Charlotte Brody, Vice President of Occupational and Environmental Health at the BlueGreen Alliance, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the importance of workplace health regulations, challenges from the Trump Administration to these protections and the crucial role of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) general duty clause.
Brody began by reflecting on her background in healthcare and her transition into occupational health. Working in various nursing specialties, she became concerned about the impact of industrial jobs on workers’ long-term health. Brody described her early advocacy in the South, where she supported cotton textile workers suffering from “brown lung” disease, an ailment similar to coal miners’ black lung, yet far less recognized or compensated. She said this experience sparked her lifelong mission: to ensure workers are not only protected on the job but also receive recognition and support for illnesses caused by their work environments years later.
Brody then focused on OSHA’s general duty clause. She explained that this provision serves as a fundamental safety net, requiring employers to correct known hazards when a feasible solution exists, even if there is no specific rule for that danger. The clause has ensured that workers across all industries, including inherently high-risk sectors such as entertainment and sports, are entitled to reasonable safeguards. However she warned of a new push from the Trump Administration that aims to exempt sports and entertainment from this requirement, arguing these fields are “inherently dangerous.”
Brody cautioned that rolling back the general duty clause could have deadly effects for hundreds of thousands of workers. She recalled high-profile cases such as the OSHA fine against SeaWorld following a trainer’s death, which subsequently led to safety improvements for animal trainers. Without regulatory oversight, industries would have little incentive to invest in critical safety measures. Brody emphasized the role of labor contracts in protecting some workers but noted that many in sports and entertainment could be left vulnerable.
For more from Brody and the BlueGreen Alliance, listen to the full episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast above.
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