166938 Future of OSH

Monday, November 5, 2007: 11:30 AM

Scott Schneider, MS, CIH , Occupational Health and Safety Division, Laborer's Health and Safety Fund of North America, Washington, DC
     
The Future of OSH

After the struggle of unions to create OSHA and NIOSH, we have made significant progress over the past 36 years. But there is much more to do. Over 5,000 workers are killed each year. Thousands get injured or sick from exposures at work. Yet new regulations are bogged down in the bureaucracy and take years if not decades to produce. Enforcement is a weak instrument. Funding is flat and not expected to increase significantly. Occupational safety and health is not a top priority for most people. The only way to change that is to begin a public health style campaign to educate the public about OSH and personalize the issue for most people. The public support for mine safety may be a good model.

Learning Objectives:
To be able to discuss the direction OSH needs to take in the future to better protect workers.

Keywords: Occupational Health, Occupational Safety

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: The Future of Occupational Health and Safety
See more of: Occupational Health and Safety