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OSHA Urges Employers With High Injury and Illness Rates to Improve Safety and Health Conditions in the Workplace

Released on March 23, 2008

OSHA has notified 14,000 employers nationwide that their injury and illness rates are higher than the national average. A full list of the 14,000 sites receiving the notification can be found on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) website: http://www.osha.gov/as/opa/foia/hot-14.html.

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.

In the letter, Assistant Labor Secretary Foulke explained that the notification was intended “to encourage employers to take action now to reduce rates and improve safety and health conditions in their workplaces,” OSHA offers free assistance programs to help employers better protect their workers’ health and safety.

A copy of Assistant Secretary Foulke’s letter can be found here: http://www.osha.gov/as/opa/foia/letter08.html.

For more information, contact Stephanie Salmon, Metalcasters Alliance for Government Affairs Office, at ss@wafed.com or 202/842-4864.