Tell Congress: Remember Ricardo and Stand Up for Worker Safety

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Tell Congress: Remember Ricardo and Stand Up for Worker Safety

Members of U.S. Congress

Ricardo Oliveira, 22, fell to his death at a construction site in Sutton, Massachusetts in January 2016. He was not safeguarded by a fall protection system and he did not have proper training or equipment from his employer.

To protect workers like Ricardo and thousands of others who die on the job, we need full funding for worker safety.

Please sign the appeal to members of the U.S. Congress, urging them to remember Ricardo and other fallen workers. No worker should be injured or killed in the course of doing his or her job. Tell Congress to make sure workers have the protection they need.

Sponsored by

National Council for Occupational Safety and Health

To: Members of U.S. Congress
From: [Your Name]

To: Members of the U.S. Congress

We're asking you to remember Ricardo Oliveira as you write the 2018 budget for the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other safety agencies.

Ricardo was just 22 when he fell to his death in January 2016 at a construction site in Sutton, Massachusetts. He was not safeguarded by a fall protection system, and he did not have proper training or equipment from his employer. David White, Ricardo’s father, says his son’s death “could have been easily prevented by training and employer common sense.”

Sadly, too many employers don’t follow safety rules. That’s why 13 U.S. workers die every day – more than 4,800 a year – from tragic workplace incidents like the fall that claimed Ricardo’s life.

With strong safety rules and tough enforcement, we can prevent many of these deaths and make sure workers like Ricardo come home alive to their families.

To protect workers, please ensure full funding for U.S. OSHA and other critical safety agencies. Current proposals from the Trump Administration would:

• Cut 2,300 safety inspections of U.S. workplaces
• Cut $6 million for safety inspections from the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration
• Eliminate the successful Susan Harwood training grants, which have a proven track record of helping workers in dangerous industries avoid workplace hazards
• Eliminate the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, which investigates an analyzes the causes of dangerous spills and explosions
• Cut $139 million from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which provides critical research needed to help employers and workers understand how to prevent workplace hazards.

Occupational injuries, illnesses and fatalities impose a terrible human cost on workers and families – and also cost employers hundreds of billions of dollars each year. Reversing the proposed budget cuts outlined above will help employers, workers, unions, regulators and safety professionals work together to make our workplaces safer.

You will cast many votes in Congress this year. When you vote on the budget for OSHA and other critical safety agencies, please remember Ricardo Oliveira.