On Dec. 4, 2014, Dr. David Michaels, the assistant secretary of labor for safety and health said

the following:

“Today we learned that, in 2013, approximately three million private sector workers in America

experienced a serious injury or illness on the job. In this extraordinarily high number, it is easy to

focus on the headline and miss the trend line. We are encouraged that the rates continue to

decline over the past few years, even during this period of healthy economic growth when we

would expect the rate of injuries to rise. The decrease in the injury rate is a product of tireless

work by those employers, unions, worker advocates and occupational safety and health

professionals all coupled with the efforts of federal and state government organizations that

make worker safety and health a high priority each and every day.

“But we cannot ignore those three million workers. The severity of their injuries and illnesses

varies widely; some are amputees, some suffer back injuries, while others have to struggle for

each breath. Work injuries can instantly pull the rug out from a family striving for a good

middle-class life. This is why the work of the Labor Department is so vital, and why the

Occupational Safety and Health Administration, along with our partners in both the public and

private sector, will maintain our commitment to ensuring that everyone can work in a safe,

healthy place.”

And while these are encouraging signs, it is important to remember that workplace injury is

never a good thing. And in an effort to bring those statistics further down, the Department of

Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has changed reporting requirements for

2015. All workplace fatalities must be reported within 8 hours and all workplace injuries

resulting in in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye must be reported within 24

hours. So if you have not yet updated your occupational safety and health procedures, it is time

to do so. You do not want to find yourself out of compliance because an update was not made.

If you are unable to make these updates yourself, or are unsure of what you need to change,

please contact us and we will help you with your updates. If you have anything to add about

these statistics or about the new requirements January 1, 2015, please leave a comment.