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OSHA notifies workplaces about high injury and illness rates

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) surveys employers to collect workplace injury and illness data and identify employers whose injury and illness rates are considerably higher than the national average. OSHA sent a letter to about 15,000 workplaces with the highest numbers of injuries and illnesses resulting in days away from work, restricted work activities or job transfers, which is known as the DART rate.

"Receipt of this letter means that workers in that particular establishment are being injured at a higher rate than in most other businesses of its kind in the U.S.," says OSHA’s Assistant Secretary of Labor David Michaels. "Employers whose businesses have injury and illness rates this high need to take immediate steps to protect their workers."

Employers receiving the letters also were given copies of their injury and illness data, as well as a list of the most frequently cited OSHA standards for their specific industries. The letter offered assistance to reduce workplace injuries and illnesses, such as using OSHA's free safety and health consultation services for small businesses.

OSHA identified businesses with the highest rates of workplace injuries and illnesses in the U.S. through employer-reported data from a 2009 survey of about 100,000 work sites; the survey collected injury and illness data for 2008. Workplaces receiving notifications had DART rates more than twice the national average among all U.S. workplaces.

OSHA's consultation program is available to help address safety and health in the workplace for employers with 250 or fewer workers. The program is administered by a state agency and operates separately from OSHA's enforcement program. The service is free and confidential, and there are no fines, even if problems are found. The consultation program can help an employer identify hazards while finding effective and economical solutions for repairing them. In addition, OSHA state consultants can help develop and implement a safety and health management system for workplaces.

To view a list of the employers receiving the letter, which is available on OSHA's public Web site, click here. To view a list of OSHA's consultation services, click here.

3/15/2010  

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