Federal Labor Enforcement Drops as Workplace Deaths Reach One Every 105 Minutes

More than 5,000 workers died on the job in 2024—one fatality every hour and 45 minutes—while federal enforcement of labor protections declined sharply under budget cuts and reduced staffing, according to a report released April 22 by the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration now operates with 20 percent fewer inspectors than in previous years, according to COSH's annual "Dirty Dozen" report, which documented a 42 percent drop in willful violations issued and a 47 percent decline in workplace health and safety penalties. Wage and hour enforcement cases have fallen 97 percent, the report showed, citing data from Good Jobs First published last December.

"The figure is low because it doesn't include unreported deaths and the much greater toll from occupational diseases," COSH national director Jessica Martinez said during an April 22 press conference announcing the organization's list of 12 employers with "patterns of neglect" in worker safety.

Companies Named for Safety Violations

The Dirty Dozen list includes D.R. Horton, the nation's largest homebuilder, alongside Hyundai-Kia's parts-supply chain and two major airport-support companies, Alliance Ground International and LSG Sky Chefs. Consolidated Catfish, a Mississippi processing plant, made the list after workers reported heat exposure and inadequate access to clean water despite temperatures from machinery and southern weather.

One Consolidated Catfish worker, speaking anonymously out of fear of retaliation, told reporters the plant maintains only one or two functioning water fountains and both are unsanitary. The worker said she had witnessed multiple instances of heatstroke among colleagues and saw workers lose fingers and limbs to machinery.

The Cambria Company, a Minnesota manufacturer of artificial-stone kitchen countertops, was named for exposing workers to silica dust during production. California Department of Public Health data posted April 23 showed 30 artificial-stone workers in the state have died from silicosis since 2019, with 547 total cases diagnosed—most within the past 16 months. Nearly three-quarters of cases occurred in the Los Angeles area, and almost all victims were Latino men.

Artificial Stone Industry Under Scrutiny

Former Cambria worker Gustavo Reyes Gonzalez developed breathing problems in 2019 and received a silicosis diagnosis in 2021. A doctor told him in 2022 he had one year to live. A double lung transplant in early 2023 extended his life, though he said the transplant would last only a few more years.

"There is no reason to allow this carnage to continue," David Michaels, who served as assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety during the Obama administration, told a House subcommittee in January. Australia banned artificial stone after a silicosis epidemic among workers, and manufacturers there found safer substitutes, Michaels said.

The subcommittee held hearings on legislation that would prohibit lawsuits against artificial-stone manufacturers and sellers for injuries caused by fabricators they hire who violate federal or state safety regulations. Martinez said supply chains allow companies to avoid accountability for workplace conditions.

Supply Chain Accountability Questions

In Hyundai and Kia's supply chain, concentrated in Alabama and Georgia, workers operate under a subcontracting and temporary-labor-agency model that reduces labor costs while parent companies deny responsibility for legal violations, the COSH report stated. Two workers died in accidents at the LG battery plant within Hyundai's Metaplant America complex near Savannah in 2025—one crushed to death and another struck by a forklift.

One Metaplant worker, speaking anonymously in Spanish, said injuries occur frequently and workers receive pay late or in amounts below what they earned. Workers fear reporting problems because of potential termination or deportation, the worker said.

Kissy Cox, who works at the Hyundai plant in Montgomery, Alabama, wore a black sling on her right arm as she described her injuries: a ruptured right rotator cuff, rotator-cuff strains in both shoulders, arthritis, and carpal-tunnel syndrome. "If you speak out or report an injury, you're more than likely to be retaliated against," Cox said.

Heat Hazards and Other Violations

Martinez identified heat exposure as an emerging workplace crisis. Phoenix city inspectors responding to worker complaints at LSG Sky Chefs, a major airline meal producer, found none of 12 trucks checked had functioning air-conditioning during summer 2025 inspections. One worker told the City Council that air temperature reached 112 degrees one June afternoon, while the tarmac surface measured 155 degrees.

Jeny Sod and Nursery, a South Florida landscape supplier, made the list for heat exposure combined with wage-theft complaints and pesticide contact. Food manufacturer Maker's Pride was cited for amputations, child-labor violations, and union-busting activity. The Subway sandwich chain appeared on the list for wage theft and retaliation against workers who raised concerns.

Federal authorities charged the owner of Wellmade Industries, a Georgia flooring manufacturer, with human trafficking in March 2025. Both OSHA and local fire marshals had previously cited the factory for safety hazards. OSHA documented "repeated and willful" safety violations at airline baggage contractor Alliance Ground International.

Why This Matters Now

The enforcement decline creates a double threat for workers navigating dangerous conditions: fewer inspectors to identify hazards and reduced penalties to deter violations. With one workplace death occurring every 105 minutes alongside a 97 percent drop in wage enforcement cases, the infrastructure meant to protect workers has contracted precisely when documented violations show employers cutting corners on safety equipment, climate control, and protective measures.

The shift affects organizing efforts directly. Workers who fear retaliation for reporting injuries or unsafe conditions—like those at Metaplant who worry about deportation or the Consolidated Catfish employee who spoke anonymously—face higher barriers to collective action. When federal enforcement weakens, workplace committees become the primary accountability mechanism, but organizing requires workers willing to speak up despite risks that have grown as oversight diminished.

The artificial-stone silicosis crisis demonstrates how enforcement gaps allow preventable diseases to spread. Australia banned the material after identifying the health threat, but U.S. manufacturers continue production as diagnosed cases triple in 16 months. Without regulatory pressure, workers in supply chains from countertop fabrication to auto parts assembly bear health costs while corporations structure operations to avoid liability through subcontracting layers.