On April 22, 2026, marking the beginning of Workers’ Memorial Week the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH) has released its 2026 Dirty Dozen report, identifying twelve companies that have put workers’ lives at risk through unsafe practices, inadequate protections, and systemic neglect. The report comes as federal workplace health and safety penalties drop nearly 45 percent during the current administration, according to Good Jobs First, raising alarm about declining enforcement just as preventable deaths, injuries, and illnesses continue across the country. The Dirty Dozen underscores the urgent need for stronger enforcement and corporate accountability.

Who is the system working for, asks COSH director

In a press conference on Wednesday, May 22, Jessica E. Martinez, MPH, Executive Director of National COSH, said “National COSH works alongside workers and communities across the country to turn pain into power and fear into action. We train workers to know and assert their rights. We support campaigns to win safer workplaces. We help expose dangerous employers, and we build worker leadership. We fight for stronger protections, like a federal heat standard. And we stand with workers when they choose to speak out, organize, and demand dignity on the job.”

She said some of the workers who spoke out are speaking anonymously due to fear of retaliation.

“Across this country, workers are still being injured. Poison, exploited, traumatized, and killed during their jobs,” Martinez said. “Every year, we honor workers who have lost their lives on the job, and every year, we see the same pattern: companies prioritizing profit over people.”

Across industries, the report documents recurring corporate failures that placed workers at risk, including extreme heat, hazardous machinery, toxic chemicals, wage theft, retaliation, and exploitative labor practices.

“There has been a 47 percent drop in federal workplace health and safety penalties in 2025, so when corporations say the system is working, we have to really ask. Working for who,” emphasized Martinez. “Because for too many workers, what they experience is extreme heat with no real protections. Dangerous machinery without safeguards, toxic chemicals without adequate training. Wage theft, retaliation for speaking up. There are temp worker structures that hide accountability. Subcontracting chains are designed so nobody takes responsibility when workers are harmed. And workers are being asked to observe all the risk while companies and corporations collect the reward.”

Martinez also stressed that while the Dirty Dozen highlights only 12 companies, COSH knows there are many more that could be on that list, but the list is used to shine a light on the worst offenders and the broader crisis at hand. She also noted that heat is becoming a workplace emergency from airport tarmacs to factories to farms to warehouses.

The Dirty Dozen 2026, listed in alphabetical order:

• Alliance Ground International: Repeated safety violations, unsafe equipment, and worker mistreatment allegations.
• Cambria Company, LLC: Engineered stone products linked to deadly silica disease.
• CommonSpirit Health: Unsafe staffing, workplace violence, and labor concerns impacting care.
• Consolidated Catfish Producers, LLC: Amputations, machine hazards, and dangerous indoor heat.
• D.R. Horton, Inc.: Repeated safety violations and hazardous construction jobsite conditions amid ICE enforcement actions.
• Hyundai-Kia U.S. Supply Chain: Worker deaths, child labor findings, and subcontracted exploitation.
• Jeny Sod and Nursery: Wage theft claims, heat risks, pesticide exposure, and housing concerns.
• LSG Sky Chefs: Extreme heat and lack of cooling protections for workers.
• Maker’s Pride LLC (formerly Hearthside, LLC): Amputations, unsafe conditions and anti-union concerns.
• Revoli Construction Co., Inc: Decades of trenching violations ending in fatal    collapse.
• Subway IP LLC: Wage theft, retaliation, and labor issues across franchises.
• Wellmade Industries MFR. N.A LLC: safety violations, labor exploitation, and trafficking investigation.  

Personal accounts

In the press conference, hosted by COSH, some of the workers who spoke out against dangerous working conditions shared powerful testimonies.

Gustavo Reyes Gonzalez, former engineered stonecutter who worked with Cambria products and is now living with silicosis, said: “For more than a decade, I cut and polished engineered stone without knowing the dust I was breathing could kill me. By the time I was diagnosed with silicosis, my lungs were already severely damaged. No one warned me about the risks or the silica in the product. If I had known, I would have chosen a different path to protect my life.”

A catfish processing worker at Consolidated Catfish Producers, LLC, who requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation, said: “The heat inside the plant is overwhelming. By the time we reach a break, we are dizzy and dehydrated, and we don’t always have safe access to water. People get seriously injured on the machines, and others are put in their place without proper training. It feels like safety is not a priority.”

Kissy Cox, an auto manufacturing worker at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Company, part of the Hyundai-Kia U.S. supply chain, said: “I reported my injuries, but I was still required to work in pain for months before getting proper medical attention. Many of my coworkers are going through the same thing. The company says it’s a safe place to work, but the reality does not match what we experience.”

An auto manufacturing supply chain worker employed through a subcontractor connected to the Hyundai-Kia U.S. Supply Chain, who requested anonymity, said: “We see safety violations every day, from inadequate training to dangerous conditions that put lives at risk. Workers have been injured and even killed, yet there is little accountability. We want safe jobs, not just promises.”

A food processing worker at Maker’s Pride LLC (formerly Hearthside, LLC), who requested anonymity due to risk of retaliation, said: “We are pushed to work faster and faster, often skipping water or bathroom breaks because of the pressure. People get sick, dizzy, and injured, but many do not report it because they are afraid of losing their jobs. We are treated like machines instead of human beings.”

Martinez added: “No one should have to risk their life to earn a paycheck. These workers are showing tremendous courage by speaking out.   Their voices must  shape stronger protections, real accountability, and every worker’s right to return home safe.”

National COSH is calling on policymakers for stronger workplace protections, increased enforcement resources, accountability across supply chains, federal health protections, and safeguards against retaliation when workers speak out.  

To access the full report, with violation details and statistics: https://nationalcosh.org/resources/dirty-dozen-2026