February 9, 2015
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that in the year 2013, 4,405 fatal injuries happened at workplaces in the United States. The figure may seem large when considered by itself, but comparatively, it represents a reduction of almost 25 percent in fatal injuries since 2003. Nowadays, businesses are prioritizing safety and have made progress in improving the working environment for their workers by partnering with organizations that offer training and certifications on safety.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, falls from the construction trade are generally the leading cause of fatal injuries. Violations involving fall protection ranks high up the list, with penalties and fines collected amounting to more than twice that of the second-leading cause of injuries in the workplace. Smaller companies have been found to be at greater risk than bigger companies, as in 2013 alone, small businesses paid nearly four times the amount in fines as large corporations with more than 250 employees. To get a better picture of how these violations to health and safety standards affect businesses, let’s take a look at the value of safety from OSHA’s statistics.
Top 10 Most Frequently Violated OSHA Standards Topping the list of the most frequently violated OSHA standards is Fall Protection: 7,900 inspections were carried out, which resulted in 8,176 citations and a total of more than $20 million in fines collected. In 2013 alone, 36.9 percent of the total deaths in the construction industry were attributed to falls. That’s 294 lives that could have been saved, had fall protection been implemented by companies across all industries.
Read Full Article At Ohsonline.com
