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Bureau of Labor Statistics (USA) Releases 2007 Workplace Fatality Data
A preliminary total of 5,488 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States in 2007, a decrease of 6 percent from the revised total of 5,840 fatal work injuries reported for 2006.
Based on these counts, the rate of fatal injury for U.S. employees last year was 3.7 fatal work injuries per 100,000 employees, down from the final rate of 4.0 recorded for 2006, and the lowest annual fatality rate ever reported http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cfoi.pdf by the BLS fatality census.
"We are pleased to see both the number and rate of fatal work injuries continue to decline,"
said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Edwin G. Foulke, Jr.
"These numbers show that OSHA's balanced approach to improving safety is working. However, we will continue to work to eliminate all fatalities since one fatality is one fatality too many."
The final results for 2007 will be released in April 2009.
"QuickTips" from QuickTakes
Agriculture is one of the United States' largest and most important industries, employing around 20 million people across the country, including more than 2 million teenagers. Unfortunately, several hundred employee deaths occur in the agricultural industry every year. Most of these fatalities involve heavy machinery, but there are several other common agricultural hazards, such as chemicals and asphyxiation in confined spaces, to which employees working on farms are often exposed.
To counter these hazards, here is some advice from OSHA:
- Provide roll-over protective structures (ROPS) and seat belts for employees operating tractors.
- Replace guards on farm equipment immediately following maintenance.
- Always wear long sleeves, long pants, shoes, socks, rubber gloves and splash-proof eye protection when working with any type of pesticide.
- Never work in a silo or manure pit unless you are using a self-contained breathing apparatus-equipped respirator.
OSHA's Safety and Health Topics Page for Agricultural Operations
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/agriculturaloperations/index.html is a resource employers can use to help them understand the standards that OSHA mandates for agricultural operations. OSHA also has an e-Tool for Youth in Agriculture http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/youth/agriculture/index.html for young workers to use to prevent injuries and illnesses when working on farms.
Look for more "QuickTips" on additional safety and health topics in future issues of QuickTakes.
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