By Gary Rosenblum, CIH, ARM, Risk Manager, City of Palm Desert, CA Last year, over 2.5 million workers lost their jobs and this year the numbers may reach 3 million more jobs lost. We are deep into the worst labor crisis since 1945 and naturally, massive efforts to stimulate the staggering economy are foremost on the minds of many. But as a Risk Manager and Safety and Health professional, I cannot also avoid thinking that this is a potentially dangerous time for American workers and a critical time for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Last month, OSHA fined ($7K) Wal-Mart ($374.5 billion+ sales) following a worker fatality. Do you think penalties are an effective deterrent? What best shapes corporate behavior?