History of Occupational Safety and Health in Utah
RMCOEH is honored to hold the Dr. Paul S. Richards Endowed Chair in Occupational Safety and Health that was established through the generosity of the Richards Memorial Medical Foundation and the Workers Compensation Fund. Dr. Paul S. Richards pioneered occupational safety and health in Utah as part of his work with the Bingham Canyon mine, which is also known as Kennecott. Among numerous accomplishments, Dr. Richards ran the Bingham Canyon Hospital where he worked to prevent occupational fatalities, implemented respirator programs, pioneered back surgical techniques, and promoted the development of the Utah Occupational Disease statute.
Read about the story of Dr. Paul by Eric G. Swedin in “Bingham Canyon Physician: Paul Snelgrove Richards, 1892–1958.” Utah Historical Quarterly, Volume 69 Number 1 (Winter 2001). This article is posted with the permission of the Utah State Historical Society. Also,