OSHA Alerts Workplaces with High Injury, Illness Rates

The Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health has notified 14,000 employers nationwide that their injury and illness rates are considerably higher than the national average. In a letter sent this month to those employers, Assistant Secretary Edwin Foulke, Jr. explained that the notification was a proactive step to encourage employers to take action now to reduce rates and improve safety and health conditions in their workplaces. OSHA identified businesses with the nation's highest rates of workplace injuries and illnesses through employer-reported data from a 2007 survey of 80,000 worksites (this survey collected injury and illness data from calendar year 2006). Workplaces receiving notifications had 5.4 or more injuries resulting in days away from work, restricted work activity, or job transfer (DART) for every 100 full-time employees. Nationally, the average U.S. workplace had 2.3 DART occurrences for every 100 employees. Employers receiving the letters were also provided copies of their injury and illness data, along with a list of the most frequently cited OSHA standards for their specific industry. The letter also offered assistance in helping turn the numbers around by suggesting, among other things, the use of free OSHA safety and health consultation services provided through the states, state workers' compensation agencies, insurance carriers, or outside safety and health consultants.