State and Local Initiatives to Promote Worker Safety and Health

Although the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act gives jurisdiction over workplace health and safety to federal OSHA, worker safety and health advocates have successfully promoted improvements to working conditions in recent years through policy changes at the state and local levels. Examples of such campaigns have included successful efforts to enact state legislation mandating workplace violence prevention programs and regulating hazardous drugs in health care; state and local “Responsible Contractor” campaigns that mandate the inclusion of contractor safety records in the criteria for awarding public works contracts; local ordinances to require the provision of drinking water to construction workers and better health and safety conditions for carwash workers; an effort to provide protection from ergonomic injuries to housekeepers; and a proposed “Bill of Rights” for temporary workers, to cite a few examples. This session will present examples of state and local OSH campaigns, discuss the obstacles the campaigns have faced, analyze successes and failures of the campaigns, and assess the advantages and disadvantages of such campaigns. The session will provide ample opportunity for discussion among participants to share experiences of state and local advocacy initiatives and to develop strategies for successful future campaigns.