Considering safety in the workplace

Hilda Solis

Thursday, April 28, 2011 | 2:01 a.m.

Every day in America, 12 people go to work and never make it home.

Every year, a staggering 3.3 million U.S. workers suffer a serious injury on the job, while thousands more die of work-related diseases. In Nevada alone, more than 350 people have lost their lives on the job since 2003. Sadly, the American people rarely hear about these tragedies. And, what’s worse, many of them could have been prevented.

Our nation and especially our workers are facing big challenges and making big sacrifices everyday. But one sacrifice they should never have to make is trading their lives for their livelihood.

Today, on the 40th anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration — an agency at the U.S. Labor Department — we recognize Workers Memorial Day. It is an opportunity for people across the country — families, friends and even strangers — to tell stories, and remember the lives of those who have been injured, sickened or killed on the job.

This morning several important stories will be told at an event here in Las Vegas. Families who have lost loved ones on the job will tell their stories. One family member — a Las Vegas mother who lost her son to a construction job on the Strip — will join me on stage to share her story. And she’s not alone.

She joins families across the nation in honoring those who lost their lives in the Deepwater Horizon explosion. We mourn the loss of the West Virginia coal miners who died in the Upper Big Branch Mine explosion. We remember the more than two dozen workers who died in grain bin accidents last year.

But today, it’s also important to note the progress we’ve made thus far. In the four decades since the enactment of the Occupational Safety and Health Act — a law that ensures the right to a safe and healthful workplace — OSHA has improved conditions for workers across America.

In fact, this week OSHA is launching a nationwide effort to prevent illnesses, injury and death from exposure to heat. The campaign aims to educate workers and employers across the country on the hazards of working in the hot outdoors. This message is particularly relevant for workers in Las Vegas, whether they work in construction, handling baggage at airports, or spend the day selling cars outdoors. The campaign’s mantra is simple and reflects common sense approaches that save workers lives. We want those who work outdoors to remember this: Water. Rest. Shade.

Additionally, using research into injury and illness causation, enforcement of common sense standards, and promotion of cooperative programs, OSHA has reduced workplace fatalities — down from about 14,000 in 1970, to 4,400 in 2009. And injury and illness rates have decreased from 10.9 incidents per 100 workers in 1972 to less than 4 in 2009.

But there’s no question, we still have more work to do. Although the numbers may seem overwhelming, for me on this day, their message is quite clear: One workplace-related death, injury or illness is one too many. And no one should have to sacrifice their life for their livelihood. As the nation’s “top cop” on the workplace safety beat, I take that seriously.

On Workers Memorial Day, I’m hoping that everyone — workers and employers — do, too.

Hilda Solis is secretary of the U.S. Labor Department.