Executive Director of the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH) Urges Governor To Sign Grieving Families Act
NEW YORK, NEW YORK (September 12, 2022) – Charlene Obernauer, the Executive Director of the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH), has urged Governor Hochul to sign Grieving Families Act.
Obernauer issued her plea in an op-ed in the NY Daily News. When a person or worker is killed in New York, their life may be valued based on their lost wages.
The lower a person’s wages are, the less that their life is valued. Obernauer points out that under New York’s current wrongful death law, the anguish that a person’s family feels from their loss has no value in the eyes of the court.
If a person died instantly in an accident or had little to no income, their family would be very limited in what they would be able to recover. The New York Grieving Families Act fixes many of the problems with New York state’s current wrongful death law.
When applicable, the law would allow courts to take into consideration a person’s pain and suffering prior to their death. The law would also help strengthen worker safety.
Sadly, companies often treat their workers as expendable and only prioritize safety when they face robust financial penalties. The Grieving Families Act offers further incentive for employers to ensure their workplaces are safe and up to code.
The Grieving Families Act is expected to head to Governor Hochul’s desk in the coming months. It would be a great benefit for all New Yorker’s if it were signed.
