Why Workplace Safety Should Be An Employers Top Priority
We speak often of reducing the costs of workers’ compensation, but equally important, and perhaps more important is the safety of workers in the workplace, especially in high risks jobs such as construction.
A Case Study: New York State and City
The New York Committee for Occupational Health and Safety (NACOSH) recently unveiled its 2007 workplace fatalities study, “Dying for Work in New York.”
The study revealed in 2007, 219 workers died due to occupational injuries in New York State. Of that number, 81 died in New York City.
These figures represent a significant drop in workplace fatalilties from 2006, when 234 workers died state-wide; 99 from New York City.
NACOSH says more work must be done to continue to reduce fatalaties in the workplace as the study showed immigrant, minority and non-union workers remain at particular risk for on-the-job fatalities.
Other Study Findings
1. Fatalities for construction workers continued to be among the highest of all occupational sectors. Of the 351,992 workers in the construction industry in New York State in 2007, 57 died in 2007. The rate of fatalities in the construction industry was 16.2 per 100,000 – more than six times the state fatality rate for all workers. In New York City, the fatality rate for construction workers topped the state’s rate at 18.5 deaths per 100,000.
2. The report was critical of those employers who fail to make safety a top priority, thereby contributing to the risks involved. The report said while the construction boom appears to be slowing down in New York City, the number of deaths for this group is still high when comparing them to workers in general. (workersxzcompxzkit).
3. Another piece of advice cited from the report was in order to see a decline in workplace injuries and fatalities, county and municipal employees, unions and government agencies need to work together.
4. It was also recommended OSHA’s enforcement budget be increased significantly.
Author: Robert Elliott, J.D.
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WC 101: www.ReduceYourWorkersComp.com/workers_comp.php
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