Occupational Safety Quotes
Whitmore uncovered massive company underreporting of injury on the forms that were required by Federal law and OSHA regulations. The George W. Bush administration position had been that industrial accidents were much reduced citing the reports which the companies had systematically underreported. Whitmore who was in charge of the OSHA records confirmed the underreporting to the House Committee on Education and Labor. His agency, OSHA, tried to keep him from testifying, but he did so as a private citizen. He was then placed on ‘administrative leave’ and had no access to any OSHA records thereafter. This was an unusual time in American history, and this atypical administration censored government scientists and repeatedly refused to be truthful in Congressional Hearings. It was so bad that the Attorney General resigned in large part over his testimony to Congress.
As hard as it is to understand today, there were few states with safety laws governing industry. There was no OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration ) or other federal regulation of industrial safety conditions.
Eleanor Roosevelt frequently was the political surrogate for where handicapped husband. However, she became respected and loved for she went just about everywhere including places where no President would be allowed by the Secret Service.
At the time there was very little such legislation or regulation, and the little there was only occurred after massive lobbying efforts by organized labor. In modern times, often it takes a horrible tragedy to occur before the political will can be mobilized to cope with issues of occupational health and safety.
