The 12 Most Dangerous Companies of 2018

May 3, 2018
These are the "Dirty Dozen" companies who are the worst at putting their workers and communities at risk with unsafe practices.

Every year the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH) compiles a list—a blacklist, if you will—of the companies that are the most egregious at putting their employees in harm's way, due to unsafe practices. The list is more of an unpopularity contest than a detailed accounting, since National COSH is an advocacy group whose aims include establishing and strengthening unions. But taking that into consideration, the companies on the Dirty Dozen list have shown an astonishing inability to learn from their checkered pasts.

Obviously, no company wants to appear on this list, and in fact none of the companies that appeared on the 2017 list are repeat offenders this year. So maybe there's a motivational factor at play here that negative publicity can spur companies to be more proactive in their safety management.

According to National COSH data, workplace deaths in the U.S. are on the rise. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that there were 5,190 deaths from workplace trauma in 2016, an increase of 7% from 2015 and a 12% increase since 2012.

“It’s heartbreaking to see workers lose their lives when we know these tragedies could have been prevented,” says Marcy Goldstein-Gelb, co-executive director of National COSH. “Time and again, employers are warned about unsafe conditions. When companies fail to correct safety hazards, it is workers who pay the ultimate price.”

The following slides examine why these 12 companies appear on the 2018 "Dirty Dozen" list.

About the Author

Dave Blanchard | Editor-in-Chief / Senior Director of Content

During his career Dave Blanchard has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeek, EHS Today, Material Handling & Logistics, Logistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. Prior to joining Endeavor/Informa/Penton, he spent a decade covering the artificial intelligence industry. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University. 

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