FDA Cuts, Child Labor and Leading by Example: What I’m Reading This Week
This has been a long and difficult week.
Two-thirds of the workers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) are expected to lose their job, part of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s plans to shrink the Department of Health and Human Service from 82,000 to 62,000 workers.
The U.S. stock market saw its worst day since 2020 following President Trump’s announcement of the latest round of tariffs.
At least six people were killed by the tornadoes and flash flooding across parts of the South and Midwest. More storms are expected in the coming days.
I don’t know what the next few months—let alone days—will bring, but we at EHS Today support you. Please, please let us know if there’s something we can do to help you keep others safe.
Until next time, stay safe, be well and be kind.
Food and Drug Safety Cuts
It’s easy to complain about the number of food recalls or the length of time before a new pharmaceutical drug or device hits the market. But these recalls and lengthy review process represent efforts by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to safeguard the general public.
Soon, they might not be there.
The New York Times reporter Christina Jewett took a closer look at Kennedy’s proposed cuts to the Food and Drug Administration to explain the work that these unknown thousands of workers do behind the scenes to keep us safe.
The FDA eliminated scientists at a lab near San Francisco that tested for deadly bacteria on food. Staff members who monitored drug safety and efficacy were also laid off at a lab in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They specialized in assessing eye drops, nasal sprays and drugs administered via a patch on the skin.
Dr. Namandjé N. Bumpus, who previously served as the FDA’s principal deputy commissioner (or the No. 2 official) and as the chief scientist, told Jewett: “The lab scientists at the FDA are very important to the fabric of the agency.”
I encourage you to read the entire article here.
Child Labor
Florida has garnered attention for recent bicameral legislation that would further roll back existing child labor laws. Last year, the legislature passed policy allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to work 30-hour weeks.
Florida senators are advancing SB 918, a bill that would further loosen restrictions on work that Florida teenagers could do. SB 918 would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to work more than eight hours on school nights and over 30 hours a week during the school year—without mandated breaks. The bill would also remove restrictions on overnight work for 14- and 15-year-olds who are homeschooled, attend virtual school or have graduated high school.
Meanwhile, the house version, HB 1225, would allow 13-year-olds to work during the summer of the year they turn 14.
Florida Republican Representative Monique Miller said during her bill’s first committee stop that it will give more control to families about deciding when their children work.
“I think every family needs to make that decision for what's best for them, instead of having the government tell them what's best,” she said, as reported by WUSF.
Recently, Governor Ron DeSantis voiced his support for the proposed senate bill, which he said could help address labor shortages as a result of the Trump administration’s efforts to crackdown on immigration and deport undocumented immigrants.
"Why do we say we need to import foreigners, even import them illegally, when teenagers used to work at these resorts? College students should be able to do this stuff," DeSantis said at a roundtable event hosted by New College of Florida. Notably, most individuals don’t start attending college until they are at least 18 years old, and they would not be subject to child labor laws.
The fate of the proposed Florida legislation is unclear.
In fiscal year 2023, the Department of Labor found 5,792 children were working in violation of federal labor laws for children. While that’s only the known and reported violations—the actual figure is certainly higher—it’s still the highest number of violations in decades. In 2024, the American Society of Safety Professionals formally opposed all forms of exploitative child labor.
Read more about Florida’s proposed legislation from local news outlets, such as Fox 13 News and CBS 12, as well as national outlets, such as Forbes and CNN.
Leading by Example
I’m a big fan of people sharing their experiences, especially when they admit to changing their mind, something it seems we, as a society, are doing less of these days.
In this installment of The Wall Street Journal’s “About Face” column, Katrina Sawyer writes how she thought she was doing it right, how she thought she had mastered the art of work-life balance.
Until her student mentee forced her to reexamine her relationship with work. As you might have guessed, she did not, in fact, have a good balance. Late night and early morning emails made her feel worse, not better. Sawyer realized she had been neglecting her family, her health and her well-being.
“As my student's words rattled around my head, I began to recognize the personal toll of my hustle mentality. I was so consumed with checking boxes and sending emails that I hadn't been eating right, sleeping well or spending real time with people outside of work—not even my husband. If I kept giving priority to work above all else, what would "else" even look like?”
But that’s kind of the point of her story. Even those of us who think we have a grip on the situation, might not. That’s not to say that there won’t be busy seasons of life. But if your partner, parents, children, friends, dog, therapist or other health professionals are urging you to take a break, you probably need to.
Spring is a time of renewal. This is a perfect opportunity for you to touch some grass and spend some time outdoors, away from work, and with those you love.
Read Sawyer’s column here.
