American Workers Still at Significant Risk of Work Related Accidents
According to data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration ("OSHA"), 4,690 workers were killed on the job in 2010 - more than 90 a week or nearly 13 deaths every day.
"Every day in America, 13 people go to work and never come home. Every year in America, nearly 4 million people suffer a workplace injury from which some may never recover. These are preventable tragedies that disable our workers, devastate our families, and damage our economy. American workers are not looking for a handout or a free lunch. They are looking for a good day's pay for a hard day's work. They just want to go to work, provide for their families, and get home in one piece." Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, Workers Memorial Day speech April 26, 2012.
Construction's "Fatal Four"
Approximately 19 percent of the worker fatalities in private industry in calendar year 2010 were in construction. The leading causes of worker deaths on construction sites were (1) falls, (2) electrocution, (3) struck by object, and (4) caught-in/between. These "Fatal Four" were responsible for approximately 56% of construction worker deaths in 2010. Eliminating these risks could save 437 workers' lives in America every year.
Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Violations of OSHA Standards
1. Scaffolding, general requirements, construction
2. Fall protection, construction
3. Hazard communication standard, general industry
4. Respiratory protection, general industry
5. Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tag-out)
6. Electrical, wiring methods, components and equipment
7. Powered industrial trucks, general industry
8. Ladders, construction
9. Electrical systems design, general requirements
10. Machine guarding (machines, general requirements)
American companies who enact and enforce thorough policies and procedures concerning safety in the workplace and sufficient training programs provided to employees not only drastically reduce the risk of work related accidents and resulting injuries to employees, but also decrease the overall cost of doing business by decreasing exposure to liability and keeping healthy employees working. An OSHA violation against a company can result in costly sanctions including fines and interference with normal operations of business. A serious personal injury or death in the workplace can result in exposure to costly civil litigation and/or an increase in worker's compensation coverage, not to mention negative media exposure and overall decrease in employee moral and work productivity.
The benefits of providing a reasonably safe place to work for employees far outweigh any costs of enacting and enforcing sufficient safety training protocols. If all American companies placed employee safety above the bottom line, the bottom line is sure to increase.
"Every day in America, 13 people go to work and never come home. Every year in America, nearly 4 million people suffer a workplace injury from which some may never recover. These are preventable tragedies that disable our workers, devastate our families, and damage our economy. American workers are not looking for a handout or a free lunch. They are looking for a good day's pay for a hard day's work. They just want to go to work, provide for their families, and get home in one piece." Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, Workers Memorial Day speech April 26, 2012.
Construction's "Fatal Four"
Approximately 19 percent of the worker fatalities in private industry in calendar year 2010 were in construction. The leading causes of worker deaths on construction sites were (1) falls, (2) electrocution, (3) struck by object, and (4) caught-in/between. These "Fatal Four" were responsible for approximately 56% of construction worker deaths in 2010. Eliminating these risks could save 437 workers' lives in America every year.
Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Violations of OSHA Standards
1. Scaffolding, general requirements, construction
2. Fall protection, construction
3. Hazard communication standard, general industry
4. Respiratory protection, general industry
5. Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tag-out)
6. Electrical, wiring methods, components and equipment
7. Powered industrial trucks, general industry
8. Ladders, construction
9. Electrical systems design, general requirements
10. Machine guarding (machines, general requirements)
American companies who enact and enforce thorough policies and procedures concerning safety in the workplace and sufficient training programs provided to employees not only drastically reduce the risk of work related accidents and resulting injuries to employees, but also decrease the overall cost of doing business by decreasing exposure to liability and keeping healthy employees working. An OSHA violation against a company can result in costly sanctions including fines and interference with normal operations of business. A serious personal injury or death in the workplace can result in exposure to costly civil litigation and/or an increase in worker's compensation coverage, not to mention negative media exposure and overall decrease in employee moral and work productivity.
The benefits of providing a reasonably safe place to work for employees far outweigh any costs of enacting and enforcing sufficient safety training protocols. If all American companies placed employee safety above the bottom line, the bottom line is sure to increase.