One Worker Dies Every 104 Minutes: National COSH Dirty Dozen 2026 Exposes Dangerous Companies Putting Workers at Risk
- New report released during Workers’ Memorial Week highlighting preventable workplace hazards and calls for urgent accountability.
- Latino, immigrant, and Black workers disproportionately face dangerous conditions, exploitation, and barriers to workplace protections.
- Released amid a sharp drop in workplace health and safety enforcement, as federal penalties decline 47 percent in 2025.
Los Angeles, CA – On April 22, marking the beginning of Workers’ Memorial Week—observed this year from April 22 to April 29—the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH) has released its 2026 Dirty Dozen report, identifying twelve companies that have put workers’ lives at risk through unsafe practices, inadequate protections, and systemic neglect. The report comes as federal workplace health and safety penalties drop nearly 45 percent during the current administration, according to Good Jobs First, raising alarm about declining enforcement just as preventable deaths, injuries, and illnesses continue across the country. The Dirty Dozen underscores the urgent need for stronger enforcement and corporate accountability.
“Every year, we honor workers who have lost their lives on the job, and every year, we see the same pattern: companies prioritizing profit over people,” said Jessica E. Martinez, MPH, Executive Director of National COSH. “The Dirty Dozen 2026 makes clear that these tragedies are not accidents, they are the result of choices. Employers must be held accountable, and workers must be empowered to speak out without fear.”
Across industries, the report documents recurring corporate failures that placed workers at risk, including extreme heat, hazardous machinery, toxic chemicals, wage theft, retaliation, and exploitative labor practices. Weak enforcement, reflected in a 47 percent drop in workplace health and safety penalties in 2025, and complex subcontracting systems allow companies to evade responsibility while workers bear the consequences.
The Dirty Dozen 2026 includes the following companies, listed in alphabetical order:
- Alliance Ground International: Repeated safety violations, unsafe equipment, and worker mistreatment allegations.
- Cambria Company, LLC: Engineered stone products linked to deadly silica disease.
- CommonSpirit Health: Unsafe staffing, workplace violence, and labor concerns impacting care.
- Consolidated Catfish Producers, LLC: Amputations, machine hazards, and dangerous indoor heat.
- D.R. Horton, Inc.: Repeated safety violations and hazardous construction jobsite conditions amid ICE enforcement actions.
- Hyundai-Kia U.S. Supply Chain: Worker deaths, child labor findings, and subcontracted exploitation.
- Jeny Sod and Nursery: Wage theft claims, heat risks, pesticide exposure, and housing concerns.
- LSG Sky Chefs: Extreme heat and lack of cooling protections for workers.
- Maker’s Pride LLC (formerly Hearthside, LLC): Amputations, child labor violations, and anti-union concerns.
- Revoli Construction Co., Inc: Decades of trenching violations ending in fatal collapse.
- Subway IP LLC: Wage theft, retaliation, and labor issues across franchises.
- Wellmade Industries MFR. N.A LLC: safety violations, labor exploitation, and trafficking investigation.
Workers directly impacted by these conditions shared powerful testimonies that underscore the human cost of unsafe workplaces.
Gustavo Reyes Gonzalez, former engineered stonecutter who worked with Cambria products and is now living with silicosis, said: “For more than a decade, I cut and polished engineered stone without knowing the dust I was breathing could kill me. By the time I was diagnosed with silicosis, my lungs were already severely damaged. No one warned me about the risks or the silica in the product. If I had known, I would have chosen a different path to protect my life.”
A catfish processing worker at Consolidated Catfish Producers, LLC, who requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation, said: “The heat inside the plant is overwhelming. By the time we reach a break, we are dizzy and dehydrated, and we don’t always have safe access to water. People get seriously injured on the machines, and others are put in their place without proper training. It feels like safety is not a priority.”
Kissy Cox, an auto manufacturing worker at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Company, part of the Hyundai-Kia U.S. supply chain, said: “I reported my injuries, but I was still required to work in pain for months before getting proper medical attention. Many of my coworkers are going through the same thing. The company says it’s a safe place to work, but the reality does not match what we experience.”
An auto manufacturing supply chain worker employed through a subcontractor connected to the Hyundai-Kia U.S. Supply Chain, who requested anonymity, said: “We see safety violations every day, from inadequate training to dangerous conditions that put lives at risk. Workers have been injured and even killed, yet there is little accountability. We want safe jobs, not just promises.”
A food processing worker at Maker’s Pride LLC (formerly Hearthside, LLC), who requested anonymity due to risk of retaliation, said: “We are pushed to work faster and faster, often skipping water or bathroom breaks because of the pressure. People get sick, dizzy, and injured, but many do not report it because they are afraid of losing their jobs. We are treated like machines instead of human beings.”
Martinez added: “No one should have to risk their life to earn a paycheck. These workers are showing tremendous courage by speaking out. Their voices must shape stronger protections, real accountability, and every worker’s right to return home safe.” National COSH calls on policymakers for stronger workplace protections, increased enforcement resources, accountability across supply chains, federal health protections, and safeguards against retaliation when workers speak out.
Dirty Dozen 2026 report
