Wednesday, October 21, 2020
In 2014 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) instituted a rule that requires employers to notify OSHA of injury in the workplace within 24 hours, a death within 8 hours, but a twist on this regulation issued in September will make it more difficult for anyone to learn of COVID-19 infections in a workplace.
A COVID-19 related incident must be reported ONLY if an employee ends up hospitalized or dead within 24 hours. Considering the fact that the virus usually takes several days for an infected person to show symptoms, employers can get away with not providing PPEs or letting uninfected employees know of contact with the virus.
Complaints by workers that result in inspections yield fines worthy of a banana republic. This past spring the Smithfield plant in Sioux Falls, Iowa, had one of the worst clusters of COVID-19 because employees were not provided safety equipment. More than 1,000 were infected, 39 were hospitalized, and four died. Smithfield was fined $13,494 or 3373.50 per death. But the machines kept on rolling. After all, those workers were deemed “essential.”
Prayer for the Day
You challenge us and call us to be your witnesses, O God
But we are often fearful and silent In the face of injustice.
You have brought us to this place to share your freedom, O God,
But we often keep our blessings of liberty for ourselves alone.
Forgive our frailty, our fear, and our weaknesses,
Strengthen us to live with courage and determination,
In the name of the Transformer of our lives, `
Even Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen
Thoughts for the Day
I cannot say whether things will get better if we change, but I can say is that they must change if they are to get better.
George Lichtenberg, German physicist (1742–1799)
The essence of immorality is to make an exception of myself.
Jane Addams, social activist (1860–1935)
Depart from evil, and do good; so you shall abide forever.
For the Lord loves justice, God will not forsake those who are faithful.
Psalm 37:27–28