The Oklahoma Department of Labor has many programs that provide for the safety of the public through inspecting things we might all take for granted. Our agency is tasked with checking all public access elevators and escalators, commercial grade hot water heaters and boilers, amusement park rides and public access compressed natural gas pumps for safety. Our wage and hour division ensures that employees are being paid what they were contractually promised, and we educate on child labor law. We license many occupations, providing for background checks and proper training of many trades that impact public welfare. And last, but not least, we administer safety consultation programs for the private and public sector workforce.

For public employers — including schools, municipalities and counties — the Department of Labor trains, inspects and enforces safety standards. We offer real solutions to employers on keeping their workforce safe on the job. In the private sector our Safety Saves program can improve workplace safety and saves companies millions of dollars in potential OSHA fines. This program is free, confidential and voluntary. Our team of trained professionals can do a walk-through to identify issues and offer solutions. Hopefully, we will see continued growth and utilization of this service, a public-private partnership to provide safe and healthy workplaces for our citizens.

We have recently agreed to an informal alliance with Family Positive Workplaces. This non-profit organization is an initiative of the Potts Family Foundation and encourages employers to apply for certification as an Oklahoma family positive workplace. This means providing employees with information, resources and support on parenting skills, tax saving information and flex hours for family responsibilities.

On another note I think we must push for civility in the workplace, on our social media and with our friends, families and colleagues. A burgeoning problem in our state and nation is the ugliness that we have allowed to creep into our lives.

I remember the days when bi-partisanship, working in the middle for solutions and not demonizing the “other side” was our normal. Now we have been fed from the mass news media of the left and the right to believe only our side is pure. What I discovered during my 10 years in the Oklahoma Legislature is that the very best solutions come from working in the middle, listening to both sides and finding solutions that work in the real world.

I also hale from the days of Walter Cronkite, and the real reporting of the news. Now, both sides spew ugliness and division that is tearing our country and people apart. Bullying as a practice is accepted, yet I taught my children to be kind. Please join me in the movement back to civility, before it is too late.

Leslie Osborn, a Republican, is Oklahoma labor commissioner.