| act now > gulf coast commission on reconstruction equity
February 13, 2006
Contractors in New Orleans Allowed to Violate Worker Safety Standards The Bush administration continues to allow egregious violations of workers' health and safety standards in the Gulf Coast generally and specifically in seven parishes in and around New Orleans. Normal enforcement of job safety and health standards was to be restored on January 25th, according to the U. S. Department of Labor (DOL), "throughout Florida and Alabama, in Mississippi north of Interstate 10, and in Louisiana except in seven parishes in and around New Orleans."1 In response to the hurricanes that ravaged the Gulf Coast, DOL exempted a number of counties and parishes from regular enforcement status. Therefore, the Office of Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)2 did not require companies' compliance with basic safety rules for worker training, protective equipment, and other safety measures, even while workers cleaned up (and continue to clean up) hazardous and toxic materials in the Gulf region. Instead, DOL dispatched health and safety professionals to make presentations to employers and public safety announcements to workers. "What happens a lot of times is that if you complain about the mold, they'll just hire another worker who won't complain. So most of us just take the work whether we have safety clothes and equipment or not. In reality, we have no rights when it comes to working conditions," said Oscar Arroyo (pseudonym), a Guatemalan immigrant working near City Park in New Orleans.3 Following the hurricanes, OSHA exempted a number of counties and parishes in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana from regular enforcement status allegedly to enable OSHA staff to better respond to hazards. In its post-911 National Emergency Management Plan, OSHA clarified that it would suspend safety rules during emergencies in favor of technical assistance. In reality, the U. S. Department of Labor 's FY 2007 budget document boasts that since 2001 this Administration has "posted the strongest-ever worker protection enforcement results."4 1 News Release: USDL 06-119-NAT issued Jan 20, 2006 by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
2 U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration ( OSHA) is charged with enforcing the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.
3 Worker quote from forthcoming report by Tomas Aguilar for UCLA-LOSH and NDLON on Immigrant Worker Health and Safety in New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
4 Office of Management and Budget, “Budget of the United States Government, FY 2007, p.1. Back to the Gulf Coast Reconstruction Page | 
