Local COSH Reports and Activities

Worksafe

Analysis of Tesla Injury Rates: 2014 to 2017
May 24, 2017

In April 2017, Tesla workers requested copies of the OSHA form 300, the log of work-related injuries and illnesses that companies are required by law to make available to their employees. Worksafe analyzed and interpreted the data to evaluate how the Tesla plant compared to other auto manufacturing facilities. Worksafe's report found Tesla's total recordable incidence rate (TRIR) in 2015 was 31% higher than the industry-wide incident rate at 8.8 injuries per 100 workers vs 6.7 for the auto manufacturing industry as a whole; Tesla's total injury rate for 2016 was 8.1 injuries per 100 workers; and the rate of serious injuries at Tesla's Fremont plant - those that result in days away from work, restricted duty or job transfer - was approximately double the industry rate for 2015.

Central New York Occupational Health Clinic

At All Costs: Workers' Memorial Day 2017
April 28, 2017

In 2016, 42 workers died in Central and Northern New York. Another 16 died, but their information is still confidential, bringing the year's totalt to 58. About 3,000 people died from lingering occupational diseases and illnesses. The report included an in memoriam chapter; a Workers' Memorial Day Resolution; workers' comp issues; inequality at work; work-related suicides; and the hazards of food flavorings. 

New York Committee for Occupational Safety & Health

List of Worker Fatalities
April 28, 2017

Report on worker fatalities in New York showed that from January 2016 to April 28 2017, there were 48 worker deaths in New York City, including workers who died due to 9/11 illnesses. In 2015 there were 162 deaths in NY State and 74 in NYC. 

New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH)

Dirty and Dangerous: Worker Safety and Health in New York City's Scofflaw Commercial Waste Industry
May 3, 2016

Report reveals that commercial waste work is among New York City’s most dangerous jobs. Researchers found that non-union commercial waste companies routinely violate legal requirements with impunity, with high rates of preventable injuries and fatalities. The report includes eight case studies of recent worker fatalities, chemical exposures, and amputations in New York City’s commercial waste sector.

Knox Area Workers' Memorial Day Committee

Tennessee Workers: Dying for a Job
April 28, 2016 

The report on worker fatalities in Tennessee for 2014 and 2015 includes an in memoriam section; positive developments for workers in Tennessee; areas of concern; and recommendations for federal, state, and local governments, as well as public and private employers.

MassCOSH and Massachusetts AFL-CIO

Dying for Work in Massachusetts
April 28, 2016

63 workers lost their lives in Massachusetts in 2015. This report includes an "In Memoriam" tribute, as well as chapters on workplace violence; climate change; transportation deaths; "workplace wellness" programs; unequal job protections for municipal workers; and the role and effectiveness of OSHA.

South Florida COSH

Workers' Memorial Day Report for Florida
April 28, 2016

South Florida COSH’s analysis found that workplace fatalities in Florida have dropped slightly from 239 deaths in 2013 to 228 deaths, causing Florida to slip to number four in the list of states with the highest number of workplace deaths for the first time in many years.

Construction; administrative & waste services; and transportation & warehousing remain the three industries with the highest number of workplace fatalities in Florida.

Houston COSH (Fe y Justicia)

Worker Memorial Day Report 2016: Workplace Fatalities in the Houston Area
April 28, 2016

Report includes an analysis of worker deaths in the Houston area; overall worker fatality trends in Texas; a report on OSHA activities in Houston and in Texas; a section on heat hazards; and an "In Memoriam" section with remembrances of local workers who lost their lives on the job. This report is also available in Spanish.

Western New York Council on Occupational Safety and Health

Fatal Falls: The Downside of the Construction Boom
January 26, 2016

Findings of the report revealed that 83% of OSHA inspections led to a violation, the vast majority of them defined as “serious.” But the average penalty was $1,963, which advocates state is too low to deter violations effectively. Because of OSHA’s severe budget constraints, inspections are limited, which leaves construction workers at risk at a time when the construction industry is booming.

New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH)

Health and Hardship: Stories from 9/11's Unsung Heroes
September 11, 2015 

A compilation of first-person accounts from responders who recall their experiences on 9/11 and subsequent World Trade Center-related illnesses. This report was written in collaboration with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

The Price of Life: 2015 Report on Construction Fatalities in NYC
May 2015

The construction sector represents 20% of occupational fatalities in the state of New York. This report memorializes the dead, and details the risk factors and causes of preventable deaths.

Knox Area Workers' Memorial Day Committee

Tennessee Workers: Dying for a Job
April 2015

A report on worker fatalities in Tennessee in 2013 and 2014, in honor of Workers' Memorial Day. Includes information on 172 known Tennessee worker fatalities, eleven in-depth stories on individual workers, positive developments, on-going concerns, and recommendations.

South Florida COSH

Workplace deaths in Florida with a focus on Southeast Florida
April 28, 2015

Workers' Memorial Day 2015 report on the 239 deaths in Florida in 2013, with specific workers' stories, and recommendations for employers, employees, elected officials, and community members.

New Jersey Work Environment Council

Danger in the Dark: How Gov. Christie Helps Oil, Chemical, and Railroad Companies Cover Up Potential Catastrophes
December 2014

Under federal law, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is responsible for ensuring that the state's counties and municipalities have an up-to-date Emergency Response Plan, and that they make these plans acccessible for public review.

The report finds that Gov. Christie has failed to ensure the public availability of these plans, and that this failure places the public at significant risk for chemical fires, explosions, and other toxic emergencies.

Workers Memorial Week 2014

The Knox Area Workers Memorial Day Committee has released “Tennessee Workers: Dying for a Job – A report on worker fatalities in Tennessee, 2012 & 2013,” focusing on unnecessary deaths on public works projects, the high fatality rate among immigrant and Latino workers, and the lack of enforcement – according to the report “at current staffing levels, it would take 69 years to investigate every covered worksite in Tennessee.” The report gives 24 recommendations for federal, state, and local government, as well as public and private employers.

The Fe y Justicia Worker Center's Workers Memorial Day Report: Deaths at Houston Workplaces in 2013 lists 47 Houston-area workers who lost their lives on the job in 2013; provides the personal stories of some of those workers; identifies trends; and reports on local occupational safety and health initiatives.

Finally, the Occupational Health Clinical Centers of New York released "Low-Wage Work in Syracuse: Worker Health in the New Economy." The authors surveyed 275 workers in central New York, and concluded that "Low-wage jobs have become fundamental to the economy... those who work these jobs face the worst working conditions and are at serious risk of occupational injury or illness."

Workers' Memorial Week 2013

• National COSH's 2013 Workers' Memorial Day report, "Preventable Deaths: The Tragedy of Workplace Fatalities" and read the press release
• "North Carolina Workers Dying for a Job: A 2013 Report on Worker Fatalities in North Carolina" and North Carolina Press Release
• Tennessee Report: "Tennessee Workers: Dying for a Job"

Workers' Memorial Week 2012

• MassCOSH's Report: "Dying for Work in Massachusetts"
• North Carolina Workers Dying for a Job 2012

Allies' Reports:

• AFL-CIO: "Death on the Job" Report 2019
• AFL-CIO: "Death on the Job" Report 2018
• AFL-CIO: "Death on the Job" Report 2017