GOAL 2 – ENSURE HEALTH AND SAFETY PROTECTION OF ALL WORKERS
through tough enforcement of existing regulations, adoption of new worker protection standards and coverage, and expanded programs of research and public health workforce development.

• The federal agencies charged with protecting workers’ health and safety should be directed to aggressively enforce existing regulations, inspect high-risk industries and occupations and immediately begin rulemaking to set tougher worker protection standards.
• The President should propose and Congress should appropriate “worker-protection budgets” for OSHA, MSHA, ESA and EPA to increase workplace inspections; investigate fatalities, serious incidents and complaints of hazardous conditions and discrimination; expedite
  the development and issuance of health and safety standards; and protect young workers.
• Congress should pass and the President should sign the “Protecting America’s Workers Act” (to provide OSHA coverage to public employees and increase OSHA penalties) and a law authorizing the Secretary of Labor to issue health-protective standard(s) to address ergonomic hazards.
• Congress should commit funds to increase the NIOSH budget by 100% over five years, ensuring it has the necessary resources to conduct intramural and extramural research and to train the next generation of occupational health and safety researchers and health care professionals.
• The Secretary of Labor should take immediate action to protect workers from well recognized yet inadequately regulated hazards, such as construction-related confined spaces and excessive noise, combustible dust, respirable crystalline silica and aerosol infectious agents, among others; and to require employers to develop written workplace injury and illness prevention programs.
• The Federal government should take further steps to protect the agricultural workforce. Many agricultural employers are exempt from workplace standards, including workers’ compensation and OSHA inspections; other safeguards, like those for pesticide
  exposure, are dispersed among EPA, OSHA, USDA and state agencies.
• Congress should pass and the President should sign the “Agricultural Job Opportunities Benefits and Securities Act” to provide fundamental legal and safety protections to agricultural workers.