Unsafe Working Conditions Are Making Workers Sick
Tell the White House: Modernize Worker Safety Regulations
Every day, millions of workers inhale silica dust – a substance whose effect on the human body is comparable to asbestos.
Most at risk are construction workers who work closely with materials like sand, bricks and cement – especially those workers who operate jackhammers, cut bricks, or use sandblasters.
Every year, silica dust exposure kills hundreds and sickens thousands of workers.
Why are there so many deaths? Because the lax, outdated regulations for silica dust exposure were put on the books before anyone knew how deadly it is.
Silica is a component of common building materials like sand, brick and cement.
Inhaling the dust can cause serious, potentially fatal diseases such as lung cancer, tuberculosis and silicosis.
The Department of Labor has the authority to update the regulation, saving countless workers from sickness and death.
But the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, which must grant approval before the process can continue, has stalled the update indefinitely. They received the proposal in February 2011 and should have approved it within 90 days.
Tell the Office of Management and Budget to fast track the rule.
Tell The White House to Fast Track the Modernized Rule
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