It seems that OSHA should consider, if they ever reopen that is, the regulation of the unseemly underworld of crime. The people who toil there to make a living are routinely exposed to dangers not generally present for those who work on the right side of the law.

One of the most recent examples of this comes from the state of New Hampshire, where two enterprising young men went to work one night never to return. Their job? Why, it was reportedly to burglarize a landscaping business and steal a large cache of fireworks from a safe. Their tool of choice to breach said safe? Why that would be an efficient yet unregulated acetylene torch.

Alas, two more children who were apparently left behind.

The resulting explosion did more than wreck the shed where this occurred and kill two 21 year old men. It pretty much obliterated the safe, forcing the landscaping firm to no doubt buy a new one. It also exposed a gaping hole in our growing regulatory safety net.

Who is protecting the unprotect-able?

There should be safety manuals, training seminars and online verifications for those engaged in otherwise nefarious occupations. To ignore the criminal element is downright scandalous when it results in unnecessary, albeit somewhat ironic injuries or death.

And what about fines for unsafe (illegal) work practices? Where are the post-accident (currently furloughed) OSHA Safety Inspectors? There should be an underworld equivalent to the OSHA Severe Violator Program. They could issue fines, with similar grade levels, that criminals law abiding counterparts currently enjoy. Just as a suggestion, those rating or assessment levels could be Snap, Pop, Kaboom and Chernobyl.

For the workplace accident we are discussing today, I think a “Kaboom” assessment level would definitely be in order.

Some people may think I am crazy for suggesting we regulate illegal activity for safety purposes. To defend my position I merely point to the condition and attitude of the country as it exists today. Illegal aliens are no longer to be called illegal, rather “undocumented”. Hitting the debt ceiling means “defaulting on our debt”, rather than just forcing us to live within our means for a change. During the current government “shutdown” (which you should notice has not slowed our progress toward hitting the debt ceiling), we close open air pavilions with more armed manpower than it would take to leave them open. This solely for the purpose of blocking aging World War II veterans access to a symbol of their sacrifice; a sacrifice protecting their right to be there, ironically. And while we are doing that, we open other federal areas for illegals to rally for amnesty.

I’m not sure why illegals want it, since the granting of citizenship will strip them of their many rights. Just ask the aging World War II vets.

Nothing else makes sense. Why should I?

So that is my suggestion for the day. Stealing fireworks can be an explosive affair, and OSHA should step in to regulate this and other criminal activities. Especially before we find ourselves with a full blown Chernobyl on our hands.