Podcast Summary: WSJ What’s News – "The Struggle to Keep America’s Workers Safe"

Host: Katherine Sullivan (The Wall Street Journal)
Date: December 21, 2025
Episode Theme:
A historical and present-day investigation into the struggle for workplace safety in America—examining preventable industrial diseases like silicosis, the evolution and effectiveness of safety regulations and agencies, and the tension between profit and worker protection. Through firsthand accounts and expert commentary, the episode connects landmark tragedies, regulatory pivots, and individual cases to current challenges and political battles over worker safety.

Main Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Human Cost: Modern Silicosis Outbreaks

• (00:18–05:19)
  • Eric Reyes Barriga’s Story:
    • Reyes Barriga liked his job in stone fabrication, unaware of the dangers (00:27).
      • Quote: “Nobody was saying anything about it was dangerous… They never said anything about.” — Eric Reyes Barriga (00:57)
    • Reyes Barriga and his father-in-law both contracted silicosis, a life-threatening lung disease from inhaling silica dust while cutting engineered stone (01:06–01:55).
      • Quote: “It was shocking because…I had to start rethinking my entire career…Imagine seeing my kids suffering every time they see their grandpa and then seeing me at the same time in the same place.” — Eric Reyes Barriga (01:55)
    • Silicosis is described as “100% preventable,” yet cases are rising among younger workers due to the popularity of engineered stone (02:21–03:10; Dr. Jane Fazio).
    • Despite new California regulations and a Massachusetts alert, uncertainty remains over their adequacy; Australia enacted a full ban on engineered stone (03:39–04:38).
      • Quote: “When I got out…I got out of the industry. They told me…’Congratulations, you are going to live a little bit longer. By the end of the day, you’re still going to end up probably on the list of lung transplants eventually.’” — Eric Reyes Barriga (04:58)
    • Reyes Barriga now advocates for stoneworker safety and litigation against manufacturers.

2. The Historical Arc: How Workplace Safety Evolved

a. Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

• (06:24–09:09)
  • Frances Perkins’s Recollection:
    • Vivid retelling of the 1911 fire: locked exits, desperate workers, mass casualties (146 dead) (06:24–07:46).
      • Quote: “We could see this building from Washington Square and the people had just begun to jump when we got there.” — Frances Perkins (07:06)
    • Led to massive public outcry, a shift in blame from workers to employers, and legislative reform in New York State (08:10–09:09).
      • Quote: “In the first couple of decades of the 20th century, there's an estimate that 35,000 workers died every year on the job. Two million suffered injuries.” — Gerald Markowitz (08:34)
    • Eventually, many reforms became national policy when Perkins became Secretary of Labor.

b. The Gauley Bridge/Hawk's Nest Tunnel Disaster

• (10:54–14:58)
  • 1930s tunnel construction in West Virginia—hundreds (perhaps over a thousand, mostly Black workers) died of acute silicosis due to unprotected exposure to dust (11:39–12:06; 12:45–13:29).
    • Quote: “I worked until I got sick, and the doctor told me that it was silicosis. And he also told me that anyone that worked as much as 24 hours would not be living 15 years.” — Walter Kincaid (13:03)
  • Sparked congressional hearings and public health campaigns, but not immediate federal legislation.

c. Attempts at Industry Self-Regulation

• (15:21–16:43)
  • Industry groups formed standards, such as the Air Hygiene (later Industrial Hygiene) Foundation, in an effort to stave off federal intervention (15:50–16:15).
    • Quote: “They recognized that if they can establish standards and inform businesses…the dangers…they can stave off federal regulation. And really, they're successful at that. Until 1970.” — Gerald Markowitz (16:15)

3. Turning Point: The Creation and Limitations of OSHA

• (16:55–20:05)
  • 1970: President Nixon signs the Occupational Health and Safety Act, creating OSHA and NIOSH (occupational health research) (17:01–17:12).
    • Quote: “12,500 people lost their lives in accidents in America's factories and…2 million people were injured. This bill deals with that.” — Gerald Markowitz (17:21)
  • OSHA’s approach was to work with industry, noting the financial costs of injuries, yet many businesses opposed federal regulation (18:16–18:48).
    • Quote: “When given the choice between regulation and non-regulation, companies would always prefer non-regulation.” — Gerald Markowitz (18:16)
  • Industry resistance continued, stalling updates to exposure standards, including for silica (18:48–19:42).
  • Regulatory enthusiasm waned with pro-business administrations (e.g., Reagan) (19:42–20:05).

4. The Modern Regulatory Landscape: Outdated Standards and Corporate Choices

• (20:19–21:31)
  • Under the Obama administration, Dr. David Michaels found OSHA standards were “pretty much irrelevant” due to their age and slow updating process; many hazards remain under-regulated (20:36–20:58).
    • Quote: “OSHA Health Standards are so out of date that they're pretty much irrelevant for many of the employers who worry about these exposures.” — David Michaels (20:58)
  • Some companies exceed OSHA requirements by choice (21:25–21:31).
    • Quote: “They recognize that they have to be safer than OSHA requires them to be, and they are.” — David Michaels (21:25)

5. A Rare Success Story: Profits and Safety Aligned

• (21:53–24:38)
  • James Gallogly at LyondellBasell:
    • Turned the company around after bankruptcy by prioritizing safety—updating facilities, changing company culture, and insisting clients pass safety audits, even at financial cost (22:11–23:45).
      • Quote: “Safety is a religion to me. It turns out that if you operate really, really well, you're doing a lot of things right. And that begins with safety.” — James Gallogly (22:38)
      • Quote: “If they couldn't pass our safety audit, we would not sell to them…I know you'll pay a very good price, but we're not going to let you use our product.” — James Gallogly (23:45)
    • Company’s safety record was lauded, stock price doubled; but after his departure, a fatal accident occurred—underscoring how leadership and culture matter (24:02–24:39).

6. Today’s Uncertain Future: Political Erosion of Protections

• (24:39–26:52)
  • 2023: Injuries/fatalities down, but chronic illnesses still kill at least 135,000 Americans annually; real toll is likely higher (24:39).
  • Current politics threaten further erosion of regulation:
    • Trump administration pushes OSHA/NIOSH funding cuts; bills to abolish OSHA and gut NIOSH threaten government research on workplace dangers like engineered stone (24:39–26:26).
    • Quote: “These days, I don’t see many positive outcomes in public health…I don’t see industry coming together and saying collectively we need to fund this research. And that’s unfortunate.” — David Michaels (26:26)
  • Without regulatory or research institutions, advocacy for worker safety is left to individuals or NGOs.
    • Quote: “The United States really believes in individualism, the benefits of free enterprise, and it takes a lot to overcome that. And unfortunately it seems that that a lot means workers’ lives.” — Gerald Markowitz (26:52)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Nobody was saying anything about it was dangerous… They never said anything about.”
  — Eric Reyes Barriga (00:57)
• “It was shocking because…I had to start rethinking…my entire career…Imagine seeing my kids suffering every time they see their grandpa and then seeing me at the same time in the same place.”
  — Eric Reyes Barriga (01:55)
• “Pretty much, it’s a disease that’s 100% preventable. Like, the appropriate number of people that should get silicosis is zero.”
  — Dr. Jane Fazio (02:21)
• “We could see this building from Washington Square…The people had just begun to jump when we got there.”
  — Frances Perkins (07:06)
• “In the first couple of decades of the 20th century, there's an estimate that 35,000 workers died every year on the job. Two million suffered injuries.”
  — Gerald Markowitz (08:34)
• “I think something should be done for our wives and family after we are gone.”
  — Walter Kincaid, Hawk's Nest tunnel worker (13:03)
• “12,500 people lost their lives in accidents in America's factories and…2 million people were injured. This bill deals with that.”
  — Gerald Markowitz on OSHA (17:21)
• “Safety is a religion to me. It turns out that if you operate really, really well, you're doing a lot of things right. And that begins with safety.”
  — James Gallogly (22:38)
• “These days, I don’t see many positive outcomes in public health…I don’t see industry coming together and saying collectively we need to fund this research. And that’s unfortunate.”
  — David Michaels (26:26)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• Eric Reyes Barriga’s silicosis story: 00:18–05:19
• Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire: 06:24–09:09
• Gauley Bridge Tunnel Disaster and Silicosis: 10:54–14:58
• Industry Self-Regulation: 15:21–16:43
• OSHA Creation and Challenges: 16:55–20:05
• Modern standards and company practices: 20:19–21:31
• LyondellBasell turnaround/Safety-led profit success: 21:53–24:38
• Current political/regulatory context: 24:39–26:52

Closing Reflection

Tone:
Throughout, the episode takes a sober, investigative tone, combining human-centered storytelling with interviews and historical context. It highlights both systemic failures and rare successes, ending on a cautionary note regarding the precarious state of worker protections in today’s political environment.

For Listeners:
The episode demonstrates that the fight for worker safety is ongoing. Regulations ebb and flow with political climate and business pressures; without robust oversight, preventable tragedies can—and do—repeat. Individual stories, like that of Reyes Barriga, serve as reminders of the real lives at stake in these policy debates.