Summer Begins, Workers Feel the Heat

By Dr. David Michaels on June 20, 2012

Here in Washington, today is the peak of our first big heat wave of the summer – and it's only summer's first day. The National Weather Service alert warns of hot, dry conditions for everyone from Virginia to Maine, with extreme temperatures also visiting the Desert Southwest. The heat index here is expected to reach nearly 108 F.

I can tell you it's one of those days that I'm grateful to be working indoors.

Workers who are outside – construction workers, farmworkers, landscapers, roofers, baggage handlers, and others – are facing some brutal conditions out there, conditions that can do far more damage than just make us uncomfortable. Read more…

OSHA's Heat Campaign: Keeping Cool on the Job

by Dr. David Michaels on June 14, 2011

On May 14, 2008, a young worker named Maria Isavel Vasquez Jimenez arrived for her shift at a California vineyard. She was pregnant, and her job required her to spend long hours tying grapevines in the sun. As the day wore on, the temperature soared, eventually reaching triple digits. After nine hours of work, Maria collapsed from heat exhaustion. Two days later, Maria was dead. She was 17 years old.

Maria's death demonstrates – in the saddest way possible – the risks of heat illness faced by outdoor workers. It also demonstrates – in the most shocking way possible – how easily such tragedies can be prevented. When Maria collapsed, the closest water source was a ten-minute walk away. Areas of shade were nowhere in sight. Even if Maria had been allowed a break, she would have had to choose between water and rest. Read more…

A Letter to Young Workers: Your Right to a Safe and Healthful Workplace

by Dr. David Michaels on May 17, 2011

To celebrate the United Nations' International Year of Youth, we began a series about why young workers are so important to our country's economy, and what the Department of Labor is doing to make sure you have the opportunity to contribute your energy and creativity to the communities where you live and work. One way that DOL does this is by making sure you don't get hurt on the job.

That is the role of DOL's Occupational Safety and Health Administration — protect workers from workplace hazards that can cause a serious injury or illness. Almost always, workplace deaths and injuries are clearly preventable. Workplace hazards are well-known and painstakingly researched, and employers have a responsibility to follow established safety and health laws and common sense safety practices that prevent tragedies. Read more…

Eliminating the Hazards of Texting and Other Distractions While Driving on the Job

by Dr. David Michaels on October 20, 2011

Distracted driving has become an epidemic in the United States. In 2009, distracted drivers contributed to more than 5,400 traffic fatalities, accounting for 16 percent of all traffic fatalities that year. In response, last October the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), in partnership with the Department of Transportation (DOT), launched an initiative to combat this deadly practice.

You might ask: Why OSHA? Why distracted driving? Read more…

How Should Workers Be Warned About Chemical Hazards?

by Dr. David Michaels on March 20, 2012

One of the main characteristics of our economy since the Second World War has been the growing number of new chemicals that underpin our modern economy.

From a chemical plant to a beauty parlor; from a refinery to a nail salon, today's workers are potentially exposed to thousands of chemicals every day. Read more…

Learn More...

To learn more about labor issues, go to the Department of Labor's blog (Work in Progress).