[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 17959]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO RON HAYES

 Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I am honored to bring to the 
attention of the Senate the work of a remarkable American and 
constituent of mine, Mr. Ron Hayes, of Fairhope, AL.
  As blessed as we are to be living in America, we would do well to 
remember that our society continues to be enhanced through the noble 
efforts of those who tirelessly and passionately pursue a better 
quality of life for us all. These often unsung heroes seek only the 
reward of knowing they have transformed our laws and our land for the 
better.
  Today I wish to honor one such individual who has spent nearly two 
decades advocating for strengthened workplace safety regulations and 
timely communication between the government and accident victims and 
their families. His efforts have made a difference.
  Ron Hayes began his journey to improve workplace safety in 1993 when 
he lost his beloved 19-year-old son, Patrick, to a grain silo accident 
in Florida. Facing tremendous emotional pain, Ron and his wife Dot 
sought details of their son's death as well as survivor's benefits from 
local, State and Federal agencies, only to be met with delays and few 
answers. After 2 years of navigating the bureaucracy, they resolved to 
learn everything they could about workplace safety standards and sought 
ways to improve both job safety rules and enforcement.
  Ron Hayes' dedication resulted in the revision of the Occupational 
Safety and Health Administration's, OSHA, grain handling standards. But 
this was only the beginning. Ron and his wife founded the Families In 
Grief Hold Together ``FIGHT'' Project, a nonprofit group devoted to 
assisting families and workers cope with the consequences of workplace 
accidents and deaths.
  Some 10,000 people lose their lives while working each year. Ron 
Hayes worked with OSHA to create a policy which the agency often uses 
in communicating with family members after a workplace accident.
  Since its founding, the FIGHT Project has reached out to nearly 800 
families, providing valuable help in the grieving process, negotiating 
the red tape and ultimately in healing.
  Ron Hayes could have stopped there, but his dedication to improving 
worker safety has motivated him to speak to almost 50,000 workers and 
taken him to some of the largest companies in the world. He has 
testified before Congress on numerous occasions and has served as a 
special adviser to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 
Committee.
  In the process, Ron Hayes has received many awards for humanitarian 
efforts.
  I commend Ron Hayes' selfless dedication to worker safety while 
providing comfort and valuable counsel to families.
  In our society it is possible for one person, or in this case a 
husband and wife, to make a difference that will positively impact the 
lives of millions. Ron Hayes has shown us that a lone voice for good 
cannot only be heard but it can change society for the better.

                          ____________________