April 29, 2015 at 3:35 p.m.
Workers' Memorial Day to be observed Saturday at Pioneer Park
Workers' Memorial Day to be observed Saturday at Pioneer Park
"Too many workers are faced with serious safety hazards at their places of work," said Jackie Cody, President of Northern Wisconsin Center for Working People. "Employers have intentions of health and safety training by constructing their own programs, but those programs may fall short of OSHA guidelines. We encourage workers to ask for a comparison of a company health and safety training programs and the OSHA recommended training. At the Center we simply want workers to have been afforded the best of practices. This is good business, too, as it should result in less injury and lost hours of work. Other major safety and health concerns facing workers include chemical exposure, ergonomics, intensification of work due to downsizing, inadequate staffing and increased pace of work all of which can lead to unnecessary injury."
"Thousands of workers still face retaliation by their employers each year for raising job safety concerns or reporting injuries - fired or harassed simply because they want a safe place to work. The OSH Act's whistleblower and anti-retaliation provisions are too weak to provide adequate protection to workers who try to exercise their legal rights. Every worker has the right to a safe workplace. Hardworking men and women deserve to go to work and return home safely to their loved ones at the end of the day. Yet every year, families of Wisconsin workers who have died from job injuries and illnesses that are totally preventable are left to mourn. The latest number of fatalities in Wisconsin as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2013 was 96. Injuries and illnesses reported in 2013 was 73,600. It would take 107 years for the 36 certified inspectors to inspect the number of workplaces in Wisconsin just one time, just one time. This is not acceptable," she added.
"Thousands of workers still face retaliation by their employers each year for raising job safety concerns or reporting injuries - fired or harassed simply because they want a safe place to work. The OSH Act's whistleblower and anti-retaliation provisions are too weak to provide adequate protection to workers when try to exercise their legal rights. Special interest lobbyists actively block straightforward measures that would keep workers safe on the job. While profits soar, workers continue to be exploited," said Cody. "All workers need good, safe jobs now."
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