David Michaels
@drdavidmichaels.bsky.social
Epidemiologist, Professor GW School of Public Health; Longest serving OSHA head (2009-17); former Asst Secretary of Energy for Environment, Safety, & Health; Author: Triumph of Doubt: Dark Money and the Science of Deception. http://drdavidmichaels.com
Pinned
I'm new to Bluesky so a little about me: I teach at the George Washington University School of Public Health. My expertise and passion is worker safety.
I ran the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 2009-2017, and was the longest serving administrator in OSHA's history. 1/
I ran the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 2009-2017, and was the longest serving administrator in OSHA's history. 1/
Reposted by David Michaels
Texas workers are dying from heat, but business leaders and Republicans support a ban on local protections, because too many different laws will confuse businesses.
But they oppose a national OSHA standard as well.
Maybe they just don't care?
insideclimatenews.org/news/2411202...
But they oppose a national OSHA standard as well.
Maybe they just don't care?
insideclimatenews.org/news/2411202...
Texas Workers Keep Dying in the Heat - Inside Climate News
Despite its blazing temperatures, Texas has no labor protections for heat. That leaves workers, especially immigrants, vulnerable on the job.
insideclimatenews.org
November 24, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Texas workers are dying from heat, but business leaders and Republicans support a ban on local protections, because too many different laws will confuse businesses.
But they oppose a national OSHA standard as well.
Maybe they just don't care?
insideclimatenews.org/news/2411202...
But they oppose a national OSHA standard as well.
Maybe they just don't care?
insideclimatenews.org/news/2411202...
Reposted by David Michaels
Dear Congressman Messmer: How do you repeal an #OSHA standard that hasn't even been issued yet (and probably never will be)?
Enquiring minds want to know...............
Or (perish the thought), is this just an appeal for more corporate donations?
messmer.house.gov/news/documen...
Enquiring minds want to know...............
Or (perish the thought), is this just an appeal for more corporate donations?
messmer.house.gov/news/documen...
Messmer Introduces Legislation to Repeal Burdensome Biden-Era Heat Standard Rule
messmer.house.gov
November 21, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Dear Congressman Messmer: How do you repeal an #OSHA standard that hasn't even been issued yet (and probably never will be)?
Enquiring minds want to know...............
Or (perish the thought), is this just an appeal for more corporate donations?
messmer.house.gov/news/documen...
Enquiring minds want to know...............
Or (perish the thought), is this just an appeal for more corporate donations?
messmer.house.gov/news/documen...
Reposted by David Michaels
November 20, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Reposted by David Michaels
Nevada Governor Drops #OSHA Penalties for Musk company: A story of damaged bodies, corporate sway and government corruption at the highest levels.
jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...
jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...
November 19, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Nevada Governor Drops #OSHA Penalties for Musk company: A story of damaged bodies, corporate sway and government corruption at the highest levels.
jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...
jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...
Reposted by David Michaels
How workers died last week: Coal mining, construction, prison attack, falls, machinery, electrocution, vehicle incidents and shootings. On average, over 100 workers are killed every week in the US due to traumatic injuries suffered at work.
jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...
jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...
Killed on the Job: Weekly Toll - Confined Space
How workers died last week: Coal mining, construction, fall, machinery, electrocution, vehicle incidents and shootings. On average, over 100 workers are killed every week in the United States due to t...
jordanbarab.com
November 17, 2025 at 10:20 PM
How workers died last week: Coal mining, construction, prison attack, falls, machinery, electrocution, vehicle incidents and shootings. On average, over 100 workers are killed every week in the US due to traumatic injuries suffered at work.
jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...
jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...
If you haven't been following the horrific impact of the USAID shutdown, stop what you are doing, read @agawande.bsky.social's short essay and watch this movie.
Then share it with others.
We must not allow these deaths to go unnoticed, since our government's actions are directly responsible.
Then share it with others.
We must not allow these deaths to go unnoticed, since our government's actions are directly responsible.
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
www.newyorker.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:33 PM
If you haven't been following the horrific impact of the USAID shutdown, stop what you are doing, read @agawande.bsky.social's short essay and watch this movie.
Then share it with others.
We must not allow these deaths to go unnoticed, since our government's actions are directly responsible.
Then share it with others.
We must not allow these deaths to go unnoticed, since our government's actions are directly responsible.
"A spokesman for the Institute of Makers of Explosives said the industry is highly regulated and views safety as its top priority."
This is what PR experts tell corporate and trade association leaders to say after workers are killed on the job.
It is never true.
Thanks @johnkeilman.bsky.social
This is what PR experts tell corporate and trade association leaders to say after workers are killed on the job.
It is never true.
Thanks @johnkeilman.bsky.social
Regulators Bypassed Building 602. Then It Blew Up.
The site of an explosion that killed 16 workers in Tennessee was part of an “industry that polices itself.”
www.wsj.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:23 AM
"A spokesman for the Institute of Makers of Explosives said the industry is highly regulated and views safety as its top priority."
This is what PR experts tell corporate and trade association leaders to say after workers are killed on the job.
It is never true.
Thanks @johnkeilman.bsky.social
This is what PR experts tell corporate and trade association leaders to say after workers are killed on the job.
It is never true.
Thanks @johnkeilman.bsky.social
Reposted by David Michaels
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo dropped more than $400,000 in OSHA fines against Elon Musk's Boring Company after 2 firefighters suffered chemical burns in a Boring Co. tunnel. Boring Pres Steve Davis made a call to Lombardo's office after which the penalty was dropped.
www.8newsnow.com/news/report-...
www.8newsnow.com/news/report-...
www.8newsnow.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo dropped more than $400,000 in OSHA fines against Elon Musk's Boring Company after 2 firefighters suffered chemical burns in a Boring Co. tunnel. Boring Pres Steve Davis made a call to Lombardo's office after which the penalty was dropped.
www.8newsnow.com/news/report-...
www.8newsnow.com/news/report-...
Reposted by David Michaels
I'm bowled over by how beautifully NewsHour distilled the story of the community I had the privilege of following for my book. A heartfelt thanks to William Brangham and his crew for lifting up the voices of residents and spreading awareness about the scourge of #PFAS.
youtube.com/watch?v=cJYU...
youtube.com/watch?v=cJYU...
How a small community fought for justice after finding forever chemicals in drinking water
YouTube video by PBS NewsHour
youtube.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:36 PM
I'm bowled over by how beautifully NewsHour distilled the story of the community I had the privilege of following for my book. A heartfelt thanks to William Brangham and his crew for lifting up the voices of residents and spreading awareness about the scourge of #PFAS.
youtube.com/watch?v=cJYU...
youtube.com/watch?v=cJYU...
Reposted by David Michaels
This is so odious and spiteful. But par for the course for these monsters.
🚨Dept. of Education proposes to exclude public health degrees from the “professional degree” category.
That means new public health experts could lose access to key higher ed resources, like loan limits & reimbursement.
A bold strategy to let infectious diseases win! 🦠
aspph.org/department-o...
That means new public health experts could lose access to key higher ed resources, like loan limits & reimbursement.
A bold strategy to let infectious diseases win! 🦠
aspph.org/department-o...
Department of Education Proposal Excludes Public Health Degrees from “Professional Degree” Definition
Discover the new results and implications of Dept of Ed consensus regarding professional degree programs and public health education.
aspph.org
November 14, 2025 at 12:35 AM
This is so odious and spiteful. But par for the course for these monsters.
Reposted by David Michaels
Tonight, @NewsHour airs a segment about They Poisoned the World and the wonderful, courageous people at the heart of the book. I promise their stories will inspire you! #PFAS #ForeverChemicals @CrownPublishing
November 13, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Tonight, @NewsHour airs a segment about They Poisoned the World and the wonderful, courageous people at the heart of the book. I promise their stories will inspire you! #PFAS #ForeverChemicals @CrownPublishing
Reposted by David Michaels
While cracking down on undocumented immigrants, Florida gives contracts to companies relying undocumented workers.
That includes 💰 to the construction company Archer Western whose employees die at more than twice the industry average.
@tampabaytimes.bsky.social www.tampabay.com/investigatio...
That includes 💰 to the construction company Archer Western whose employees die at more than twice the industry average.
@tampabaytimes.bsky.social www.tampabay.com/investigatio...
Undocumented workers built Florida’s roads — and died in the process
Gov. Ron DeSantis has said undocumented immigrants pose threats. But prominent state highway projects relied on them.
www.tampabay.com
November 12, 2025 at 4:26 PM
While cracking down on undocumented immigrants, Florida gives contracts to companies relying undocumented workers.
That includes 💰 to the construction company Archer Western whose employees die at more than twice the industry average.
@tampabaytimes.bsky.social www.tampabay.com/investigatio...
That includes 💰 to the construction company Archer Western whose employees die at more than twice the industry average.
@tampabaytimes.bsky.social www.tampabay.com/investigatio...
Reposted by David Michaels
Today is the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a Great Lakes cargo ship, killing 29 crewmen, made famous by the Gordon Lightfoot song.
jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...
jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...
The Edmund Fitzgerald: 50 Years Later - Confined Space
This the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a tragedy made famous by the Gordon LIghtfoot song.
jordanbarab.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Today is the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a Great Lakes cargo ship, killing 29 crewmen, made famous by the Gordon Lightfoot song.
jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...
jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...
💯
Who gets to be a doctor in America is about to change.
Trump’s new federal student loan caps will push lower-income students out of medicine and make the physician shortage worse. As I have argued for years, it's time to shorten medical school to three years.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/o...
Trump’s new federal student loan caps will push lower-income students out of medicine and make the physician shortage worse. As I have argued for years, it's time to shorten medical school to three years.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/o...
Opinion | Make Medical School Three Years
www.nytimes.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:02 PM
💯
Reposted by David Michaels
PHOTO ESSAY: Coal miners with black lung fight Trump administration rollback of safety protections
apnews.com/photo-essay/...
apnews.com/photo-essay/...
PHOTO ESSAY: Coal miners with black lung fight Trump administration rollback of safety protections
OAK HILL, W.Va. (AP) — Deep in the hills of West Virginia, coal mining and the dangers that come with it have been a part of families’ lives for generations.
apnews.com
November 9, 2025 at 2:14 AM
PHOTO ESSAY: Coal miners with black lung fight Trump administration rollback of safety protections
apnews.com/photo-essay/...
apnews.com/photo-essay/...
Reposted by David Michaels
My latest: How the Trump Administration is giving even more tax breaks to wealthy and giant corporations: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/b...
How the Trump Administration Is Giving Even More Tax Breaks to the Wealthy
www.nytimes.com
November 8, 2025 at 12:52 PM
My latest: How the Trump Administration is giving even more tax breaks to wealthy and giant corporations: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/b...
Reposted by David Michaels
Professor David Michaels was quoted this week in Bloomberg Law: “Advisory committees are invaluable to the functioning of government agencies." The article discusses the rapid pace at which the Trump Administration has been eliminating Expert advisory panels. 🔗 news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-...
Trump Axes Expert Panels at Historic Clip, Defying Agency Advice
The Trump administration this year has eliminated about 160 expert advisory committees across the federal government, almost a third of them over the recommendations of the agencies that oversee…
news.bloomberglaw.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Professor David Michaels was quoted this week in Bloomberg Law: “Advisory committees are invaluable to the functioning of government agencies." The article discusses the rapid pace at which the Trump Administration has been eliminating Expert advisory panels. 🔗 news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-...
Make Lung Disease Great Again
This should be the Trump Administration's new slogan.
The Mine Safety & Health Administration has stopped enforcing the silica exposure standard and is dismantling NIOSH, which does lung disease research and certifies respirators.
Thanks Margie Mason & @apnews.com
This should be the Trump Administration's new slogan.
The Mine Safety & Health Administration has stopped enforcing the silica exposure standard and is dismantling NIOSH, which does lung disease research and certifies respirators.
Thanks Margie Mason & @apnews.com
Deep in Trump country, coal miners with black lung say government is suffocating the 'working man'
Lisa Emery, a respiratory therapist, is deeply concerned about West Virginia coal miners suffering from black lung disease.
apnews.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Make Lung Disease Great Again
This should be the Trump Administration's new slogan.
The Mine Safety & Health Administration has stopped enforcing the silica exposure standard and is dismantling NIOSH, which does lung disease research and certifies respirators.
Thanks Margie Mason & @apnews.com
This should be the Trump Administration's new slogan.
The Mine Safety & Health Administration has stopped enforcing the silica exposure standard and is dismantling NIOSH, which does lung disease research and certifies respirators.
Thanks Margie Mason & @apnews.com
Where have all the middle class jobs gone?
Stop what you are doing and read the results of a very important study explaining why so many workers are living in poverty even when they are working full-time, or more than full-time.
Stop what you are doing and read the results of a very important study explaining why so many workers are living in poverty even when they are working full-time, or more than full-time.
UPS & Amazon represents an epic battle of two work systems: one offering protections for workers and good jobs and one that undermines them. Guess whose winning? share.google/wrWucVQJshXU... @danielschneider.bsky.social @juliesulabor.bsky.social @bruey
The unraveling of workplace protections for delivery drivers: A tale of 2 workplace models
A first-of-its-kind study finds Amazon’s delivery drivers earn less and face more instability than their unionized counterparts.
share.google
November 7, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Where have all the middle class jobs gone?
Stop what you are doing and read the results of a very important study explaining why so many workers are living in poverty even when they are working full-time, or more than full-time.
Stop what you are doing and read the results of a very important study explaining why so many workers are living in poverty even when they are working full-time, or more than full-time.
Fascinating, illuminating report on the most recent convening of @collegiumramazzini.org where public health scientists from around the globe reported on environmental hazards facing workers and children, and the heroic efforts to reduce those toxic exposures.
Thank you @digitalchip.bsky.social
Thank you @digitalchip.bsky.social
Collegium Ramazzini: A hard-eyed reckoning with present workplace safety and health catastrophes and a collective commitment to do something about them.
jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...
jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...
The Work Continues: Ramazzini Days 2025 and the Future of Occupational Health - Confined Space
The Collegium Ramazzini gathered for its annual conference, less to celebrate past achievements than to reckon with present catastrophes and commit to do something about them.
jordanbarab.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:45 AM
Fascinating, illuminating report on the most recent convening of @collegiumramazzini.org where public health scientists from around the globe reported on environmental hazards facing workers and children, and the heroic efforts to reduce those toxic exposures.
Thank you @digitalchip.bsky.social
Thank you @digitalchip.bsky.social
A very well-deserved honor!
Huge congratulations to @naomioreskes.bsky.social whose work has exposed the efforts of the fossil fuel industry to manufacture doubt about the harms caused by their products.
Huge congratulations to @naomioreskes.bsky.social whose work has exposed the efforts of the fossil fuel industry to manufacture doubt about the harms caused by their products.
Congratulations to @csldf.org Board member @naomioreskes.bsky.social on receiving the 2025 Volvo Environment Prize!
"Through this process of questioning, we can discern good claims from bad ones,... and figuring out what seems to be true about the world." 👏👏👏
www.volvogroup.com/en/news-and-...
"Through this process of questioning, we can discern good claims from bad ones,... and figuring out what seems to be true about the world." 👏👏👏
www.volvogroup.com/en/news-and-...
Harvard Professor Naomi Oreskes Receives the 2025 Volvo Environment Prize
Press Release from the Volvo Environment Prize Foundation Naomi Oreskes, a world-renowned earth scientist and historian from Harvard University, is the recipient of the 2025 Volvo Environment Prize. S...
www.volvogroup.com
November 5, 2025 at 8:55 PM
A very well-deserved honor!
Huge congratulations to @naomioreskes.bsky.social whose work has exposed the efforts of the fossil fuel industry to manufacture doubt about the harms caused by their products.
Huge congratulations to @naomioreskes.bsky.social whose work has exposed the efforts of the fossil fuel industry to manufacture doubt about the harms caused by their products.
Reposted by David Michaels
How workers died last week: Logging, tree care, electrocution, fall, drowning, vehicle incidents and shootings: The Weekly Toll
jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...
jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...
Killed at Work: The Weekly Toll - Confined Space
On average, over 100 workers are killed every week in the United States due to traumatic injuries suffered at work. Here are how a few died last week.
jordanbarab.com
November 3, 2025 at 10:02 PM
How workers died last week: Logging, tree care, electrocution, fall, drowning, vehicle incidents and shootings: The Weekly Toll
jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...
jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...
Reposted by David Michaels
This is a beautiful piece about Mamdani and working people by Luis Feliz Leon @inthesetimes.com. inthesetimes.com/article/zohr...
Zohran Mamdani on the Night Shift for Mayor
As Election Day nears, the Democratic mayoral candidate returns to his base among New York City’s multiracial working class.
inthesetimes.com
November 1, 2025 at 12:15 AM
This is a beautiful piece about Mamdani and working people by Luis Feliz Leon @inthesetimes.com. inthesetimes.com/article/zohr...
Reposted by David Michaels
This Day in Labor History: October 30, 1837. Nicholas Farwell, a train engineer toiling for the Boston and Worcester Rail Road Corporation fell off a train while at work and had his hand crushed by the train. Farwell sued the company for damages. Judge said, nope! Nothing for the injured workers!
October 30, 2025 at 1:14 PM
This Day in Labor History: October 30, 1837. Nicholas Farwell, a train engineer toiling for the Boston and Worcester Rail Road Corporation fell off a train while at work and had his hand crushed by the train. Farwell sued the company for damages. Judge said, nope! Nothing for the injured workers!
Reposted by David Michaels
How workers died last week: Gas well explosion, falls, window washing, rail incidents, forklifts, trash compactor, tree care, farming, explosion, cancer, vehicle incidents and shootings.
On average, 100 workers are killed on the job in the U.S. every week.
jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...
On average, 100 workers are killed on the job in the U.S. every week.
jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...
Weekly Toll: How Workers Died - Confined Space
On average, over 100 workers are killed every week in the United States due to traumatic injuries suffered at work. Here are how a few died last week.
jordanbarab.com
October 28, 2025 at 3:25 PM
How workers died last week: Gas well explosion, falls, window washing, rail incidents, forklifts, trash compactor, tree care, farming, explosion, cancer, vehicle incidents and shootings.
On average, 100 workers are killed on the job in the U.S. every week.
jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...
On average, 100 workers are killed on the job in the U.S. every week.
jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...