{"id":13824,"date":"2026-05-13T17:00:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T21:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/?p=13824"},"modified":"2026-05-19T22:51:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T02:51:41","slug":"workers-memorial-day-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2026\/05\/13\/workers-memorial-day-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Workers Memorial Day 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

I<\/span> was traveling abroad over Workers Memorial Day this year, so I missed the nation<\/del> world-wide commemoration that will dwarf this nation’s upcoming Trumpian semiquincentennial. (at least in compassion.)<\/p>\n

Workers Memorial Day, for those just tuning in, is an annual event to remember those killed in the workplace and re-energize ourselves to fight for safer work. Or, as Mother Jones said, “Pray for the dead, and fight like hell for the living.”<\/p>\n

So, as I catch up, I figured I’d include you in my catching-up activities — and feel free to leave any of your Workers Memorial Day experiences in the comments below.<\/p>\n

Death on the Job<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The highlight of this season is always the annual issuance of the AFL-CIO’s “Death on the Job<\/a>,” now in its 35th edition. DOTJ is the bible of the occupational safety and health environment in the United States, an enormously detailed work containing not only a summary of the political environment that workplace safety and health finds itself in, but also injury and illness data in much more detail and clarity than the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases. Also current and historical budget and staffing information and what that means for workers. (For example, that it now takes 191 years for federal OSHA to visit each workplace in the country just once.)<\/p>\n

And all of the information is available by state, e.g. injury, illness and death rates, number of inspectors, average and median penalties penalties, and how the states rank. You can find the summary points here<\/a> and download the entire document here<\/a> and you will mountains of information at your fingertips for any future meetings with journalists, legislators or that obnoxious MAGA uncle at Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n

In summary, as the report documents:<\/p>\n

Over the last 35 years of this report, job safety agencies\u2019 resources have diminished dramatically, even as their responsibilities have grown immensely. For instance, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is now in charge of 85% more establishments, 44% more workers and new hazards and technologies, yet Congress has reduced its budget by 10% and staffing by 26%, including a 16% reduction in inspectors. These percentages have massive impacts on such a tiny agency and very real personal effects on workers and their families. Agencies now have a paltry number of staff to write standards, analyze data, conduct inspections, perform oversight on states, orchestrate needed research on important hazards and respond to emerging threats. The number of OSHA inspectors has now hit a new low, and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) does not have enough inspectors to meet its statutory requirement to inspect each mine multiple times a year.<\/p>\n

And why?<\/p>\n

Corporate power has eroded worker protections for years, but under the Trump administration, corporations and billionaires are aggressively accelerating efforts to dismantle hard-won progress and the democratic institutions that uphold it. These structures have safeguarded workers from employers who prioritize excessive profit over effective safety measures, resist workers\u2019 rights and protections and seek to shift the responsibility for providing safe jobs from employers onto individual workers.<\/p>\n

You can find specifics<\/a> on the Trump Administration, OSHA resources<\/a>, and action needed from Congress<\/a> and job safety agencies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And there’s plenty of ammunition for your next OSHA Trivia party. For example:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Which state has the highest fatality rate in 2024?<\/li>\n
  2. What percentage of workplace fatalities occurred among workers ages 55 and older?<\/li>\n
  3. In what fiscal year did federal OSHA have Federal OSHA have the lowest number of inspectors in the history of the agency?<\/li>\n
  4. What is the average penalty for a serious federal OSHA violation?<\/li>\n
  5. What is the average penalty for a serious violation for OSHA state plans?<\/li>\n
  6. How much does OSHA have to protect the health and safety of each worker it is responsible for?<\/li>\n
  7. How much does the Workplace Safety Index (published by Liberty Mutual Insurance) estimate the cost of the most disabling workplace injuries to employers?<\/li>\n
  8. How many public employees in how many states do not have OSHA coverage?<\/li>\n
  9. What was the highest OSHA penalty ever issued? To what company? Who was the (Acting) Assistant Secretary?<\/li>\n
  10. What percentage of all serious work-related injuries and illnesses in private industry do musculoskeletal disorders from repetitive motion injuries accounting for?
    \n(see below for answers<\/span>)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Unions and Others\"\"<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Workers Memorial Day is an international event, with hundreds of local events across the country conducted by unions, COSH groups and families of those killed or injured in the workplace. Throughout this country and around the world,\u00a0 rallies, marches, protests, concerts, picnics, festivals, trainings and town halls were held with community and movement partners to support thousands more local events.\u00a0 A partial list of worldwide events and graphics can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Dirty Dozen<\/h2>\n

    Accompanying the annual release of the AFL-CIO’s Death on the Job is the National COSH’s Dirty Dozen report<\/a> which you can download here<\/a>. The Dirty Dozen report is “a list that shines a spotlight on twelve employers that have failed to protect their workers from preventable injuries, illnesses, and deaths.”\u00a0 They were chosen due to<\/p>\n