OSHA Targets High Injury Workplaces

A news release from the U.S.Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said that the employer letters also offered help for the firms to better protect their employees.

“This identification process is meant to raise awareness that injuries and illnesses are high at these facilities,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin G. Foulke, Jr. “Injuries and illnesses are costly to employers in both personal and financial terms. Our goal is to identify workplaces where injury and illness rates are high and to persuade employers to use resources at their disposal to address these hazards and reduce occupational injuries and illnesses.”

OSHA targeted the e stablishments with high workplace injury and illness rates through employer-reported data from a 2006 survey of 80,000 worksites (the survey collected data from calendar year 2005). The workplaces identified had 5.3 or more injuries or illnesses resulting in days away from work, restricted work activity, or job transfer (DART) for every 100 full-time workers. The national average during 2006 was 2.4 DART instances for every 100 workers.

The agency also provided copies of the employers’ injury and illness data, along with a list of the most frequently violated OSHA standards for their specific industry.

The letter also offered assistance in helping turn the numbers around by suggesting 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, according to the news release.

The 14,000 sites are listed alphabetically, by state at: www.osha.gov/as/opa/foia/hot_13.html .