Nearly 55 years ago on April 28, the Occupational Safety and Health Act went into effect, promising every worker the right to a safe job — our fundamental right. Since then, unions have fought to make that promise a reality — winning protections under the law that have made jobs safer and saved lives.
Each day, more than 340 workers are killed and more than 6,000 suffer injury and illness because of dangerous working conditions that are preventable. Job safety agency resources are already critically underfunded: It would take the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 185 years to inspect every workplace once. Cuts to hazard investigations take us back decades and harm workers.
Workplace safety and health rights are under threat. Under the Trump administration, new anti-regulatory attacks will prevent OSHA from setting needed job safety standards and enforcing the law. Funding and staffing cuts will make oversight on businesses nearly impossible. When no one is watching, many employers fail to do the right thing.
Last year at least 45 workers died on the job or from injuries sustained while working in Oregon. So did at least 5 workers in Clark, Cowlitz, and Lewis counties in Southwest Washington. Here are the names of those who lost their lives.
