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.
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