Las Vegas Sun

November 22, 2009

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Sun editorial:

A time for change

Worker safety should be an issue in the presidential, congressional elections

Friday, Oct. 31, 2008 | 2:06 a.m.

Worker safety has been a largely overlooked issue for American voters and politicians alike, and this year’s campaign has been no different, particularly as the issue has been overshadowed by the economy and the war in Iraq.

But voters should recognize the importance of the issue, considering as many as 1 in 10 workers are injured every year. And the cost to the taxpayers and the economy of workplace injuries is measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars.

Considering the rash of construction deaths on the Las Vegas Strip — 12 in a 19-month period — Nevada voters should consider workplace safety an important campaign issue. The Strip deaths highlighted the ineffectiveness of America’s hallmark worker safety law, the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, and the fact that it has not been enforced. Between the weak law and the political whims of some occupants of the White House (particularly President Bush), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the nation’s primary safety regulator, hasn’t been able to do its job.

Some members of Congress have tried for the past four years to overhaul the law with a bill called the Protecting America’s Workers Act.

But Republicans and business interests have raised stiff opposition to the bill, which would increase fines and penalties for willful safety violations. The fines would send a strong message to employers, making it clear that worker safety has to be paramount.

The presidential candidates’ stances on worker safety laws provide a clear contrast. Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama is a co-sponsor of the bill. Republican nominee Sen. John McCain opposes key provisions in the bill, such as the increased fines and the expansion of the law to cover millions of workers, such as government employees, who are exempted.

Republicans decry what they say is the high cost of regulation to business, but they fail to acknowledge or care that injuries and illnesses cost the American economy greatly. The Social Security Disability Trust Fund pays out nearly $100 billion a year. And workplace injuries cost American businesses as much as $232 billion a year, according to workers’ compensation insurer Liberty Mutual.

The boost in fines in the bill would provide a critical deterrent. For example, the bill would mandate a minimum fine of $50,000 in a fatality in which the employer willfully ignored safety. The current law allows a minimum fine of $5,000.

The bill would also make willful criminal negligence that leads to a worker’s serious injury or death a felony. Such a crime now is only a misdemeanor punishable by six months in prison — and only if a worker dies. In contrast, someone who illegally sells a migratory bird faces a felony charge and two years in prison.

Strong fines and penalties are necessary to send a message that violating worker safety laws and putting workers at risk is unacceptable. The law currently allows not only paltry fines of a few thousand dollars, which is minuscule compared to the multibillion-dollar projects on the Strip, but it also makes them negotiable. Employers can try to persuade regulators to reduce or waive fines and citations, as was the case in many of the Las Vegas fatalities.

Regulators use the reductions to reward employers for working quickly to fix problems. But OSHA should be working to stop injuries and fatalities before they happen, not addressing them post-mortem.

Every year in America, more than 5,000 people are killed at work. The federal government reports that more than 4 million people are injured each year on the job, although many experts and health economists believe that number is vastly underreported and may be more than three times as high.

Unfortunately, many members of Congress, including McCain, seem content to let millions of workers and their families struggle with the financial and emotional costs of injuries suffered on the job. To make matters worse, in the past eight years the Bush administration has, in its anti-government crusade, slashed OSHA’s budget, stalled regulation and minimized workplace tragedies to protect business interests.

Both presidential candidates say this election is about change, and the prevailing attitude in Washington on worker safety certainly needs to change.

Discussion: 14 comments so far…

  1. By neiman1
    10/31/08 at 4:40 a.m.
    Suggest removal

    We are going to have a change with this election no matter who is elected. Do we want a change to end corruption in Washington or do we want Chicago to show Washington how corruption is really accomplished?

  2. By PatriciaLV
    10/31/08 at 5:57 a.m.
    Suggest removal

    Bush/Cheney appears to have perfected corruption, neiman.

    So yeah, we'd like a change from that.

  3. By johnevegas
    10/31/08 at 6:06 a.m.
    Suggest removal

    neiman, can you say "Keating 5"?

    McCain is a man who has already admitted that he will do or say anything to win. Would you like to see him say that? I'll be happy to post it for you. Why you would take anything he says seriously is beyond me.

  4. By jfnance32
    10/31/08 at 7:35 a.m.
    Suggest removal

    Obama has made many promises.

    Today, Obama is already starting to make excuses not to carry out those promises.

    LOL....................Obama is the Messiah who is suppose to save the world will become Obama the Excuse Machine.

    I expect in four years Obama will have excuse for everyone of these promises that he will fail to keep.

    In four years, I expect Yucca to be shut down.

    In four years, I expect the USA not to be running annual deficits not higher than George Bush's (not higher than $500 billion).

    In four years, I expect that will be a major reduction in the USA dependence on foreign oil.

    In four years, I expect significant savings in the cost of health care cost.

    In four years, I expect Obama's health care give away not to cost the taxpayers an arm and a leg.

    In four years, I expect Obama to have appointed judges who are pro-gun rights.

    In four years, I expect Obama to have greatly improve the financial position of the middle class because Obama has said his additional $1.95 a day in middle class tax cuts will do that.

    In four years, I expect that the world will just love, love, love us and Iran will have stop building its nuclear weapons program when they have coffee and donuts with Obama and his charm will cause them to just drop their nuke building program.

  5. By johnevegas
    10/31/08 at 8:15 a.m.
    Suggest removal

    Nance, who is this "Obama" you keep referring too? You seem to think a lot of him, but, messiah? Holy cow man, If that;s true, I hope it's this one. http://www.siamese-dream.com/page/siam1/...

    Okay, I'll vote for him. But back-off the over hyping okay? He's only human.

  6. By KDR81
    10/31/08 at 8:46 a.m.
    Suggest removal

    More worker saftey laws either mean fewer jobs or less pay for workers.

    What is your problem Las Vegas Sun? Do you want poor people to earn less or work less?

  7. By PatriciaLV
    10/31/08 at 9:34 a.m.
    Suggest removal

    In four years I expect Jim Nance to be .... not even a distant memory.

    "More worker saftey laws either mean fewer jobs or less pay for workers."

    Words fail me.

  8. By jfnance32
    10/31/08 at 9:51 a.m.
    Suggest removal

    JohnVegas.....It seems you, too, are ready to down play Obama's grand plan to save Amercia and the world.

  9. By Bass
    10/31/08 at 9:58 a.m.
    Suggest removal

    jfnance32, Even the Obama campaign doses not agree with your assessment.
    Obama's senior advisors have drawn up plans to lower expectations for his presidency, amid concerns that his euphoric supporters are harboring unrealistic hopes of what Obama can achieve. An advisor told the Times the first few weeks of the transition, immediately after the election were critical, "so there's not a vast mood swing from exhilaration and euphoria to despair." (source timesonline)

  10. By redferret
    10/31/08 at 10:27 a.m.
    Suggest removal

    No more worker safety laws mean fewer accidents and fewer fines against companies.
    Or are you the type to put a price on the life and well being of a person doing their job.
    Face it, companies will always do anything to make a buck, including flaunting basic safety laws.
    I work in construction and first hand know that those laws are there to prevent accidents. Accidents that cost the company for work that won't be done. Example, you get injured on the job through no fault of your own, the business/government have to payout to you for a long time. Better to have safety regulations to protect workers and save companies money on fines.

  11. By jfnance32
    10/31/08 at 12:32 p.m.
    Suggest removal

    Bass....my point exactly....Obama is already cranking up his Obama Excuse Machine.

    On Nov 5th, the media will be say, "Obama is good, but he can not really to that much."

    Here comes the Obama Excuse Machine. It will be running full blast starting in 2010 and running in hyper mode in 2011/2012.

  12. By PatriciaLV
    10/31/08 at 12:37 p.m.
    Suggest removal

    Jim, how much lower can the bar go? It was lowered to rock bottom for Dubya.

    Get a grip. You're completely out of control.

  13. By safetyone
    11/3/08 at 11:20 a.m.
    Suggest removal

    I'M SORRY THAT THE PRESIDENT HAS VERY LITTLE TO SAY WITH THIS ISSUE. NEVADA CONTROLS THE POLITICS IN THE STATE AND LARGE CONCERNS CONTROL HOW IT WORKS. IT HAS BEEN THAT WAY SINCE I CAN REMEMBER. HOPEFULLY THE NEW ADMINISTRATION WILL TAKE ACTION.

  14. By watermon
    11/5/08 at 6:26 p.m.
    Suggest removal

    I never realized until now that workplace injuries cost as much as $232 billion a year, according to Liberty Mutual.

    Enforcement and inspection actions with potential increased fines is a very volatile subject during these very rocky economic times. Especially with the multitude of plants shutting down across the nations heartland.

    I lost track on the Google map a four months ago www.is.gd/6sqR of plant shutdowns.

    Just my two cents, but before extensive resources are alloted in health and safety issues, there must be some sort of concerted effort in abating the manufacturing base that is slowing diminishing to an eventual service based economy.

    Until then. The last plant leaving the USA. Please don't forget to turn out the lights.

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