In a landmark year for workplace safety, private industry employers reported the lowest injury rates since 2003, marking a significant milestone in the ongoing effort to protect American workers. The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report reveals that 2023 wasn't just a good year for workplace safety – it was historically good.
Showing posts with label Bureau of Labor Statistics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bureau of Labor Statistics. Show all posts
Saturday, November 9, 2024
Friday, September 25, 2015
NATIONAL CENSUS OF FATAL OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES IN 2014 (PRELIMINARY RESULTS)
A preliminary total of 4,679 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States in 2014, an increase of 2 percent over the revised count of 4,585 fatal work injuries in 2013, according to results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The preliminary rate of fatal work injury for U.S. workers in 2014 was 3.3 per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers; the revised rate for 2013 was also 3.3. Revised 2014 data from CFOI will be released in the late spring of 2016. Over the last 5 years, net increases to the preliminary count have averaged 173 cases, ranging from a low of 84 in 2011 (up 2 percent) to a high of 245 in 2012 (up 6 percent).
Key preliminary findings of the 2014 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries:
The number of fatal work injuries in private goods-producing industries in 2014 was 9 percent
higher than the revised 2013 count but slightly lower in private service-providing industries. Fatal
injuries were higher in mining (up 17 percent), agriculture (up 14 percent), manufacturing (up
9 percent), and construction (up 6 percent). Fatal work injuries for government workers were
lower (down 12 percent).
Falls, slips, and trips increased 10 percent to 793 in 2014 from 724 in 2013. This was driven
largely by an increase in falls to a lower level to 647 in 2014 from 595 in 2013.
Fatal work injuries involving workers 55 years of age and over rose 9 percent to 1,621 in 2014 up
from 1,490 in 2013. The preliminary 2014 count for workers 55 and over is the highest total ever
reported by CFOI.
After a sharp decline in 2013, fatal work injuries among self-employed workers increased
10 percent in 2014 from 950 in 2013 to 1,047 in 2014.
Women incurred 13 percent more fatal work injuries in 2014 than in 2013. Even with this
increase, women accounted for only 8 percent of all fatal occupational injuries in 2014.
Fatal work injuries among Hispanic or Latino workers were lower in 2014, while fatal injuries
among non-Hispanic white, black or African-American, and Asian workers were all higher.
In 2014, 797 decedents were identified as contracted workers, 6 percent higher than the
749 fatally-injured contracted workers reported in 2013. Workers who were contracted at the time
of their fatal injury accounted for 17 percent of all fatal work injury cases in 2014.
The number of fatal work injuries among police officers and police supervisors was higher in
2014, rising from 88 in 2013 to 103 in 2014, an increase of 17 percent.
Key preliminary findings of the 2014 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries:
The number of fatal work injuries in private goods-producing industries in 2014 was 9 percent
higher than the revised 2013 count but slightly lower in private service-providing industries. Fatal
injuries were higher in mining (up 17 percent), agriculture (up 14 percent), manufacturing (up
9 percent), and construction (up 6 percent). Fatal work injuries for government workers were
lower (down 12 percent).
Falls, slips, and trips increased 10 percent to 793 in 2014 from 724 in 2013. This was driven
largely by an increase in falls to a lower level to 647 in 2014 from 595 in 2013.
Fatal work injuries involving workers 55 years of age and over rose 9 percent to 1,621 in 2014 up
from 1,490 in 2013. The preliminary 2014 count for workers 55 and over is the highest total ever
reported by CFOI.
After a sharp decline in 2013, fatal work injuries among self-employed workers increased
10 percent in 2014 from 950 in 2013 to 1,047 in 2014.
Women incurred 13 percent more fatal work injuries in 2014 than in 2013. Even with this
increase, women accounted for only 8 percent of all fatal occupational injuries in 2014.
Fatal work injuries among Hispanic or Latino workers were lower in 2014, while fatal injuries
among non-Hispanic white, black or African-American, and Asian workers were all higher.
In 2014, 797 decedents were identified as contracted workers, 6 percent higher than the
749 fatally-injured contracted workers reported in 2013. Workers who were contracted at the time
of their fatal injury accounted for 17 percent of all fatal work injury cases in 2014.
The number of fatal work injuries among police officers and police supervisors was higher in
2014, rising from 88 in 2013 to 103 in 2014, an increase of 17 percent.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Modern Workplaces Add Complexity to Workers' Compenation Cases
| Premises liability is a major issue currently in workers' compensation claims as people "work at home." The change by created by eliminating a commute also changes the pattern of risk. While the coming and going rule may be avoided there are other distractions at home that create new issues challenging compensability. Today's post is shared from thelegalintelligencer.com A day at work isn't always just a day at the office. Attorneys in workers' compensation practice know that all too well. And as technological advances allow more workers to telecommute and correspond on work matters from outside of the office, the conditions surrounding compensable incidents are increasingly complicated. "The ability of an employer to maintain access to an employee and the ability of an employer to give instructions to an employee remotely have increased," said Edward Neyhart, of the Law Offices of Byrne, Neyhart & Higgins. "As people work remotely more and more and people are engaging in various activities and mobile technology allows people greater access to travel and working away from the office setting, it becomes a much more important issue." Neyhart said he has been inundated with workers' compensation cases this year, many borne out of a constant connection to the office. "[These cases] are just the beginning of the pattern of litigation that is going to have to work its way up to the appellate courts," he said. "Employers and insurance companies have to adapt to the changing status of liability." According to a 2010 survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 24 percent of workers telecommute, meaning they work from home for at least some of their hours each week. That can blur the lines on compensable injuries, especially for those who only work from home sometimes. "It puts them in the... |
Friday, January 3, 2014
OSHA announces proposed new rule to improve tracking of workplace injuries and illnesses
"Three million injuries are three million too many," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. "With the changes being proposed in this rule, employers, employees, the government and researchers will have better access to data that will encourage earlier abatement of hazards and result in improved programs to reduce workplace hazards and prevent injuries, illnesses and fatalities. The proposal does not add any new requirement to keep records; it only modifies an employer's obligation to transmit these records to OSHA."The Occupational Safety and Health Administration today issued a proposed rule to improve workplace safety and health through improved tracking of workplace injuries and illnesses. The announcement follows the Bureau of Labor Statistics' release of its annual Occupational Injuries and Illnesses report, which estimates that three million workers were injured on the job in 2012.
The public will have 90 days, through Feb. 6, 2014, to submit written comments on the proposed rule. On Jan. 9, 2014, OSHA will hold a public meeting on the proposed rule in Washington, D.C. A Federal Register notice announcing the public meeting will be published shortly.OSHA is also proposing that establishments with 20 or more employees, in certain industries with high injury and illness rates, be required to submit electronically only their summary of work-related injuries and illnesses to OSHA once a year. Currently, many such firms report this information to OSHA under OSHA's Data Initiative.The proposed rule was developed following a series of stakeholder meetings in 2010 to help OSHA gather information about electronic submission of establishment-specific injury and illness data. OSHA is proposing to amend its current recordkeeping regulations to add requirements for the electronic submission of injury and illness information employers are already required to keep under existing standards, Part 1904. The first proposed new requirement is for establishments with more than 250 employees (and who are already required to keep records) to electronically submit the records on a quarterly basis to OSHA.
OSHA plans to eventually post the data online, as encouraged by President Obama's Open Government Initiative. Timely, establishment-specific injury and illness data will help OSHA target its compliance assistance and enforcement resources more effectively by identifying workplaces where workers are at greater risk, and enable employers to compare their injury rates with others in the same industry. Additional information on the proposed rule can be found athttp://www.dol.gov/find/20131107/ and http://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/proposed_data_form.html.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.
The public will have 90 days, through Feb. 6, 2014, to submit written comments on the proposed rule. On Jan. 9, 2014, OSHA will hold a public meeting on the proposed rule in Washington, D.C. A Federal Register notice announcing the public meeting will be published shortly.OSHA is also proposing that establishments with 20 or more employees, in certain industries with high injury and illness rates, be required to submit electronically only their summary of work-related injuries and illnesses to OSHA once a year. Currently, many such firms report this information to OSHA under OSHA's Data Initiative.The proposed rule was developed following a series of stakeholder meetings in 2010 to help OSHA gather information about electronic submission of establishment-specific injury and illness data. OSHA is proposing to amend its current recordkeeping regulations to add requirements for the electronic submission of injury and illness information employers are already required to keep under existing standards, Part 1904. The first proposed new requirement is for establishments with more than 250 employees (and who are already required to keep records) to electronically submit the records on a quarterly basis to OSHA.
OSHA plans to eventually post the data online, as encouraged by President Obama's Open Government Initiative. Timely, establishment-specific injury and illness data will help OSHA target its compliance assistance and enforcement resources more effectively by identifying workplaces where workers are at greater risk, and enable employers to compare their injury rates with others in the same industry. Additional information on the proposed rule can be found athttp://www.dol.gov/find/20131107/ and http://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/proposed_data_form.html.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
If the minimum wage tracked inflation, it would be $4.07 per hour.
Speaking at the White House on June 25, Vice President Joe Biden claimed that a higher federal minimum wage was practical and long overdue. "Just pay me [for] minimum wage what you paid folks in 1968," Mr. Biden said, echoing the argument numerous labor unions, left-wing think tanks and activist groups have made.
The logic goes something like this: Had the minimum wage tracked inflation since 1968, it would today be over $10 an hour, so Congress should seek to bring it up to at least that amount. There are two problems with this logic. First, it is inconsistent with other Labor Department inflation data. And second, it presumes that entry-level employees can't get a raise unless the government gives them one. The federal minimum wage was first set in 1938 at 25 cents an hour. Had it tracked the cost of living since, it would today be $4.07 an hour, based on Labor Department data and the Bureau of Labor Statistics' inflation calculator. This is the only logically consistent "historic" value of the minimum wage, and it's 44% less than the current amount of $7.25. Advocates of a higher minimum wage arbitrarily selected 1968 as the historical reference point. It's no wonder: That's when federal minimum wage hit its inflation-adjusted high point. How about picking other arbitrary years to track the minimum wage and inflation? If you used 1948 instead of 1968, the minimum wage's inflation-adjusted value would only be $3.81 an hour. If you chose 1988, the adjusted minimum wage would... |
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Jobs Report Becomes a Casualty of Shutdown
On the first Friday morning of almost any other month, from the trading floors of Wall Street to the hushed hallways of the Federal Reserve, all the attention would be focused on two numbers: the latest government estimates for unemployment and job creation.
This Friday, much of the government will be closed. As a result, the economists and statisticians at the Bureau of Labor Statistics will be at home, and everyone from Ben S. Bernanke, the Fed’s chairman, to thousands of traders glued to their Bloomberg screens, will be left without one of the most important clues to the state of the economy.
The mystery is heightened by the question of just how much of an impact the shutdown itself will have. And while the job numbers from last month cannot answer that question, economists almost universally agree that the cost to the economy depends on how long the standoff lasts, and whether the much larger danger of a debt default can be averted.
“If it’s short, it’s barely a blip on the radar,” said Ellen Zentner, senior United States economist at Morgan Stanley. “If a shutdown is prolonged, it’s a whole different story.”
Like many Wall Street economists, Ms. Zentner estimates that each week of the shutdown will shave one-tenth to two-tenths of a percentage point off economic growth in the final quarter of 2013.
That may not sound like much, especially in a $16 trillion economy. And during the last extended shutdown in the mid-1990s...
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Thursday, October 3, 2013
Nurses Prone to Injuries With Heavier Patients
After years of lifting heavy patients and equipment that resulted in a herniated disc, she said she knew her body just couldn't handle the work anymore.
"I'm almost fearful as a nurse of going back to taking care of patients unless I have proper equipment," said Pierce, who worked in organ recovery, the intensive care unit and the emergency room. "It's kind of sad when you have to end your nursing career because you can't physically do the job anymore because your body's so beat up."
Nursing aides, orderlies and attendants suffer more musculoskeletal injuries than people in any other profession – including firefighters, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Registered nurses also edure more of these injuries than the average worker.
Even worse, patients are getting heavier -- especially in the Midwest where Pierce spent her career, she said. She recalled taking a patient to a dock to weigh him because no scale was available in the hospital that could do the job.
Still, she'd never think of saying "no" to helping a fellow nurse move a patient, no matter the toll on her body.
"It's kind of ingrained in you when a colleague asks for help, you go and you help. You don't even think twice because they're in trouble," said Pierce, who works in Nebraska. "We're a team. You don't leave a man down."
The American Nurses Association has been pressing for...
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Saturday, September 28, 2013
You Can Have Any Job You Want, as Long as It's Waitress
It’s almost 6 p.m. on a Friday, and the tables near the bar at the Hamilton in downtown Washington are getting crowded. That means Victoria Honard is busy. Honard, 22, who graduated from Syracuse University in May, works about 25 hours a week as a waitress at the restaurant while she looks for a public policy job. A dean’s-list student, she moved to Washington four days after graduation with the hope of finding a position at a think tank or policy-related organization. She’s applied to about 20 prospective employers. “The response has been minimal,” says Honard, whose academic work was in education, health, and human services. “There are two ways of looking at it. I could be extremely frustrated and be bitter, or I can make the most of it, and I’m trying to take the latter approach.” Unemployment data appear to show big advances for women. The jobless rate in August for females 20 years and older was 6.3 percent, the lowest since December 2008, compared with 7.1 percent for men. As recently as January, the rate was 7.3 percent for both genders, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  |
Friday, September 27, 2013
OCCUPATIONAL VIOLENCE
 The magnitude of workplace violence in the United States is measured with fatal and nonfatal statistics from several sources. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) reported 13,827 workplace homicide victims between 1992 and 2010. Averaging over 700 homicides per year, the largest number of homicides in one year (n=1080) occurred in 1994, while the lowest number (n=518) occurred in 2010. From 2003 to 2010 over half of the workplace homicides occurred within three occupation classifications: sales and related occupations (28%), protective service occupations (17%), and transportation and material moving occupations (13%). The Bureau of Labor Statistics Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) reported an estimated 130,290 nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work during the 2003 to 2010 time period. The Healthcare and Social Assistance Industry accounted for 63% of these injuries and illnesses each year. Data collected by the Consumer Product Safety Commissions’ National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) that is collected in collaboration with NIOSH (NEISS-Work Supplement) estimated more than 137,000 workers were treated in emergency departments for nonfatal assaults in 2009. The Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) estimated the number of nonfatal violent crimes occurring against persons 16 or older while they were at... |
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Looking for Furloughs in the Jobs Data
The number of workers on federal government payrolls has fallen only 55,000 since January, which might lead you to conclude that the sequester has not had much impact on federal employment. But the number of federal employees who report working part time because they cannot get full-time hours — a sign they might be on furlough — remains high.
The number of these “involuntary part-timers” was 144,000 in August. That is more than twice the number of involuntary part-timers in the federal government in 2012 and in 2011. (The numbers are not seasonally adjusted, so it’s best to use year-over-year comparisons rather than the change from one month to the next.) How furloughs are executed varies by government agency and department; in some cases workers must take one unpaid leave day each week, and in others they might be able to take their furlough days consecutively (in which case affected workers would report they didn’t work at all, not that they worked short hours). As a result, the numbers above might understate how many federal workers were furloughed in August. For comparison, the number of involuntary part-time workers was actually down year-over-year in the private sector, as Jason Furman, the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, noted in a blog post: |
Thursday, September 5, 2013
WORK SCHEDULES: SHIFT WORK AND LONG WORK HOURS
A tired man, a man working in a hospital, and a taxi driver.
The International Labor Office in 2003 reports that working hours in the United States exceed Japan and most of western Europe. Both shift work and long work hours have been associated with health and safety risks. This page provides links to NIOSH publications and other resources that address demanding work schedules. NIOSHTIC-2 SearchNIOSHTIC-2 is a searchable bibliographic database of occupational safety and health publications, documents, grant reports, and journal articles supported in whole or in part by NIOSH.NIOSHTIC-2 search results on work schedules NIOSH Publications and GuidanceNIOSH DEEPWATER HORIZON RESPONSE Key Safety and Health Topics, Fatigue Preventionhttp://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/oilspillresponse/ keytopics.html#fatigue NIOSH OSHA Interim Guidance for Protecting Deepwater Horizon Response Workers and Volunteers, Fatigue Prevention NIOSH Blog: Sleep and Work http://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2012/03/sleep-and-work/ NIOSH Blog: NIOSH Research on Work Schedules and Work-related Sleep Loss http://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2012/03/sleep/ Overtime and Extended Work Shifts: Recent Findings on Illnesses, Injuries and Health Behaviors DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2004-143 Presents a review of the methods... |
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Thursday, February 7, 2013
Nursing Facilities Have Higher Incidence Of Workplace Injury Than Construction
Today's post comes from guest author Nathan Reckman from Paul McAndrew Law Firm.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Transportation Injuries Continue to Dominate Workplace Fatalities
Workplace injuries involving transportation continue to be major contributing factors to fatalities in the United States. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported preliminary data for 2011 reflecting that transportation incidents were involved in 41% of fatalities at work.
Click here to read more on this topic from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
More about the fatalities and workplace
Friday, April 27, 2012
Fatal Occupational Injuries and Workers’ Memorial Day
In 2010, a total of 4,690 workers died from injuries they suffered at work. That works out to one U.S. worker dying every 2 hours from a work-related injury.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program released its final data for the 2010 reference year on April 25, 2012—just 3 days before Workers’ Memorial Day. Recognized each year on April 28, Workers’ Memorial Day is a day to remember workers who were killed, injured, or made ill at work and to highlight the hazards in the workplace.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and other federal agencies use CFOI data to identify ways to prevent worker deaths and injuries.
This fact sheet provides an overview of fatal occupational injuries in the United States. For more data on fatal occupational injuries from CFOI, see the CFOI homepage. For information on nonfatal injuries and illnesses in the workplace, see the BLS Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities (IIF) page.
....on
On Workers' Memorial Day, let us not forget the additional 50,000-60,000 lives lost from occupational diseases every year in our country.
Pat
Patrice Woeppel, Ed.D.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary, 2010
A preliminary total of 4,547 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States in 2010, about the same as the final count of 4,551 fatal work injuries in 2009, according to results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The rate of fatal work injury for U.S. workers in 2010 was 3.5 per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, the same as the final rate for 2009. Over the last 3 years, increases in the published counts based on information received after the release of preliminary data have averaged 174 fatalities per year or about 3 percent of the revised totals. Final 2010 CFOI data will be released in Spring 2012.
Economic factors continue to play a role in the fatal work injury counts. Total hours worked were up slightly in 2010 in contrast to the declines recorded in both 2008 and 2009, but some historically high-risk industries continued to experience declines or slow growth in total hours worked. Key preliminary findings of the 2010 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries: - The number of fatal work injuries among the self-employed declined by 6 percent to 999 fatalities, more than the decline in their hours worked.
For additional data, access the BLS Internet site: www.bls.gov/iif/. For technical information about and definitions for the CFOI program, please go to the BLS Handbook of Methods on the BLS web site here: www.bls.gov/opub/hom/homch9_a1.htm.
Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, 2009-2010
Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry and selected event or exposure, 2010
Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and selected event or exposure, 2010
Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by selected worker characteristics and selected event or exposure, 2010
Table 5. Fatal occupational injuries by State and event or exposure, 2010
Table 6. CFOI participating State agencies and telephone numbers
Technical notes
HTML version of the entire news release
For additional data, access the BLS Internet site: www.bls.gov/iif/. For technical information about and definitions for the CFOI program, please go to the BLS Handbook of Methods on the BLS web site here: www.bls.gov/opub/hom/homch9_a1.htm.
Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, 2009-2010
Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry and selected event or exposure, 2010
Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and selected event or exposure, 2010
Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by selected worker characteristics and selected event or exposure, 2010
Table 5. Fatal occupational injuries by State and event or exposure, 2010
Table 6. CFOI participating State agencies and telephone numbers
Technical notes
HTML version of the entire news release
Monday, May 23, 2011
Latest Workers Compensation Data Reviewed by Professor John Burton
For more information and to order a copy click here.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
No Social Security COLA for 2011
Like so many state workers' compensation programs, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for more than 58 million Americans will not automatically increase in 2011, the Social Security Administration announced.
The Social Security Act provides for an automatic increase in Social Security and SSI benefits if there is an increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from the third quarter of the last year a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) was determined to the third quarter of the current year. As determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is no increase in the CPI-W from the third quarter of 2008, the last year a COLA was determined, to the third quarter of 2010, therefore, under existing law, there can be no COLA in 2011.
Other changes that would normally take effect based on changes in the national average wage index also will not take effect in January 2011. Since there is no COLA, the statute also prohibits a change in the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax as well as the retirement earnings test exempt amounts. These amounts will remain unchanged in 2011. The released agency fact sheet provides more information on 2011 Social Security and SSI changes.
Information about Medicare changes for 2011, when available, will be found at www.Medicare.gov. The Department of Health and Human Services has not yet announced if there will be any Medicare premium changes for 2011. Should there be an increase in the Medicare Part B premium, the law contains a “hold harmless” provision that protects more than 70 percent of Social Security beneficiaries from paying a higher Part B premium, in order to avoid reducing their net Social Security benefit. Those not protected include higher income beneficiaries subject to an income-adjusted Part B premium and beneficiaries newly entitled to Part B in 2011. In addition, almost 20 percent of beneficiaries have their Medicare Part B premiums paid by state medical assistance programs and thus will see no change in their Social Security benefit. The state will be required to pay any Medicare Part B premium increase.
For additional information about the 2011 COLA, go to www.socialsecurity.gov/cola.
For additional information about changes in the national average wage index, go to www.socialsecurity.gov/OACT/COLA/AWI.html.
.....For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman 1.973.696.7900 jon@
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Labor Secretary Solis reports a decline in workplace injuries and illnesses
The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics today announced that nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses among private industry employers declined in 2009 to a rate of 3.6 cases per 100 equivalent full-time workers, down from a total case rate of 3.9 in 2008. BLS also reported a decline in the total number of cases from 3.7 million in 2008 to 3.3 million in 2009. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued the following statement:
"While the reported decline in workplace injuries and illnesses is encouraging, 3.3 million workplace injuries and illnesses are 3.3 million too many. No worker should fear being injured or made sick for a paycheck.
"Complete and accurate workplace injury records can serve as the basis for employer programs to investigate injuries and prevent future occurrences. Most employers understand this and do their best to prevent worker injuries, but some do not. That is why my department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration is aggressively working to ensure the completeness and accuracy of injury data compiled by the nation's employers. We are concerned about the widespread existence of programs that discourage workers from reporting injuries, and we will continue to issue citations and penalties to employers that intentionally under-report workplace injuries.
"Too many Americans suffer each year from preventable injuries or illnesses they received while on the job. Even in these difficult economic times, we must keep in mind that no job is a good job unless it's a safe job."
........
For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman 1.973.696.7900jon@
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