Worksafe is a California-based organization dedicated to promoting and protecting the basic right of all people to a safe and healthy workplace.

Everyone has the right to work in a safe and healthy job - and to return home safe at the end of each workday. Yet California averages more than one workplace fatality every day. And that doesn't include the thousands of workers who are seriously injured each year, nor the thousands who die or are disabled by occupational disease.

Policy Advocacy

Worksafe advocates for strong occupational safety and health (OSH) protections for workers — particularly low-income, immigrant, and contingent workers. We are a leading voice monitoring and addressing OSH rulemaking at Cal/OSHA and the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board.

Legal Services and Training

Worksafe promotes access to justice for low-wage and immigrant workers by providing free legal training and technical assistance to legal aid programs, worker advocacy groups, and unions. We are the only legal services organization in California focused on worker health and safety.

Movement Building

We envision a world where all workers are safe and healthy — and this vision is closely aligned with other movements for racial, gender, and economic justice. That’s why Worksafe is a leader in several statewide coalitions, working with organizations from multiple sectors to ensure that all workers can access safe, healthy, and fair work.

Public Outreach

Worksafe raises awareness about occupational health and safety to help people better understand the connections between work and health. We strive to build collective understanding of how workplace exposures intersect with broader public health and social justice issues.

History

Worksafe began in the late 1970s when a group of labor, community, and occupational health educators and activists came together to advocate for safety and health for California’s workers. The organization has roots in two past groups, BACOSH (Bay Area Committee on Occupational Safety and Health) and SCCOSH (Santa Clara Center on Occupational Safety and Health).

These two organizations became CalCOSH in 2004, and the name of the organization was changed to Worksafe in 2006.

Worksafe and its predecessor organizations have a long track record of improving workplace health and safety in California. From the start we have helped to train and empower thousands of at-risk workers. Since the early 2000s, we have provided support services to legal aid organizations across California so that they are better able to deliver occupational health and safety - along with workers' compensation advice and representation - to their low-wage worker clients.