All workers involved in the oil spill response and cleanup have the right to a safe workplace just as they would in any other job. They are also protected if they are fired or in any way retaliated against for raising safety concerns to an employer, participating in safety and health activities or exercising their rights under the Act.

You have the right to a safe workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) was passed to prevent workers from being killed or seriously harmed at work. The law requires that employers provide their employees with working conditions that are free of known dangers. OSHA sets and enforces protective workplace safety and health standards. OSHA also provides information, training and assistance to workers and employers. Workers may file a complaint to have OSHA inspect their workplace if they believe that their employer is not following OSHA standards or there are serious hazards. Contact OSHA at 1-800-321-OSHA (6742) if you have questions or want to file a complaint. We will keep your information confidential. We are here to help you.

For more complete information on your rights, see the OSHA Worker Rights page.

BP Deepwater Horizon Incident Response Recordable Injury & Illness Data
[PDF 777KB]

See also, the Official Federal Portal for the Deepwater BP Oil Spill
Response and Recovery RestoreTheGulf

Labor Secretary, Hilda L. Solis, and OSHA Assistant Secretary, David Michaels, met with beach cleanup workers in Port Fourchon and discussed worker safety efforts with OSHA staff in Houma, La.