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‘He was ground beef’: People are sharing terrifying workplace injuries after Rep. Andy Biggs pushes to kill OSHA

Really? Right in front of my OSHA handbook?

Photo of Lindsey Weedston

Lindsey Weedston

Screenshot of a tweet from @poetickate that reads 'My bf had 1,000 pounds fall on him at work and the only reason he’s alive is because he was wearing his hard hat, which is an OSHA regulation OSHA saves lives'
@poetickate/X; Shutterstock

People are sharing stories of loved ones who were either injured at work or saved by regulations after Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs filed a bill to end OSHA. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA is responsible for protecting workers from unsafe workplace conditions and has received substantial amounts of love in meme form from social media users.

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The remarkably simple bill, submitted by the congressman from Arizona, says only, “The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 is repealed. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is abolished.”

What does OSHA do?

OSHA was created by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, signed into law by President Richard Nixon in 1970. Its stated mission is to “assure safe and healthy working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance.”

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The main way they protect workers is through workplace inspections and responding to complaints of rule violations submitted by employees. Without a regulatory body responsible for enforcing safety laws and sniffing out rule breakers, companies would have little incentive to spend money to make the workplace safer.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of injuries and illnesses on the job has fallen drastically since OSHA’s creation—from 10.9 cases per 100 workers in 1972 to 2.8 cases in 2018.

Who is Arizona Representative Andy Biggs?

Andrew Steven Biggs has represented Arizona’s fifth district in Congress as a Republican since 2017. Before that, he served in the Arizona state House and Senate and now has his eyes on the governor’s chair.

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Biggs participated in lawsuits to overturn the 2020 election in support of President Donald Trump’s claims of fraud, and spoke at “Stop the Steal” events in 2021. He was also staunchly against efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 at the height of the pandemic.

Other Republicans support Andy Biggs’ anti-OSHA bill, including plenty of X users, although, as always, it’s hard to tell how many of them are bots.

Screenshots of anti-OSHA tweets with text reading 'alone in the woods with a republican or a bear?'
@metroadlib/X

Workers share grisly workplace injuries in response to Andy Biggs’ OSHA bill

Biggs first introduced the bill for what he calls the NOSHA Act on Jan. 3, 2025, but the news didn’t reach much of social media until yesterday. After X account More Perfect Union posted a now-viral tweet about the bill, other users responded with stories of friends and family who were injured or killed by their workplace.

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Tweet reading 'My mom, a factory worker, died of pulmonary fibrosis from workplace exposure to toluene diisocyanate. But not before bringing OSHA to her plant, resulting in many saved lives in the 1970s. In the name of health, OSHA must remain.'
@DrJanKirsch/X

“My mom, a factory worker, died of pulmonary fibrosis from workplace exposure to toluene diisocyanate,” wrote Dr. Jan Kirsch. “But not before bringing OSHA to her plant, resulting in many saved lives in the 1970s.”

“In the name of health, OSHA must remain.”

Tweet reading 'While CityCenter was under construction, an apprentice fell down an air conditioning shaft which was open and unbarracaded. He fell 40+ floors, but the fall wasn't what killed him. It was the sheet metal screws. When he hit the ground, he was ground beef. OSHA isn't optional.'
@JSR2gamers/X
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“While CityCenter was under construction, an apprentice fell down an air conditioning shaft which was open and unbarracaded,” says user @JSR2gamers. “He fell 40+ floors, but the fall wasn’t what killed him. It was the sheet metal screws. When he hit the ground, he was ground beef.”

“OSHA isn’t optional.”

Others praised OSHA for saving lives or being the only ones who responded to serious injuries caused by dangerous working conditions and held employers accountable.

Tweet reading 'My dad works maintenance. On Friday his hand got caught in a machine and his flesh was ripped away so bad that he has exposed tendons. Someone removed a guard that was supposed to prevent such accidents, something OSHA requires. And they will help hold his employer responsible.'
@cowgirl_bebop/X
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“My dad works maintenance. On Friday his hand got caught in a machine and his flesh was ripped away so bad that he has exposed tendons,” reported @poetickate. “Someone removed a guard that was supposed to prevent such accidents, something OSHA requires. And they will help hold his employer responsible.”

User @potatoslav, meanwhile, wrote that two of her brothers suffered injuries including a broken bone while working at a factory and that OSHA stepped in to require their employers to make changes to prevent future incidents.

Tweet reading 'my brothers work in a factory making parts needed for tech and both have gotten workplace injuries in the past two years. one tripped on a misplaced pallet while moving stuff and broke his arm. the other was using a wire cutting machine that someone took the guard off of and lost his fingernail and couldn’t use the hand for a few weeks. OSHA made sure they were taken care of and that their employer made necessary safety changes. if you want things to be made in America, workplace safety needs to be a top priority.'
@potatoslav/X

“OSHA made sure they were taken care of and that their employer made necessary safety changes,” they said, “if you want things to be made in America, workplace safety needs to be a top priority.”

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‘All my homies die at work’ and other OSHA memes

OSHA and its popularity among workers has long been a popular subject in various memes. From the Forklift Certification meme to outrage over violations “right in front of my OSHA handbook,” it may be the most meme’d U.S. regulatory body so far.

With the introduction of the NOSHA Act, jokes on the topic are once again trending, primarily among supporters.

'Really? Right in front of my OSHA handbook?' meme.
@hecka_beccaa/X
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Meme of a kitten in a hard hat at a work site reading 'Bad news for safety violations I woke up.'
@hecka_beccaa/X
Image of a fiery explosion with text reading 'Fuck OSHA, all my homies die at work.'
@ratbitebaby/X
Meme with a Trump Wojak saying 'you will work until you die' and a MAGA Wojak saying 'I love freedom.'
@ratbitebaby/X

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