Thursday, April 21, 2005

Workplace Safety Groups Organize Campaign For Corporate Criminal Penalties

I rant and rave a lot in this blog about the need for increased penalties for employers and corporations that cause the death of a worker. Ranting and raving feels good, but it doesn't get much done. Organizing does:
A national coalition of workplace safety advocates has launched a campaign for increased criminal prosecution of corporations responsible for workplace deaths.

The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health has launched a "stop the corporate killers" campaign.

The campaign will seek to pressure local prosecutors to bring criminal homicide prosecutions against corporations that flagrantly and consistently violate safety and health laws and whose actions result in worker deaths.

The campaign will also seek passage of tougher new criminal penalties at the federal level.

The council is a federation of 22 non-profit organizations around the United States that advocates for worker safety and health.

Roger Cook, director of the western New York Council on Occupational Safety and Health, is leading the campaign for a criminal crackdown.


Cook said that campaign was sent into overdrive last month when 15 workers were incinerated, and more than 70 injured, following an explosion at BP's sprawling refinery in Texas City, Texas.