There are certain subjects and/or standards in occupational safety and health that are “untouchable.” They should be aired out, discussed, addressed. But among regulators and lawmakers, particularly in Washington, they are “toxic.”

Politics is not the only culprit here. The U.S. has certain cultural “boundaries” surrounding some issues that make them less accessible to discussion and plans than say in Europe.

Here are current topics in job safety and health that you will not see any serious action of substance taken on, at least at the national/federal level. Yes, you might see “summit meetings” and “outreach programs” and various forms of spin, but nothing that actually makes somebody do something for the record. Actually, the odds are greater you’ll see action on some of these items at the state level.

1. The credibility and validity of foreign factory safety certification schemes -- currently a sick farce

2. Mental health (depression, anxiety, prescription abuse) in the workplace – just call the EAP number.

3. Health promotion paternalism - employers coerce employees into better lifestyles, losing weight, lowering blood pressure or else...

4. What are EHS pros going to do about cheap labor, the wall of silence, unabated hazards, non-reporting of hazards and injuries, both in the U.S. and overseas?

5. Job-related fatigue; long hours; excessive OT

6. Occupational diseases

7. Bullying, intimidation, peer pressure, disruptive and degrading group dynamics

8. Combustible dust standard

9. Confined space in construction standard

10. Hearing conservation in construction standard

11. Silica standard

12. I2P2 – the Injury and Illness Prevention Program

13. Ergonomics in nursing homes – use of patient-lifting devices

14. The organization of work – how companies organize work to minimize mental and physical stress and strain.

What’s the hold up? Any number of factors, pick you poison: Gridlock in DC. The emphasis on jobs, job, jobs. Lack of political and/or social will to take action. Costs. Questions of feasibility. Costs. Long-standing, entrenched, powerful opposition ready to pounce. Costs. K Street. An army of lobbyists and attorneys. OSHA’s very limited resources. Costs. The decline of labor unions. Lack of evidence, data. Costs.