OSHA Urges An Injury & Illness Prevention Programs

The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration has published a white paper urging that States implement injury and illness prevention programs. Citing statistics of the consequences of industrial accidents and injuries, as well as the benefits of the implementation of a program, OSHA recommends the implementation of a programs.


Click here to read the OSHA White Paper on Injury & Illness Prevention Programs

Conclusions

• Despite the combined efforts of employers, workers, unions, safety professionals and regulators, more than 4,500 workers lose their lives and more than four million are seriously injured each year. Tens of thousands more die or are incapacitated because of occupational illnesses including many types of cancer and lung disease. The human toll from this loss is incalculable and the economic toll is enormous.
• Many employers in the U.S. have been slow to adopt a workplace "safety culture" that emphasizes planning and carrying out work in the safest way possible.
• Injury and illness prevention programs are based on proven managerial concepts that have been widely used in industry to bring about improvements in quality, environment and safety, and health performance. Effective injury and illness prevention programs emphasize top-level ownership of the program, participation by employees, and a "find and fix" approach to workplace hazards.
• Injury and illness prevention programs need not be resource-intensive and can be adapted to meet the needs of any size organization.

OSHA believes that adoption of injury and illness prevention programs based on simple, sound, proven principles will help millions of U.S. businesses improve their compliance with existing laws and regulations, decrease the incidence of workplace injuries and illnesses, reduce costs (including significant reductions in workers' compensation premiums) and enhance their overall business operations.

Related articles

• OSHA encourages major retailers to provide crowd management measures to protect workers during major sales events (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
• OSHA Prevention Program Rule - Shifting Responsibility (themarlincompany.com)
• US Department of Labor continues to cite beauty salons and manufacturers for formaldehyde exposure from hair smoothing produc (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
• OSHA fines Paterson, NJ, company $126,000 for failing to guard machines and exposing workers to fall and electrical hazards (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
• Safety Plans Inconsequential; Enforcement is What Reduces Injuries  (daviddepaolo.blogspot.com)