• Ganar nuevas protecciones contra la violencia en el sitio de trabajo, la exposición a la sílice en laminería, las enfermedades por calor, la exposición al asbesto y a otros tóxicos, entre otros peligros.

• Defender de los ataques las protecciones duramente ganadas de seguridad y salud y los derechosde los trabajadores.

LO QUE PUEDE HACER EL DÍA DE CONMEMORACIÓN DEL TRABAJADOR CAÍDOLas cosas siguen siendo algo distintas en tanto seguimos practicando medidas de seguridad durante la pandemia de COVID-19. De todas formas hay muchas maneras de conmemorar el Día del Trabajador Caído y mantenernos a todos a salvo de la COVID-19. • Organizar una campaña en línea pidiendo protecciones más fuertes de seguridad y salud, usando

nuestro paquete digital, que se encuentra en www.aflcio.org/WorkersMemorialDay. Exigir que losfuncionarios electos pongan el bienestar de los trabajadores por encima de los intereses empresariales.

• Usar el paquete digital de la AFL-CIO para llamar al Senado a que apruebe la ley PRO, a fin deasegurar que todos los trabajadores tengan una voz en el empleo.

• Organizar una vigilia virtual de velas encendidas, o un servicio funerario o un momento de silencio,para recordar a los que han muerto en el trabajo, y destacar los problemas de seguridad ocupacionalen nuestras comunidades.

• Organizar una conferencia telefónica o webinario con congresistas en sus distritos. Involucrar atrabajadores lesionados y familiares que pueden hablar por experiencia directa de la necesidadde protecciones sólidas de seguridad y salud, así como la posibilidad de denunciar condiciones detrabajo peligrosas y de sumarse a un sindicato para mantener a salvo los sitios de trabajo. Invitarlíderes religiosos y comunitarios locales y a otros aliados para que participen.

• Realizar cursos en línea para que los trabajadores usen su poder, reporten peligros ocupacionalesy ejerzan sus derechos en el lugar de trabajo. Invitar a afiliados sindicales, a trabajadores no afiliadosy a aliados de la comunidad para que participen.

• Crear un lugar conmemorativo en un sitio de trabajo o en una comunidad donde los trabajadores hanmuerto trabajando.

• Producir y difundir una campaña de fotos con un guion gráfico en redes sociales para recordar a lostrabajadores que han muerto en el empleo.

• Si usted está trabajando durante la pandemia, organizar un evento al aire libre y con distanciamientosocial en su lugar de empleo, para defender juntos la protección del derecho de todos los trabajadoresa un empleo a salvo, y para hacer que su empleador se responsabilice de mantenerlos a salvo.

• Invitar a la prensa a sus eventos del Día del Trabajador Caído, para aumentar la conciencia públicasobre los peligros que enfrentan los trabajadores en el empleo.

• Volverse a juntar en persona cuando esta pandemia haya pasado. Como movimiento sindical,hacemos duelo por los muertos y luchamos por los vivos el 28 de abril, y todos los días del año.

Para obtener información

adicional o para ordenar

materiales, comunícate a:

AFL-CIO Safety and Health

815 16th St., NW

Washington, DC 20006

teléfono: 202-637-5035

dirección-e: oshmail@afl-cio.org

página electŕonica: www.aflcio.

org/WorkersMemorialDay

#1uSafety #IWMD2021 #WMD2021

28 DE ABRIL DÍA DE CONMEMORACIÓN DEL TRABAJADOR CAÍDO

HONREMOSA LOS MUERTOSA LOS MUERTOS

LUCHEMOSPOR LOS VIVOSPOR LOS VIVOS

WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY EVENTS AND ACTIONS 2021

It is more important than ever to get involved and organize actions, activities and observancesfor workplaces and communities to commemorate the toll of job injuries, illnesses and deaths;mobilize to pass the PRO Act so more workers can form unions and have a voice on the job;strengthen workers’ rights and protections; and demand resources and actions needed for jobsafety enforcement. This year, as always, the labor movement will defend the right of everyworker to a safe job, and fight until that promise is fulfilled.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we strongly encourage virtual events and adhering to theCDC’s guidelines for in-person events and gatherings during the pandemic. We want to hearabout what you're planning—for virtual and in-person events this year. Please share your eventwith us at www.aflcio.org/WorkersMemorialDay.

Examples of Workers Memorial Day events that use safe public health practices include:● Organize an online campaign to call for stronger safety and health protections. Demand

that elected officials put workers’ well-being over corporate interests.● Use the AFL-CIO’s PRO Act toolkit to call for the Senate to pass this transformative

legislation to ensure all workers have a voice on the job.● Hold a virtual candlelight vigil, memorial service or moment of silence to remember those

who have died on the job, and highlight job safety problems.● Host a phone event or webinar with members of Congress in their districts. Involve

injured workers and family members who can talk firsthand about the need for strongsafety and health protections, the ability to speak up against unsafe working conditions,and the important role of unions to keep workers safe. Invite local religious andcommunity leaders and other allies to participate in the event.

● Conduct virtual workshops to empower workers to report job safety hazards andexercise workplace rights. Invite union members, nonunion workers and communityallies to participate.

● Create a memorial at a workplace or in a community where workers have been killed onthe job.

● Create and share an online photo and storyboard campaign on social media toremember workers who have been killed on the job.

● Organize an outdoor, socially distanced event at your workplace to stand together toprotect all workers' right to a safe job and hold your employer accountable for keepingyou safe.

● Invite the press to your Workers Memorial Day and PRO Act events to increase publicawareness of the dangers working people face on the job every day, and the importanceof worker voice, not only during the pandemic.

● Come together in person once this pandemic is over and continue to call for reforms toprevent worker injuries, illnesses and deaths and passage of the PRO Act so workershave a stronger voice in safety and health. As a labor movement, we Mourn for the Deadand Fight for the Living on April 28, and every day of the year.

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SAMPLE TALKING POINTS FOR WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY 2021RENEW THE PROMISE. SAFE JOBS FOR ALL.

● Fifty years ago on April 28 (chosen by the AFL-CIO in 1989 as the date to observeWorkers Memorial Day), the Occupational Safety and Health Act went into effect,promising every worker the right to a safe job.

● The law was won in 1970 because of the tireless efforts of the labor movement andallies, who drew major attention to work-related deaths, disease and injuries, organizedfor safer working conditions and demanded action from their government.

● Since 1970, unions and our allies have fought hard to make that promise areality—winning protections that have made jobs safer and saved lives. But there ismuch to be done before the promise to keep all workers safe on the job, during thepandemic and beyond, can be fulfilled.

● Workers, knowing that the only way to have a safe workplace is to come together,organized for change. The central involvement of organized unions is the only factor thatstrengthened job safety enforcement in the Trump administration. Decades of evidenceshows that unionized workplaces are safer workplaces.

● The popularity of unions is at 65%, one of the highest marks since the OSH Act wasimplemented in 1971. Some 60 million nonunion workers say they would vote for a voiceon the job today if given the chance.

● That is why America’s labor movement and allies are launching a full-scale, nationalcampaign to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would give thetens of millions of workers who want to form a union a fair path to do so.

● Worker safety and worker voice go hand in hand. And as we grow our movement, wemust use those voices to advocate for a strong workplace safety agenda.

● The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the weaknesses in the OSH Act and OSHA andMSHA’s capabilities to ensure workers are protected on the job, and structural failuresthat have prevented workers from organizing in their workplaces to demand saferworking conditions.

● The pandemic highlighted the inextricable link between workplace safety and health andthe community’s safety and health. Public health cannot begin to be addressed withoutattending to the needs and safety of workers on the job. The disproportionate impacts onpeople of color, widely represented in the essential workforce—health care, food supply,transit, grocery, corrections—has been devastating.

● The Trump administration left the safety agencies hollowed out with reduced staff and astagnant budget. And exploited major gaps in protections exposed by the pandemic.

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● Immediately and throughout this crisis, unions and our allies stepped into action todemand and win protections on the job from this highly contagious virus. When theTrump administration refused to take action despite our repeated cries, we demandedchange directly in our workplaces. We organized for safe jobs for every worker and theright to speak out against unsafe working conditions.

● Unions won protections in states and held state and local leaders accountable. Wedemanded access to ventilation, personal protective equipment and other measures toprotect workers from inhaling the virus at work.

● Each year, thousands of workers are killed and millions more suffer injury or illnessbecause of our jobs. Far too many workers die from preventable hazards and manymore workers get sick from exposure to toxic chemicals.

● Many employers and workers never see OSHA in their workplace. Penalties are still toolow to be a deterrent. Workers are not adequately protected without retaliation to speakout against unsafe working conditions and to freely join a union.

● On April 28, 2021, the unions of the AFL-CIO will observe Workers Memorial Day toremember those who have suffered and died on the job, and to renew the fight for safejobs. We will come together this year to call for action to protect workers from COVID-19at work, and to seek stronger job safety and health protections and enforcement. We willorganize to pass the PRO Act, so workers have a right to form a union and have a voiceon the job. We will fight for the right of every worker to a safe job until that promise isfulfilled.

● As we grieve those we have lost from COVID-19 and other workplace hazards, we mustfight and continue to push forward. We must:

○ Pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act to ensure workers havesafe jobs and the right to freely form a union without employer interference orintimidation.

○ Pass the Protecting America’s Workers Act (PAWA) to provide OSHA protectionto the millions of workers without it, stronger criminal and civil penalties forcompanies that seriously violate job safety laws, and improved anti-retaliationprotections.

○ Ensure all workers have the necessary protections from COVID-19 at work.○ Win new protections on workplace violence, silica exposure in mining, heat

illness, exposure to asbestos and other toxic chemicals, and other hazards.○ Defend hard-won safety protections and workers’ rights from attacks.○ Increase the job safety budgets and improve job safety enforcement.○ Increase efforts to protect the safety and health of Black, Latino and immigrant

workers, who are disproportionately affected and especially targeted for speakingup against unsafe working conditions.

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AFL-CIO Executive Council StatementWashington, D.C.March 10, 2021

PROTECTING WORKERS FROM COVID-19

The failure to keep working people safe during the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted inthe devastating loss of life, severe illness and life-altering changes for everyone affected by theCOVID-19 pandemic. In the United States, tens of millions of workers have been infected andhundreds of thousands have died; working people are facing serious, life-threatening conditionsand will continue to battle chronic conditions as a result of COVID-19 infections.

Workplace exposures, where workers spend an extended time around co-workers or thepublic, often in crowded or poorly ventilated spaces with few control measures, have been amajor source of COVID-19 cases nationwide. Exposures to COVID-19 in the workplace arepreventable and are inextricably linked to mitigating the spread of COVID-19 throughout thecountry. Workers need strong safety measures in our workplaces to be protected from thecoronavirus and to prevent bringing it home to our families and communities.

Throughout the pandemic, essential workers have continued to provide the services weall depend on—health care and first response, food supply, transportation, essential goods, jailsand prisons—but without the necessary protections to keep themselves safe at work and manyhave died. Health care workers and systems have been overwhelmed with a surge of sickpatients, resource shortages and daunting work schedules.

COVID-19 exposures and illnesses disproportionately impacts individuals in low-wagejobs, who may also work multiple jobs, and people of color. Additionally, these workers oftenhave the lowest vaccination rates for other diseases and are at risk of being among the last toreceive the COVID-19 vaccine if distribution plans do not address access and equity issues,combined with adequate workplace safety protections that prevent exposures.

The Trump administration made the situation much worse: it neglected the health of thenation and left working people with no protections. It refused to issue emergency workplacesafety standards. It refused to centralize the supply and distribution of critical respirators andother personal protective equipment (PPE), medical equipment, testing and vaccines that wouldhave allocated them to those at greatest risk, instead leaving individual states, localities, healthcare facilities, and other workplaces and workers to fend on our own. There was no focus onensuring access to the adequate levels of protections that would keep workers safe from a highlycontagious virus spread through airborne transmission. Critical PPE, including respirators, stillhave not been adequately provided to workers in high-risk occupations who desperately needthem.

The Trump administration’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) andMine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), the agencies responsible for protectingworkers’ safety and health, were missing in action. From the beginning of the pandemic, hospitalassociations, meat processing and other employers fought strongly against emergency standards

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and stronger safety guidelines, so they would be free to adopt any practices and procedures asthey saw fit, leaving workers without any agency oversight.

In the absence of federal OSHA action, state OSHA plans and many other stateauthorities issued protections. In 2020, state OSHA plans in California, Oregon and Michiganissued a COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS) to protect workers in these states; andVirginia, the first state in the country to issue an ETS this past summer, subsequently issued apermanent COVID-19 standard in January 2021. The labor movement has been key to winningthese protections and in educating and mobilizing workers to organize directly in our workplacesto win stronger safety protections and protect against retaliation for workers raising safetyconcerns and for protecting themselves when employers did not.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 guidelines continueto be a major problem and significant barrier to winning stronger workplace safety protections.Weak CDC guidelines have given license to health departments and health care facilities to rollback necessary levels of protection to unacceptable levels for health care workers taking care ofCOVID-19 patients, as well as guidance for other high-risk, essential industries. Employers areciting CDC guidelines, that also are not enforceable, to claim that workers are being protected;however, major workplace outbreaks are evidence these claims are not true and the guidelines donot represent the most current scientific evidence on protections needed from small, inhaled,airborne particles of the virus. Therefore, employers have implemented the lowest levels ofprotection and have provided no PPE, or inadequate PPE, rather than limiting exposures andproviding the best protection possible under the current circumstances.

Looking forward, variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, arespreading throughout many areas of the United States that will remain largely unvaccinatedthroughout the year and will disproportionately affect people who must go to work in person.The risk of transmission increases with additional variant spread, and millions more workers willbecome infected, and many will continue to die. The toll of long-term complications fromCOVID-19 is likely to be significant. If our nation does not act quickly and change course underthe Biden administration, the situation will become even more dire.

Strong, swift action by the Biden administration, including an immediate ExecutiveOrder on Protecting Worker Health and Safety, has already resulted in stronger federalguidelines. However, more robust actions are needed to ensure that workers are provided theprotections necessary to combat this virus in U.S. workplaces, keeping our communities safe aswell.

Recommended Actions:

● Issue OSHA and MSHA emergency temporary standards to protect workers fromCOVID-19, enforce these standards, and ensure expansion of ETS coverage topublic sector, transportation and agricultural workers. The standards must requireprevention measures that address airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2, like ventilationand strong respiratory protection. Federal OSHA and MSHA and state OSHA plans mustenforce these new emergency standards, as well as respiratory protection and other

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existing standards. OSHA and MSHA inspectors must be equipped with their own PPEand COVID-19 training during workplace inspections so they are safe while protectingothers at work. After emergency protections are issued, OSHA must reinitiatepromulgation of its permanent infectious disease standard so that workers are protectedfrom major diseases in the future.

● Strengthen CDC, OSHA and MSHA guidelines to reflect the most updated science,including airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2. All COVID-19 guidelines mustrecommend measures that prevent occupational exposure to airborne transmission ofSARS-CoV-2, in addition to contact and droplet routes of transmission. Ensure thatemployer policies do not allow COVID-19 infected or exposed workers to remain in theworkplace where they can spread the virus, regardless of symptoms. Set clear thresholdsand definitions for crisis conditions so that appropriate protections are not withheld in thename of shortages that fluctuate.

● Utilize the Defense Production Act to federalize and centralize the allocation,distribution and manufacture of personal protective equipment, medical supplies,testing, and vaccines. Work more efficiently through states and cities and involve,communicate and coordinate with unions and employers to assess and determine needs.Prohibit price gouging of PPE and other needed supplies and equipment bymanufacturers and distributors so that states and other purchasers do not have to competeagainst each other. Prioritize the transparent distribution of equipment to locations andfacilities where supplies are limited and cases are surging.

● Expand the use of available respiratory protection and focus on production ofreusable respirators. Respirators that are stored by employers and the Strategic NationalStockpile must be immediately released for use by workers exposed to COVID-19.Immediately expand the use of powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs) andelastomeric half mask respirators (EHMRs) to protect workers across industries. Thisequipment provides better protection and is more cost-efficient than disposable filteringfacepiece respirators (such as N95s) and this equipment can be easily disinfected and canbe reused. Parts and processes for producing PAPRs and EHMRs are available fromdomestic supply chains and facilities. Prohibit extended use of disposable respirators, apractice that puts workers in serious danger and provides only false protection.

● Require the recording and immediate reporting of all confirmed and suspectedworker COVID-19 infections to local and state health departments for immediatetransmittal to CDC, OSHA and MSHA. Ensure industry and occupation informationare reported for COVID-19 cases and vaccine recipients. Ensure this aggregateinformation is publicly available and informs key policy changes. Federal OSHA muststrengthen injury and illness recording and reporting for COVID-19, including therecording of worker exposures to COVID-19 and the presumption that COVID-19 is awork-related illness for accurate and proactive reporting.

● Protect all workers from retaliation for taking safety actions to be protected fromCOVID-19 on the job. Federal and state governments must issue emergency orders or

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interpretations of existing laws to make it illegal for employers or any party to retaliateagainst or fire workers for ensuring our right to be provided safety protections fromCOVID-19. These include raising safety and health concerns and wearing our own PPEwhen employers do not provide adequate protection.

● Prioritize vaccines for essential workers. Industries and workplaces that have haduncontrolled outbreaks have disproportionately impacted people of color and thelowest-paid workers. People who must show up to the workplace during the pandemic areat the greatest risk of COVID-19 exposures and must be prioritized in vaccinedistribution. There must be strong messaging by the government, employers and unionsthat vaccines are part of a comprehensive workplace safety approach so that workplacesafety standards and prevention measures are still required even after workers arevaccinated.

● Organize workers to improve workplace safety and health conditions. Ensure thatworkers have the right to speak up and demand stronger safety and health protectionsthrough collective action to improve our working conditions. Under the law, everyworker deserves the right to a safe workplace; however, workers are not always affordedthat right and threats to collective bargaining undermines enforcement of safety andhealth hazards. Workers must be able to take direct action in our workplaces to ensure ouremployers are keeping us safe on the job.

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PROTECT WORKERS NOW FROM COVID-19

SUPPORT OSHA AND MSHA EMERGENCY TEMPORARYSTANDARDS FOR COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has surged in waves throughout our nation for more than ayear, has devastated people in their workplaces and surrounding communities. The deadly virushas resulted in more than 550,000 deaths in the United States and continues to hold our countryin a national state of a public health emergency. More contagious, deadly variants are causing afourth surge across the country and outbreaks still are actively occurring in workplaces. Thelonger the pandemic continues, the more likely additional variants will form, spread and becomedominant, and the less likely we will be able to hold on to any built immunity.

Working people have been on the front lines of the pandemic since the beginning and continueto be at greatest risk of exposure, solely because of their working conditions. Workers whoseemployers require them to work close together with others and in indoor, poorly ventilatedenvironments are at greatest risk of inhaling the virus. The virus has disproportionately impactedBlack and Latino individuals due to their working conditions, as they often work in poorlycontrolled environments and hold multiple jobs. Vaccines are important, but are not a substitutefor measures that prevent exposures in high-risk settings like workplaces. Even though vaccinesupply is increasing, access, prioritization and education continue to be critical, but complex,steps toward reaching herd immunity.

Working People Need Enforceable Protections from COVID-19 in Their WorkplacesEmergency temporary standards for COVID-19 would require employers to develop andimplement a COVID-19 prevention plan to protect workers. Unlike guidelines, these standardswould be enforceable by a workplace authority, and could:

● Be adaptable to specific workplaces and worker populations.● Address inhalation of the virus by requiring identification and control of infection hazards

through ventilation, distancing and respirators.● Prohibit retaliation against employees who speak up about unsafe working conditions.● Outline specific worker training requirements.● Improve tracking and reporting of workers infected with COVID-19.● Create quarantine and return-to-work procedures that reduce transmission of the

disease to co-workers and the public.

Enforceable Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Mine Safety andHealth Administration (MSHA) standards are necessary to prevent workplace exposures toCOVID-19. Our nation’s workers need these protections on the job to prevent more infectionand death, to keep our communities safe during this crisis, and to stop this pandemic.

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The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act Will Save Lives(H.R. 842/S. 420)

On March 9, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the PRO Act on a bipartisan vote—andnow the Senate must act.

The PRO Act strengthens workers’ voices on the job. Passing the PRO Act will restore therights of workers to freely and fairly form a union and bargain together for changes in theworkplace. It will ensure workers can push for commonsense changes on the job without fear ofretaliation.

Workplaces are safer when workers have a voice on the job. The popularity of unions is at65%—one of the highest marks since the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the MineSafety and Health Act went into effect 50 years ago—and 60 million nonunion workers say theywould vote for a voice on the job today if given the chance. The power of collective actionthrough unions improves working conditions, saving lives, and strengthens safety and healthlaws that raise the baseline level of protections for everyone.

● Each year, more than 5,000 workers die from job injuries and 95,000 workers die fromwork-related illnesses. Strong unions hold employers accountable to keep workers safe,negotiate for safety standards and rights that are stronger than OSHA’s, and enforcethese protections through collective bargaining agreements.

● Unions have won job safety protections for an emerging hazard during the COVID-19pandemic, even as the federal government failed to act. The pandemic has cost morethan 550,000 people their lives so far, disproportionately impacting people of color andmany essential workers. Workers and our unions used collective action to ensureemployers provided workers with stronger protections from inhaling the virus.

● Strong unions hold workplace safety agencies accountable to create and enforce lawsthat protect workers. In the past 10 years, OSHA has only issued seven new or updatedsafety and health standards. A majority of OSHA enforcement cases during thepandemic occurred at unionized facilities, because union members are empowered tofile complaints and fight for change throughout the inspection process.

● Workers in “right to work” states are in greater danger of injury, illness and death. In2019, the job fatality rate in right to work states was 37% greater than in states withoutthese laws.

● Union contracts help protect workers from retaliation for raising job safety concerns, andcan help workers exercise the right to refuse unsafe work.

A stronger voice on the job means workers can speak up about unsafe working conditionswithout fear of reprisal, and have the freedom to join together to demand the protections weneed to be safe on the job.

Call your senators and tell them to…..PASS THE PRO ACT13

VIOLENCEON THE JOB

PROTECT WORKERS FROM PROTECT WORKERS FROM

Support the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act

QUICK FACTS• Workplace violence is a serious and growing problem for workers in America.• Workplace violence is the third leading cause of death on the job. One of every seven workplace deaths results

from workplace violence—more than from exposures, equipment, or fires and explosions.• Workplace violence results in more than 30,000 serious, lost-time injuries for workers each year.• Health care and social service workers are at greatest risk of violence on the job because of their direct contact

with patients and clients.• In the last decade, the rate of serious workplace violence injuries increased by 52% in the health care and

social assistance fields.• Workplace violence is foreseeable and preventable.• A federal OSHA workplace violence standard is needed to protect health care and social service workers from

unnecessary injuries and deaths.

The legislation passed the House with strong bipartisan support in April 2021 and now the Senate must act. The legislation would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue a workplace violence prevention standard, requiring employers in the health care and social service sectors to develop and implement a plan to protect their employees from workplace violence.

Workplace violence prevention plans:• Are tailored to specific workplaces and employee populations.• Require identification and control of hazards, improved reporting, training workers and management, and

evaluating policies and procedures.• Lead to workplace improvements such as emergency response systems, surveillance and monitoring systems,

improved lighting, safe staffing levels, or other strategies identified by the employers and employees to keepworkers safe.

An enforceable OSHA standard is necessary to prevent foreseeable, serious and life-altering violence against workers in hospitals, nursing homes and social service settings. Keeping workers safe from violence on the job also will protect patient safety.

Twenty-five years ago, OSHA issued voluntary guidance to employers on how to prevent violence in these workplaces, but the problem has only become worse. Voluntary guidelines are not sufficient. Some states, including California and New York, have passed standards to protect workers from violence, but federal OSHA has not made any progress on a standard in more than four years.

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE FACTS*

Workplace assaults are a serious problem. In 2019, workplace violence was responsible for more than 450 workplace homicides, and more than 30,000 serious, lost-time injuries for workers.• Women are disproportionately affected. Workplace homicide is the second leading cause of work-

related death for women and the fifth for men; it is responsible for 20% of the deaths of women killedon the job. Two of every three serious workplace violence events are suffered by women.

• Workplace violence injuries are severe and life altering. Workers miss a median of eight days fromwork due to an injury from a work-related assault.

• Workplace violence continues to increase. While the overall rate of workplace injuries has declinedsignificantly in the past two decades, the rate of workplace violence injuries has increased.

Health care and social service workers are at greatest risk. Health care and social service workers experience the highest rate of serious injury due to workplace violence, at a rate of 14.7 per 10,000 workers, compared with a rate of 4.4 for all workers.• In 2019, psychiatric hospitals had an alarmingly high serious injury rate due to workplace violence

(152.4 per 10,000 workers). Hospitals and nursing and residential care facilities also have high rates.• Nurses, psychiatric aides, nursing assistants and social workers are at especially high risk of injury

from assaults on the job.• State mental health and substance abuse social workers, social and human service assistants, and

child, family and school social workers are greatly at risk of assault on the job.• State government health care workers are more than 10 times more likely to suffer an assault-related

injury than private sector health care workers.• Patients and other clients are responsible for two-third of serious (lost-time) workplace violence injuries.

Workplace violence is a worsening problem. In the last decade (2010–2019), the incidence rate of workplace violence events increased 52% in the health care and social assistance (private industry) fields.• Workplace homicides have increased for workers in health care and social assistance positions in the

last four years.• Since 2010, the workplace violence injury rate in private hospitals and home health services nearly

doubled, with the rate in psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals increasing by 98%.

*Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries 2019 data; Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses 2019 data. Excludes animal- and insect-related incidents.

Prepared by AFL-CIO Safety and Health, April 2021.

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SAMPLE WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY EVENT ADVISORY

Media Advisory for [DATE]

Contact: [NAME, PHONE NUMBER]

Working [STATE DEMONYM]s to Honor Workers Memorial Day, Call for Passage of PRO Act to Make Workplaces Safer

[VIGIL/CEREMONY] to Recognize [#] [STATE] Workers Killed on the Job

[CITY, STATE]—On [DAY], local workers, union officials and community leaders will gather at [LOCATION] for a Workers Memorial Day [VIGIL/CEREMONY] honoring those who have died or suffered illnesses or injuries while on the job. Workers and our families will share personal experiences and call for stronger worker protections in [STATE] and across the country. Speakers will include [LIST SPEAKERS].

During the event, which also will mark the 50th anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, speakers will call on Congress to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would strengthen workers’ freedom to organize a union and collectively bargain for safer working conditions.

WHO: [LABOR LEADERS/LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS/WORKERS]

WHEN: [DATE AND TIME]

WHERE: [ADDRESS]

RSVP: [REGISTRATION INFO]

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SAMPLE WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY EVENT RELEASE

For Immediate Release Contact: [NAME, PHONE NUMBER]

[STATE] Working Families Honor Workers Memorial Day, Call for Passage of PRO Act to Make Workplaces Safer

[VIGIL/CEREMONY] Recognizes [#] [STATE] Workers Killed on the Job

[CITY, STATE, DATE]—Local workers, officials and community members gathered at [LOCATION] on [DATE] for a Workers Memorial Day [VIGIL/CEREMONY] commemorating those who have died or suffered illnesses or injuries while on the job. In 2019, [#] workers were killed on the job in [STATE], while many more suffered from occupational illnesses. The COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged workplaces has so far cost more than 550,000 people their lives nationwide, and many workers still remain unprotected.

Speakers pledged to organize to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would strengthen workers’ freedom to organize a union and collectively bargain for safer working conditions. The event, which also marked the 50th anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, featured [PROVIDE DETAILS ON EVENT/SPEAKERS].

“Everyone has the right to a safe workplace. Working people and our families deserve to know we will make it home at the end of the day unharmed,” said [NAME, TITLE]. “Yet, too many [STATE] families are mourning their loved ones. We’re here to fight together and give workers a fair shot to strengthen our voice on the job.”

“Our leaders in government and business should be protecting working people’s lives above all else,” said [NAME, TITLE]. “We’re coming together to call for action to protect workers on the job. The PRO Act will allow workers to exercise the right to form a union and have a voice on the job, calling for stronger safety protections. Working people deserve safe and good jobs, and we’re going to keep fighting until that promise becomes a reality.”

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SAMPLE WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Workplace deaths and injuries that are as common as they are horrific should be the long-lost legacy of a 19th century textile mill. But they are still a terrifying reality today. Every day, 275 workers in America die from preventable workplace injuries and illnesses, while millions more are injured and made sick on the job.

Fifty years ago on April 28, the Occupational Safety and Health Act went into effect, promising every worker the right to a safe job. This year, workers are still fighting for workplace safety protections as the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated workers who have had inadequate job protections from the virus. Meanwhile, broader structural failures have prevented workers from organizing our workplaces to demand safer working conditions.

This Workers Memorial Day, [STATE] working families are standing up for safe working conditions. We all know the best way to have a safe workplace is through a union. It is time for our senators in Washington to stop stifling workers who want to form a union and finally pass the PRO Act.

Sincerely,

Name Address

Since the creation of OSHA 50 years ago, the United States has made great strides in making workplaces safer. Because working people and our unions organized, fought and demanded action, fewer people are being killed and injured on the job. However, our fight is not over, as more than 5,000 workers lost their lives from preventable injuries and illnesses in 2019, including [##] working people in [STATE].

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the devastating impacts of inaction by the federal government, budgetary cuts to workplace safety and unorganized workplaces that all put working people in great danger and so far has cost more than 550,000 lives.

We won’t stand by. Working people in [STATE/CITY] will organize to pass the PRO Act, so we can freely exercise the right to form a union and have a voice on the job. Workers deserve safe, good jobs, and we’re going to keep fighting until that promise becomes reality.

On April 28, we will come together to commemorate Workers Memorial Day; remember those workers killed and injured on the job; and renew the call for an end to the outrageous, unnecessary deaths of our neighbors, friends and loved ones.

Sincerely,

Name Address

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SAMPLE LATINO WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY EVENT RELEASE

For Immediate Release Contact: [NAME, PHONE NUMBER]

[STATE] Latino Working Families Honor Workers Memorial Day, Call for Passage of PRO Act to Make Workplaces Safer

[VIGIL/CEREMONY] Recognizes [#] [STATE] Workers Killed on the Job

[CITY, STATE, DATE]—Local Latino workers, officials and community members gathered at [LOCATION] on [DATE] for a Workers Memorial Day [VIGIL/CEREMONY] commemorating workers who have died or suffered illness or injuries while on the job. In 2019, [#] Latino workers were killed on the job in [STATE], while many more suffered from occupational illnesses. We have lost tens of thousands more in our communities without workplace safety protections during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speakers pledged to organize to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would strengthen workers’ freedom to organize a union and collectively bargain for safer working conditions. The event, which also marked the 50th anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, featured [PROVIDE DETAILS ON EVENT/SPEAKERS].

“Everyone has the right to a safe workplace. Working people and our families deserve to know we will make it home at the end of the day unharmed,” said [NAME, TITLE]. “Yet, too many [STATE] Latino families are mourning their loved ones. And our communities are still battling COVID-19 in our workplaces without protections.”

“Our leaders in government and business should be protecting working people’s lives above all else,” said [NAME, TITLE]. “Latino working families are coming together this year to call for action to protect workers on the job. We will organize to pass the PRO Act, so workers have a right to freely form a union and make our voices heard on the job. Working people deserve safe and good jobs now.”

###

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SAMPLE SPANISH-LANGUAGE LATINO WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY EVENT RELEASE

Para Divulgación Inmediata Contacto: [NAME, PHONE NUMBER]

Familias latinas de [STATE]honran el Día de Conmemoración a los Obreros Caídos, urgen que se apruebe el proyecto de ley PRO Act para que los trabajadores estén más seguros

[Vigilia/Ceremonia] reconoce a los [#]trabajadores de [STATE] que murieron en sus lugares de trabajo

[CITY, STATE, DATE in SPANISH FORMAT] — Trabajadores latinos locales, oficiales y miembros de la comunidad se reunieron en [LOCATION] este [DATE] para el Día de Conmemoración a los Obreros Caídos en una [Vigilia/Ceremonia] en donde conmemoraron a aquellos trabajadores que han muerto o sufrido lesiones mientras trabajaban. En 2019, [#] trabajadores latinos fallecieron en sus lugares de trabajo en [STATE], mientras muchos más sufrieron lesiones ocupacionales. Expertos auguran que se perderán cientos de vidas más en la comunidad sin las protecciones de salud y seguridad en los lugares de trabajo durante la pandemia del COVID-19.

Los participantes que hablaron prometieron organizarse para abogar por la aprobación del proyecto de ley PRO Act (Proteger el Derecho a Organizarse en Sindicatos), el cual fortalecería la libertad de los trabajadores para organizarse en un sindicato y negociar un convenio colectivo que les dé condiciones laborales más seguras. En este evento, que también marcó el cincuentavo aniversario de la Administración de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional (OSHA), también participaron [SPEAKERS’ NAMES].

“Todos tienen el derecho a un lugar de trabajo seguro. Los trabajadores y sus familias merecen saber que al final de sus jornadas podrán irse a sus casas sanos y salvos”, señaló [NAME, TITLE]. “Aun así, muchas familias latinas de [STATE] están en luto por sus seres queridos. Y nuestras comunidades están batallando el COVID-19 en nuestros lugares de trabajo sin protecciones”.

“Nuestros líderes en el gobierno y en el comercio deberían estar protegiendo las vidas de la gente trabajadora sobre todo lo demás”, dijo [NAME, TITLE]. “Las familias trabajadoras latinas se están uniendo este año para llamar a que se actúe para proteger a los trabajadores en el trabajo. Nos vamos a organizar para que se apruebe el proyecto de ley PRO Act, y así los trabajadores tendrán el libre derecho de formar un sindicato y que se escuchen nuestras voces en el trabajo. Los trabajadores merecemos trabajos buenos y seguros ahora mismo”.

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SAFETY AND HEALTH FACTS 2021

MILLIONS OF WORKERS ARE KILLED, INJURED OR DISEASED ON THE JOB

● More than 627,000 workers’ lives have been saved in the 50 years sincethe passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970, butmany workers remain in serious danger.

● In 2019, 5,333 workers lost their lives from job-related traumaticinjuries, and an estimated 95,000 died from occupational diseases.

● In 2019, employers reported 2.8 million injuries and illnesses inprivate-sector workplaces, and 682,700 injuries and illnesses in stateand local public sector workplaces.

● Workers suffered 266,530 musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) thatresulted in days away from work in private industry in 2019. MSDsaccount for 30% of serious workplace injuries and illnesses, and remainthe largest type of job injury.

● Private sector employers reported injuries at a rate of 2.8 per 100workers.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, which reports this data, undercounts workplace injuries and illnesses. Research indicates the true toll of job injuries may be two to three times greater than the numbers and rates reported by BLS.

On average, 275 workers died each

day from job-related injuries and

illnesses.

Each day, nearly 10,000 workers were

made ill or injured because of unsafe

working conditions.

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WORKERS NEED MORE SAFETY AND HEALTH PROTECTION

● Some groups of workers are at increased risk.

Industry Sector Fatality Rate

1992 Fatality Rate

2019

All Industries 9.0 3.5

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting 24.0 23.1

Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction 27.0 14.6

Transportation and Warehousing 13.0 13.9

Construction 14.0 9.7

● Fatality rates in the mining industry have dropped significantly over time, but mining still isvery dangerous. In 2020, there were 29 mining fatalities—five in coal and 24 in metal andnonmetal mines.

● Latino workers are at increased risk of work-related deaths, with a fatality rate of 4.2 per100,000 workers. The fatality rate for Latino workers declined significantly from its peakfatality rate of 6.0 in 2001, but increased 14% from 2018 and is the highest rate since 2008.In 2019, there were 1,008 Latino worker deaths, compared with 961 Latino worker deaths in2018. The majority (66%) of Latino workers who died on the job in 2019 were immigrantworkers.

● Black workers are at an increased risk of work-related deaths, with a job fatality rate of 3.6per 100,000 workers, a sharp increase from recent years. In 2019, 634 Black workers died—the highest number in more than two decades.

● BLS did not report data on the number of foreign-born workers who died on the job in 2019.In 2018, 1,028 foreign-born workers died on the job. Immigrant workers have adisproportionate rate of injuries, illnesses and fatalities in the workplace largely because theywork in dangerous industries, may be particularly vulnerable due to their immigration statusand are more likely to be subject to employer exploitation.

● Workers 65 or older have nearly three times the risk of dying on the job than all workers,with a fatality rate of 9.4 per 100,000 workers in 2019. Workers ages 55–64 also are atincreased risk, with a fatality rate of 4.6 per 100,000 workers. In 2019, 38% of all fatalities(2,005 deaths) occurred in workers ages 55 years or older, with 793 of these deaths occurringin workers ages 65 years or older.

● In 2019, there were 454 workplace homicides and 307 workplace suicides. Suicides havecontinued to increase from 291 suicides in 2016—a year that showed the largest increase in

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workplace suicides since 2008, the year of a major recession. The rise in workplace suicides since 2015 may be related to the opioid crisis in the United States.

● In 2019, employers reported 30,090 serious nonfatal workplace violence injuries, withwomen workers in health care and social assistance facing the greatest risk of injury. Therecurrently is no federal workplace violence standard, with only a few states addressing theproblem on their own.

● 8.1 million state and local public employees still lack Occupational Safety and HealthAdministration (OSHA) protection. The injury and illness rate for state and local publicemployees was 4.6 per 100 workers—64% higher than the injury and illness rate for theprivate sector workforce (2.8 per 100 workers).

OSHA IS UNDERFUNDED AND UNDERSTAFFED; PENALTIES ARE TOO LOW

Federal OSHA now has only 774 safety and health inspectors and state OSHA plans have a combined 1,024 inspectors—the lowest total number of OSHA inspectors since the creation of the agency.

It would take federal OSHA 253 years to inspect all covered workplaces once.1

OSHA’s current budget (FY 2021) of $592 million amounts to $3.97 per worker.

OSHA penalties are now adjusted for inflation, but still are too low to be a deterrent.2

1 The Trump administration conducted fewer inspections during the COVID-19 pandemic response. 2 Under the OSH Act, the maximum penalty for a serious violation of the law had been only $7,000. In 2015, Congress passed a law that adjusted OSHA penalties for inflation. The maximum penalty for a serious violation is now $13,653, and the maximum penalty for a willful or repeat violation is $136,532.

There is one OSHA inspector for every

82,881 workers.

Penalty for a Serious Violation of the OSH Act

In FY 2020, the average penalty for a serious violation of the OSH Act was only $3,923 for federal OSHA and $2,137 for OSHA state plans

combined.

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THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC DEVASTATED WORKERS AND EXPOSED WEAKNESSES IN THE JOB SAFETY AGENCIES

● Over the past year, the nation has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemicthat has killed more than 550,000 people in the United States, devastating working people,their families and communities.

● Without strong standards during the COVID-19 pandemic, employers raced to the bottom toimplement the lowest level of protection instead of protecting workers, resulting in countlessworkplace outbreaks, infections and deaths.

● COVID-19 spreads through airborne, droplet and contact transmission. The virus primarilyspreads through the air, when infected individuals cough, sneeze, talk, sing or breathe andothers inhale the virus.

● Workers are at increased risk of being infected because of their working conditions. Workerswhose employers require them to work close together with others and in indoor, poorlyventilated environments are at greatest risk of inhaling the virus. These jobs often weredeemed essential during the pandemic.

● People of color have been disproportionately impacted by the virus, often working inessential jobs and holding several jobs to earn a living wage throughout the pandemic.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 50% of working ageindividuals (ages 40 to 60) who have died from the pandemic have been Black orHispanic/Latino.

● Early in the pandemic, availability and access to necessary respirators and other personalprotective equipment was extremely limited. Even though supply has increased since thebeginning of the pandemic, many agencies and employers still are relying on crisis policiesthat prevent access to necessary equipment and put workers in danger, and the governmentstill has not used the full force of the Defense Production Act to scale up production.

● On his second day in office, President Biden signed an Executive Order on ProtectingWorker Health and Safety, which issued public health orders and tasked OSHA and the MineSafety and Health Administration (MSHA) to consider issuing emergency temporarystandards to protect workers from COVID-19. These standards have yet to be issued but theneed still is critical—for essential workers who have been at work throughout the pandemic,

Penalty for Killing a Worker: What a Life is Worth

In FY 2020, the median total penalty in fatality cases after being investigated by federal OSHA was only $13,494, and then was reduced

to $12,144 after settlements.

26

and for those who are starting to return to the workplace. Emergency workplace standards would require employers to examine the risk of exposure to the virus in their workplace and create a comprehensive infection control plan to prevent exposures, including ventilation, distancing, respirators and training.

● Vaccine development and distribution, one important piece of an infection control plan, hasbeen accelerated in 2021. However, accessibility to the vaccine for essential workers—thosemost impacted by COVID-19—was not prioritized by many states and localities, and untilthe nation reaches herd immunity, these workers remain at greatest risk of exposure,infection and death.

● The counting, recording and reporting of the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths waslargely absent throughout 2020, specifically in the workplace. Workplace outbreaks havebeen a significant reason for COVID-19 spread, but there have been few requirements fortracking and reporting workplace cases, which is essential to understanding the full extent ofthe problem and to enact prevention measures to stop the spread.

● The pandemic not only has taken a significant toll on the nation, but has exposed the lack ofjob safety agency resources and accountability needed to protect workers from significantworkplace hazards. OSHA has been decimated over the years with a reduction in staff and astagnant budget, and the consolidation of MSHA inspectors and inspection protocol changeshas resulted in reduced mine operator oversight.

MANY SAFETY AND HEALTH ISSUES REMAIN

● Most workplace chemical hazards are unregulated. Since its creation, OSHA has issuedcomprehensive standards for only 32 toxic chemicals. Industry groups have attacked OSHA’sability to issue protections from chemicals, increasing the burden of proof for the agency toissue standards. OSHA’s permissible exposure limits for chemical hazards remain outdated,and many other chemicals lack regulation altogether, leaving millions of workers at risk ofdisease and death from workplace chemical exposures. In 2016, Congress passed a law thatrequired the Environmental Protection Agency to establish worker protections fromdangerous chemical exposures, but in the first years, the EPA did not properly implement thelaw or meaningfully include occupational exposures in its assessments as required, insteadletting industry groups drive the implementation of the law. Workers with chronic illnessesfrom work-related chemical exposures have an increased risk of severe COVID-19symptoms and long-term COVID-19 health effects.

● Workplace violence has been a significant and worsening issue for the past decade, withhealth care and social assistance workers experiencing the greatest risk of serious injuryoccurring primarily by patient, client and customer assaults. OSHA previously had initiatedrulemaking to address this hazard, yet under the Trump administration all work was halted.OSHA must continue its work on a regulation and finalize protections to prevent tens ofthousands of workers from being injured by assaults at work.

● Employers are contracting out more and more work, seeking to reduce costs and shiftresponsibility. Temporary workers and other contract workers often work in dangerous jobs,

27

with no safety and health protections or training. In 2018, contractors accounted for 16% of all worker deaths. The Bureau of Labor Statistics did not report contractor fatality data for 2019.

● Other major safety and health concerns facing workers today include issues of workorganization, such as increased hours of work, intensification of work due to downsizing,increased pace of work and inadequate staffing. These issues have been exacerbated by thepandemic.

THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION BRINGS A PROMISE OF SAFE JOBS FOR ALL, BUT MUCH WORK REMAINS TO BE DONE

● The Biden administration has made a strong commitment to worker safety, but there aremany challenges ahead to ensure workers are protected from safety and health hazards, andthat job safety agencies are rebuilt to carry out their missions.

● The Occupational Safety and Health Act is 50 years old and is out of date. Millions ofworkers lack coverage, penalties are weak, and worker and union rights are very limited.Health care workers in state and local government hospitals and correctional facilities, andworkers in other essential government services in 22 states, do not have OSHA protections.

● Thousands of workers still face retaliation by their employers for raising job safety concernsand for reporting injuries. The OSH Act’s whistleblower and anti-retaliation provisions aretoo weak to provide adequate protection to workers who try to exercise their legal rights.This weakness has been exposed by the workers who have been disciplined and fired forspeaking up against unsafe working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they havefeared for their lives and the lives of their patients and families.

● Congress must make a strong commitment to ensure that workplace safety agencies are ableto fulfill their mission to protect all workers. This must include an increased budget for thedevelopment and enforcement of protections, and the expansion of the statute to ensure allworkers are afforded the protections of the OSH Act and employers are held responsible forkeeping their workplaces safe from all current and emerging hazards.

● In the American Rescue Plan passed in March 2021, Congress provided an additional $100million for OSHA dedicated to COVID-19 enforcement and training. While this is asignificant improvement, there continues to be a need to adequately staff and resource theagency beyond the pandemic.

● Looking to the next 50 years of OSHA, the promise of a safe job must become a reality, sothat every worker can return home at the end of the day, unharmed.

AFL-CIO Safety and Health, April 2021

28

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Sta

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te o

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ases

per

100

wor

kers

. Num

ber a

nd ra

te a

re fo

r priv

ate

sect

or o

nly

and

incl

ude

Gua

m, P

uerto

Ric

o an

d th

e V

irgin

Isla

nds.

7 Rankin

gs a

re b

ased o

n b

est-

to-w

ors

t fa

talit

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ate

(1–best,

50–w

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8 Rankin

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re b

ased o

n h

ighest-

to-lo

west

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enalty (

$)

per

serio

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tio

n (

1–hig

hest,

50–lo

west)

.

1,7

98

10

2,9

73

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n2.8

10To

tal n

umbe

r of i

nspe

ctor

s in

clud

es 7

74 fe

dera

l OS

HA

insp

ecto

rs a

nd 1

,024

sta

te O

SH

A in

spec

tors

, inc

ludi

ng th

ree

insp

ecto

rs in

the

Virg

in Is

land

s an

d 36

in P

uerto

Ric

o.

9 Natio

nal avera

ge is t

he p

er

citatio

n a

vera

ge f

or

federa

l O

SH

A s

erio

us p

enaltie

s a

nd s

tate

OS

HA

pla

n s

tate

s’ serio

us p

enaltie

s c

om

bin

ed.

Fe

dera

l serio

us p

enaltie

s a

vera

ge $

3,9

23 p

er

citatio

n;

stat

e pl

an O

SH

A s

tate

s av

erag

e $2

,137

per

cita

tion.

11Fr

eque

ncy

of a

ll co

vere

d es

tabl

ishm

ents

for a

ll st

ates

com

bine

d. A

vera

ge in

spec

tion

frequ

ency

of c

over

ed e

stab

lishm

ents

for f

eder

al O

SH

A s

tate

s is

onc

e ev

ery

253

year

s; in

spec

tion

frequ

ency

of

cove

red

esta

blis

hmen

ts fo

r sta

te O

SH

A p

lan

stat

es is

onc

e ev

ery

143

year

s. S

tate

s w

ith th

eir o

wn

OS

HA

pro

gram

for p

ublic

em

ploy

ees

only

(Con

nect

icut

, Illi

nois

, Mai

ne, N

ew J

erse

y an

d N

ew Y

ork)

ar

e co

nsid

ered

fede

ral s

tate

s fo

r the

se a

vera

ges.

Fed

eral

, sta

te a

nd n

atio

nal a

vera

ge in

clud

e th

e D

istri

ct o

f Col

umbi

a, P

uerto

Ric

o an

d th

e V

irgin

Isla

nds.

Not

e: D

ue to

the

CO

VID

-19

pand

emic

, sa

fety

age

ncie

s co

nduc

ted

few

er fi

eld

oper

atio

ns a

nd le

ss e

nfor

cem

ent.

189

11

6 Yea

rs to

insp

ect i

s ba

sed

on th

e nu

mbe

r of e

stab

lishm

ents

in 2

019

and

the

num

ber o

f OS

HA

insp

ectio

ns in

FY

202

0. T

he n

umbe

r of e

stab

lishm

ents

in O

SH

A's

juris

dict

ion

incl

udes

priv

ate

sect

or

esta

blis

hmen

ts (e

xcep

t min

ing)

and

fede

ral e

stab

lishm

ents

. For

any

sta

te w

ith a

pla

n th

at c

over

s pu

blic

sec

tor e

mpl

oyee

s, s

tate

and

loca

l est

ablis

hmen

ts a

lso

are

incl

uded

. Not

e: D

ue to

the

CO

VID

-19

pan

dem

ic, s

afet

y ag

enci

es c

ondu

cted

few

er fi

eld

oper

atio

ns a

nd le

ss e

nfor

cem

ent.

5 Und

er th

e O

SH

Act

, sta

tes

may

ope

rate

thei

r ow

n O

SH

A p

rogr

ams.

Tw

enty

-one

sta

tes

and

one

terri

tory

hav

e st

ate

OS

HA

pro

gram

s co

verin

g bo

th p

ublic

and

priv

ate

sect

or w

orke

rs. C

onne

ctic

ut,

Illin

ois,

Mai

ne, N

ew J

erse

y an

d N

ew Y

ork

have

sta

te p

rogr

ams

cove

ring

stat

e an

d lo

cal e

mpl

oyee

s on

ly.

1 The

stat

e fa

talit

y ra

tes

are

calc

ulat

ed b

y B

LS a

s de

aths

per

100

,000

wor

kers

.

To

tal o

r N

ati

on

al

Av

era

ge:

5,3

33

3.5

3 U.S

. Dep

artm

ent o

f Lab

or, O

SH

A, O

IS In

spec

tion

Rep

orts

, FY

202

0. P

enal

ties

show

n ar

e av

erag

e cu

rrent

pen

alty

per

ser

ious

cita

tion

for c

ondi

tions

cre

atin

g a

subs

tant

ial p

roba

bilit

y of

dea

th o

r se

rious

phy

sica

l har

m to

wor

kers

. For

Con

nect

icut

, Illi

nois

, Mai

ne, N

ew J

erse

y an

d N

ew Y

ork,

ave

rage

s ar

e ba

sed

only

on

fede

ral p

enal

ty d

ata.

4 In

clud

es o

nly

safe

ty a

nd in

dust

rial h

ygie

ne C

ompl

ianc

e S

afet

y an

d H

ealth

Offi

cers

(CS

HO

s) w

ho c

ondu

ct w

orkp

lace

insp

ectio

ns a

nd d

oes

not i

nclu

de s

uper

viso

ry C

SH

Os.

Fed

eral

CS

HO

s pr

ovid

ed b

y O

SH

A's

Dire

ctor

ate

of E

nfor

cem

ent P

rogr

ams,

CS

HO

Cou

nt B

y S

tate

as

of D

ecem

ber 2

020.

Sta

te p

lan

CS

HO

s pr

ovid

ed b

y O

SH

A's

Dire

ctor

ate

of C

oope

rativ

e an

d S

tate

Pro

gram

s an

d in

clud

es "o

n bo

ard"

saf

ety

and

heal

th C

SH

Os

from

the

FY 2

021

Sta

te P

lan

Gra

nt A

pplic

atio

ns a

s of

Jul

y 1,

202

0. T

he n

umbe

r of "

on b

oard

" CS

HO

s m

ay n

ot a

ccur

atel

y re

flect

the

true

num

ber o

f C

SH

Os

actu

ally

hire

d an

d co

nduc

ting

enfo

rcem

ent i

nspe

ctio

ns d

ue to

pos

sibl

e bu

dget

ary

issu

es in

any

par

ticul

ar s

tate

.

32

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tal,

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d F

ore

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rn W

ork

er F

atal

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s b

y S

tate

, 201

91

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a89

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a11

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--O

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166

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go

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35

WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY FATALITY DATA GUIDE:

HOW TO IDENTIFY WORK-RELATED FATALITIES IN YOUR AREA

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION

Landing page:

www.osha.gov/dep/fatcat/dep_fatcat.html

This OSHA resource provides detailed information on worker fatalities and catastrophes reported

to OSHA, such as the date, workplace name/city/state, description of the event, associated

inspection number and whether OSHA issued any citations. (The Trump administration removed

the workers’ names from this list.) This list only includes workplace deaths that OSHA has

investigated, which is approximately only one-third of workplace deaths each year. OSHA lists

these fatalities by fiscal year (FY); for example, FY 2018 includes fatalities from Oct. 1, 2017,

through Sept. 30, 2018. You can use the inspection number to look up more detailed information

about the inspection and any related citations here: www.osha.gov/pls/imis/inspectionNr.html.

BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Landing page:

www.bls.gov/iif/oshstate.htm

This BLS resource will not provide detailed information about each worker death, but will help

you find the total number of work-related fatalities in your state (including deaths not

investigated by OSHA). BLS issues data every December from the previous calendar year; for

example, in December 2017, BLS released fatality data for calendar year 2016. Click on a state

or scroll down the page to find your state and click on the “CFOI” file for fatality counts and

36

fatality rate for each year. This resource produces a table that describes worker deaths by

employee status, gender, age, race, source, industry, occupation, location, activity, etc.

CENTER FOR CONSTRUCTION RESEARCH AND TRAINING

Landing page:

http://stopconstructionfalls.com/fatality-map/

This CPWR resource maps individual worker deaths in the construction industry. Each pin on

the first map represents a construction worker fatality from any cause, and each pin on the

second map represents a construction worker who suffered a fatal fall. Click on the pin to find

out more demographic details. Find out more about this mapping project, which is part of the

Campaign to Prevent Falls in Construction, here: http://stopconstructionfalls.com/fatality-

map/fatality-mapping-project/.

NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH

Landing page:

www.coshnetwork.org/fatality-database

This U.S. Worker Fatality Database is a volunteer effort to document and map the annual toll of

workers who die on the job, using government data, and public sources such as news articles and

individual reports. This database represents approximately only one-third of worker deaths each

year, but provides details surrounding each fatal event, where available. You can browse or

search the data, view interactive maps of the data and help by reporting a work-related fatality to

the database.

37

2

aflcio.org

RICHARD L. TRUMKAPresident

ELIZABETH H. SHULERSecretary-Treasurer

TEFERE A. GEBREExecutive Vice President