It didn't stay in the news long, but the collapse of a garment factory in Bangladesh is a stark reminder of the horrors suffered upon the world to support the western standard of living.

Everyday workers around the world risk their lives in factories that can only be described as hellish. They take up this risk to produce products sold by American companies in the United States. These companies seek out manufacturing in the developing world to skirt safety regulations and to pay virtual slave wages. When questioned after an event like we saw in Bangladesh these titans of industry claim both ignorance and future vigilance, failing to see the contradiction in those claims. They claim they couldn't have know about the working conditions because the factory sewing their labels onto t-shirts were simply contractors. They claim that when they did do inspections everything checked out fine. However due to the most recent tragedy that generated bad PR they will make sure to up their inspections and launch a full investigation. We should just forget the fact that their policies and procedures didn't work before because they will definitely work now.Well that's just not good enough.Large multinationals can't be trusted to care about the lives of their workers so it's time for the government to step in. That's why I'm proposing the. The act would require the production of all products sold in the United States to be conducted using the same safety standards as production facilities in the United States. The act would provide for both civil and criminal penalties for companies that violate the statute. Under the law abused workers in other countries could sue their employer and their employers customers in U.S. courts. OSHA would be given the authority to investigate claims of unsafe workplaces and employee abuse across the world. If a company is found guilty of continually violating this law by running unsafe facilities or purchasing products made in unsafe facilities they can be barred from doing business in the United States.The "Foreign Workplace Safety Act" would have two main benefits. Primarily it would help improve working conditions around the world. It would protect the basic human rights of workers who make the goods we all enjoy. Secondly the law could help American manufactures competitiveness in a global market. If we assume that companies avoid producing products in the United States because of safety regulations the law will level the playing field.Some may claim that The United States can't enforce their standards on other countries but the Foreign Workplace Safety Act is not without precedent. In 1977 congress passed the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in order to curtail bribery by companies that do business in the United States and to level the playing field for American companies abroad.The time has come for all Americans to face that fact that our lifestyle is supported by the oppression of millions. The Foreign Workplace Safety Act won't reverse that fact instantly. It may however let me buy sneakers and still sleep a night.