OSHA Notifies Workplaces with High Injury and Illness Rates

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently notified more than 13,500 employers nationwide that their injury and illness rates are considerably higher than the national average.  The employers are those whose establishments are covered by Federal OSHA and reported the highest “Days Away from work, Restricted work or job Transfer injury and illness” (DART) rate to OSHA in a survey of 2007 injury and illness data. For every 100 full-time workers, the 13,500 employers had 5.0 or more injuries or illnesses which resulted in days away from work, restricted work or job transfer. The national average is 2.1

Letters were sent this month to those employers explaining that the notification was a proactive step to encourage employers to take action now to reduce these rates and improve safety and health conditions in their workplaces.  The goal is to make employers aware of their high injury and illness rates and to get them to eliminate hazards in their workplace. The letter advises employers to consider hiring an outside safety and health consultant, talking with their insurance carrier, or contacting the workers’ compensation agency in their state for advice.

To view the list of notified employers, go to OSHA’s website and open the attached zip file.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 at 7:45 am and is filed under Workplace Compliance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.