In honor of Safety Awareness Month, I have to ask a question: Do you agree that over the last 50 years we have come a long way when it comes to worker safety? Do you also agree we must stay vigilant?
According to the ACLU’s “Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect, 2023”1, the impact of illness and death on the job site is still with us. Let me provide just a few statistics that stood out to me:
343 workers died daily in 2021
5,190 workers were killed on the job in the US
Black workers die on the job at the highest rate in more than a decade
The true impact of COVID-19—specifically “long COVID” infections—is unknown
Workplace violence, musculoskeletal disorders from repetitive motion injuries and health illness continue to plague our workplace, but are not longer reported annually
I have been in this profession for over 25 years. I can still remember my first recommendation, as a chemist, to my Lab Manager telling him that I felt--and when that didn’t work--, that I understood it was an OSHA requirement to have flushing water in areas where employees are working with injurious chemicals. In other words, I worked in a lab that had no eye wash or safety showers. We were told to use the sink faucet if we got chemicals on us and to please be careful. While I believe we have come a long way since 1970, there remains “Good Work” to be done for our workers. I believe we ESH Professionals are in the best profession in the world. We work every day with workers who are the backbone of our economy. We work with all levels of management who see the need to support those ESH issues that are needed. I believe we help make a difference in the lives of so many – for today and for the future.
What are some of the action steps we might initiate?
Employers need to be clear and up to date on expectations for your employees
Regulators need to fully enforce and fully work with Employers to ensure worker safety protections are implemented;
Federal officials need to provide funding that targets the current needs of employers to help reduce the high toll of older worker injuries, Black and Latino worker fatalities, working from heights issues and machine guarding solutions. A good start for industry is OSHA’s Safety Core Value webpage. Check it out at https://www.osha.gov/safety-management/safety-core-value. This webpage is an effort by OSHA to collect insight into the needs and challenges of the industrial setting;
Ensure your workforce is adequately trained;
Regularly inspect equipment and implement an inspection system that allows for employee input before the equipment fails;
Think about implementing management of change concepts for all facets of your company;
Implement Safety Committees and support their efforts
STEP has over 35 years implementing worker safety programs,
safety culture committees and providing training that is both interactive and effective. We are dedicated to reducing injuries and accidents through our partnerships with our clients. If you need assistance with your onsite safety programs and procedures, or simply need training for your employees, we’re here to be your partner in safety! Call us at 270-753-6529 or contact us on our website.
Sources
AFL-CIO (2023, Apr 25). Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect, 2023. AFL-CIO. https://aflcio.org/reports/death-job-toll-neglect-2023