NYC Tobacco Sweatshops Run Afoul of OSHA

September 24, 2024

 

Inspectors Hit Immigrant Tobacco Sweatshops With Hazard Fines

  • OSHA inspectors have cited tobacco factories in Brooklyn and Queens where immigrant workers complained about substandard pay and conditions.
  • HotHead Grabba, which packages tubes of loose ground tobacco leaves sold in smoke shops and convenience stores around the New York region, is facing more than $91,000 in fines for more than two dozen fire, electrical, respiratory and sanitary hazards.
  • At another HotHead facility in Ozone Park, Queens, inspectors identified 12 serious violations. 
  • OSHA recommended $36,874 in fines related to the Brooklyn factory and $54,267 in fines related to the Queens factory.
  • Earlier this year, workers lodged wage theft after processing tobacco for a fraction of the minimum wage.
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Study Finds Solid Waste Industry More Focused on Occupational Hazards

  • The vast majority of the half a million waste workers in the U.S. reported overall job satisfaction and on average perceive their workplace as somewhat safe, according to new research from the Texas A&M University School of Public Health and the University of Michigan.
  • According to the research, the solid waste industry continues to focus more on traditional occupational health hazards and less on how the social determinants of health may impact workplace health.
  • Industry workers experience higher rates of injuries and illnesses compared to workers across all private industries.
  • The analysis found that most participants reported a high level of support from both supervisors (76%) and coworkers (64%).
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Senators Coons, Moran Claim Credit for OSHA Volunteer Rethink

  • U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) issued a statement Friday stating that OSHA’s decision to  reevaluate and potentially exempt volunteer fire departments from the agency’s emergency response rule.
  • In August, the pair called on Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor Julie Su to exempt volunteer fire departments from parts of the proposed rule. 
  • The effort was also supported by Senators John Boozman (R-Ark.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Angus King (I-Maine), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.).
  • OSHA will hold a public rulemaking hearing on Nov. 12, 2024.
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