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The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH) released its 2024 “Dirty Dozen” list of employers with unsafe work practices, with Walmart, Tyson Foods, Waffle House, SpaceX, Uber, and Lyft all named.
The National COSH team shares the report annually during Worker’s Memorial Week, this year taking place year from April 21 through April 28, which honors workers who have lost their lives, or suffered injuries or illnesses, at work.
The “Dirty Dozen” is nominated by workers, union members, health and safety experts, safety activists, academic experts, and members of COSH groups across the US.
Nominees are then screened against criteria including repeated serious violations of safety standards or laws, the severity of the risk to its workers, the employer’s ability to influence wider workplace standards in the economy, and any campaigns by workers to fix health and safety issues.
“We release the Dirty Dozen each year to shine a light on what’s going wrong in U.S. workplaces – and to support workers who are joining together to make it right,” explains Jessica Martinez, MPH, co-executive director of National COSH.
"These horrible incidents keep happening" - Walmart, SpaceX, Waffle House all named
Among those named in 2024's Dirty Dozen report is retail giant Walmart, criticized for ineffective sick leave policies after an employee died in a store bathroom having been “pressured to avoid taking sick time,” and its record of workplace violence. Per the report, Walmart stores have been the scene of over 1,100 shooting incidents since 2014, resulting in over 300 deaths.
“No worker, anywhere, should ever have to choose between earning a living and risking their life. Especially not at a multibillion-dollar company like Walmart, which is an industry leader and the nation’s largest employer,” Martinez has said, speaking to Sourcing Journal.
Waffle House has also been slammed for its workplace safety record, “have developed a reputation as a hotbed for violence.” One worker, Cindy Smith, shared she has been robbed at gunpoint and is aware of an employee who was shot in the head.
“These horrible incidents keep happening,” Smith stated. “But Waffle House has never taken real action to prevent violence, like putting 24-hour security in our restaurants.”
Meanwhile, SpaceX, whose facilities have worker injury rates up to nine times higher than the industry standard in 2023, is condemned for a poor culture instilled by billionaire owner Elon Musk who is “obsessed with speed, but disregards safety.” The report notes instances of crushed limbs, amputations, chemical burns, and a preventable death.
The National COSH also held a webinar for affected workers to share their testimonials of working at the embattled employers. “After being violently assaulted by a passenger, there was no substantive or meaningful response that ever came from the rideshare company,” said JC Muhammad, a Lyft driver. “It opened my eyes to the fact that the personal safety of drivers is not actually a priority for Lyft and Uber.”
“An exciting and challenging time for workers”
Martinez describes it as an “exciting and challenging time for U.S. workers.” According to the National COSH, many workers employed by the Dirty Dozen Dirty Dozen who stood up for safety suffered from harassment and retaliation. “The challenge facing workers who are fighting for something better is that conditions in U.S. workplaces are getting worse,” she adds.
Moreover, the data shows this issue is far wider than just the Dirty Dozen. Figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show a rise in the number of fatal occupational injuries for US workers. The intel, released in December 2023, relate to the year 2022 where fatal injuries totaled 5,486, a ten-year high in the US.
“The latest data show an increase in workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses,” echoes Martinez. “An increasing number of children are being assigned to dangerous jobs, and the reality of climate change is bringing the risk of extreme heat to both indoor and outdoor workplaces.”
Past Dirty Dozen 'nominees' include Amazon, which dodged making the list for the third year running – though the National Cosh has said omission from the does not mean such employers do not also have major healthy and safety issues.
“They may not have been on the list this year, but I wouldn’t say we’re in a position to say, ‘Oh boy, all those problems at Amazon are solved,” Roger Kerson, a spokesperson for the National COSH, has stated.
Martinez does suggest there is a silver lining for employers suffering from unsafe work environments. “It’s exciting to see a renewed interest in joining unions, participating in workers’ centers and connecting with advocacy campaigns,” she notes.
2024’s Dirty Dozen list
Here is the full ‘Dirty Dozen’ list for 2024, alongside the reasoning provided by the National COSH for inclusion:
Alabama Department of Corrections: “Forced labor in Alabama prisons disproportionately targets Black men and women, who face hazardous conditions for $2 a day or less.”
Ascension: “Severe staff cuts create unsafe conditions for patients and workers at the nation’s largest Catholic health care system. Nurses are fighting back.”
Black Iron/XL Concrete: “One worker dies from electrocution; another loses a thumb at a company with 29 OSHA violations during the past decade. Black Iron workers in Nevada vote to join the Iron Workers union in 2022 and they have just learned their election is finally certified, a significant step forward in winning safer working conditions. “
Costa Farms: “In 2021, a worker dies from heat exhaustion at a Costa Farms nursery in Miami. Two years later, company executives lobby against a Miami-Dade heat safety ordinance. In 2024, the Florida legislature bans all local heat protections.”
Florence Hardwoods: “16-year old Michael Shuls is crushed to death inside a stalled conveyor at this lumber mill in northern Wisconsin. The company has been previously cited for failure to properly lock out and guard machinery – the same hazards that Shuls. “
Mar-Jac Poultry and Onin Staffing: “Duvan Pérez, an immigrant teenager is killed at this poultry firm, which has a troubling history of safety violations.”
Space X and the Boring Company: “Workers suffer crushed limbs, amputations, chemical burns and a preventable death at companies owned by billionaire Elon Musk. Workers say Musk is obsessed with speed, but disregards safety.”
Tyson Foods: “Six workers have died on the job at Tyson since 2019, and over 140 others have suffered injuries from hazardous ammonia leaks.”
Uber and Lyft: “Over 80 mobile app workers have been killed on the job since 2017, most of them working for Uber and Lyft. Workers of color and immigrants bear the brunt of these dangers.”
Valor Security and Investigations: “New York City firm is indicted for selling fake safety certificates, endangering workers who never receive any training. Construction worker Ivan Frias – with a “certificate” from Valor but never trained – falls to his death in 2022. “
Waffle House: “Restaurants in this 24-hour, 365-days-per-year chain “have developed a reputation as a hotbed for violence.” Workers are organizing to win better safety and security.”
Walmart: “Janikka Perry, pressured to avoid taking sick time, dies alone and crying out for help in a Walmart bathroom. Her family and colleagues demand better sick leave policies – and protections from workplace violence.”
