New Labor Secretary's Agenda for Safety

Hilda L. Solis is the Secretary of Labor-designate and at her confirmation hearing last month she outlined four key priorities. One of those priorities addressed Safety & Health:

• Ensure safe, healthy and fair workplaces for American workers by enforcing compliance with employment laws. "Workers should not have to sacrifice their lives or their health to keep their jobs," said Soltis. "Workers need time and flexibility to care for their families and themselves. These are American values. They must be America's ordinary way of doing business."

These are great thoughts and as Safety Professionals they are usually what we believe. Isn't it unfortunate that most of the problems we encounter are not from uncaring employers but from the very workers we are trying to keep safe. How unfortunate that those same workers often try to "get away with doing things in an unsafe manner," not from employer pressure, but because they don't want to take the time to do it right. Don't get me wrong, there are employers who pressure for production while ignoring safety, but there is just as much problem with employees of conscientious employers.

Soltis is correct - workers should not have to sacrifice their lives or their health. Fellow Safety Professionals - Keep Up the Good Work!