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- 18 Dead, More to Come
- From
- Dick Meister
Although 18 workers have died in construction crane accidents this year, and more are certain to die before year's end, the Bush administration i continues its callous refusal to approve long-pending safety rules that could significantly reduce the death toll. That's in accord with the administration's overall do-nothing to job safety despite the ever-rising number of deaths, serious injuries and illnesses suffered by U.S. workers. Rather than approving new safety standards, the administration is now trying to weaken, if not repeal, existing standards in behalf of its corporate employer friends.
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Piece Description
Although 18 workers have died in construction crane accidents this year, and more are certain to die before year's end, the Bush administration i continues its callous refusal to approve long-pending safety rules that could significantly reduce the death toll. That's in accord with the administration's overall do-nothing to job safety despite the ever-rising number of deaths, serious injuries and illnesses suffered by U.S. workers. Rather than approving new safety standards, the administration is now trying to weaken, if not repeal, existing standards in behalf of its corporate employer friends.
Broadcast History
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Transcript
Eighteen workers have died this year in construction crane accidents. And it seems certain that at least that many more will die in other crane accidents before year?s end. Yet the Bush administration continues its callous refusal to approve long-pending safety rules that could significantly lessen the death toll.
The administration?s inaction is sadly in keeping with its do-nothing stance on job safety generally. It has stood by while the number of workers dying on the job has reached almost 6,000 per year, the number seriously injured totaled more than two million, and the number dying from exposure to toxic substances reached at least 50,000.
That, mind you, is an average of at least 16 workers killed and nearly 55 hundred badly hurt every day of the year ? plus 135 or more workers dying daily from job-related illness.
It shouldn?t surprise you to know that the administ...
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Timing and Cues
INTRO: Commentator Dick Meister says workplace hazards are getting worse.
OUTRO: Dick Meister is a veteran labor journalist.
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