Who Needs OSHA?
Labor unions were principal proponents of the original OSH Act in 1970. They argued that workers needed government protection from workplace fatalities and injuries because greedy capitalists would otherwise sacrifice the wellbeing of workers on the altar of profits. It didn’t matter to them then that workplace fatalities had been steadily declining since 1937 due to improvements in safety technology and changes in the occupational distribution of workers. It doesn’t matter to them now that OSHA has not had any measurable effect on that continued decline. Nor does it matter to them that OSHA regulation has not had any effect on workplace injuries and illnesses. To unions OSHA is not about worker safety and health. It is about preventing union-free workplaces from gaining any competitive advantages over union-impaired ones. It is in the interest of employers to discover and implement changes in work processes and work environments that improve worker safety and health. First, an employe
