Wolf Administration Joins Labor Leaders to Honor Workers Memorial Day with Call to Action on Governor Wolf's Worker Protection Agenda

Harrisburg, PA - Wolf Administration officials from the Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) joined legislators and labor leaders Monday to honor workers who have lost their lives on the job and to call for enhanced workplace safety standards in Pennsylvania's public sector.

According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 4,760 workers suffered fatal work-related injuries in the United States in 2020Opens In A New Window, including 148 Pennsylvania workers.

Earlier this month, the Wolf Administration announced its partnership with Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) to study the feasibility of extending the protections of Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) standards to the workplaces of thousands of public-sector workers throughout PennsylvaniaOpens In A New Window.

"The safeguards of OSHA standards have protected private-sector workers in Pennsylvania for 50 years. This feasibility study will give us a roadmap to making these workplace protections universal to all Pennsylvania workers," L&I Secretary Jennifer Berrier said.

Governor Tom Wolf signed an executive order in October that directed commonwealth agencies to take actions that advance worker protections in Pennsylvania - including studying the possibility of extending OSHA standards to commonwealth workplaces. The study will also analyze the potential costs and benefits of extending OSHA standards to all public-sector workplaces in Pennsylvania.

"Each year, the Harrisburg Region Central Labor Council observes Workers Memorial Day to honor lives lost on the job and to remind Pennsylvanians that the fight for workplace safety goes on. Pennsylvania workers report to work sites in every industry across the commonwealth to earn a paycheck and support their families - not to suffer serious injury or death," said David Gash, president of the Harrisburg Region Central Labor Council. "We support Governor Wolf's advocacy for extending OSHA protections to public-sector workers."

Governor Wolf has also called on the General Assembly to support S.B. 310, sponsored by Sen. Tina Tartaglione, and H.B. 1976, sponsored by Rep. Patrick Harkins, to make OSHA safety rules applicable for all public-sector employees, aligning them with private and federal facility standards.

MEDIA CONTACT: Alex Peterson, [email protected]

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