310 More Workers Returned Home to their Families in 2012

This is an excerpt from an EHS Today article.

Preliminary results from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries released Aug. 22 show a reduction in the number of fatal work injuries in 2012 compared with 2011. Last year, 4,383 workers died from work-related injuries, down from a final count of 4,693 fatal work injuries in 2011.

The rate of fatal workplace injuries in 2012 was 3.2 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, down from a rate of 3.5 per 100,000 in 2011. The numbers could be better, according to the secretary of labor.

"Workers in this country have the right to return home safe and healthy at the end of a work day," said Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. "Despite that right, poor safety conditions cause thousands of people each year to lose their lives at work."

To read the full article, visit ehstoday.com.

Why Construction Workers Don't Report Injuries

This is an excerpt from an ISHN article.

More than 25% of construction workers responding to a recent survey by the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) said that they had suffered a work-related injury at some point in their career that they did not report.

Multiple reasons

• Workers accept that injury is part of the job

• They wanted to remain eligible for safety incentive prizes

• They did not wish employers or coworkers to see them as complainers or as weak

• They feared they would not be hired again by their employer if they reported an injury; and

• They found the paperwork and process for filing a claim daunting

“Pain is a natural part of my job”

The focus group participants identified multiple reasons why workers failed to report workplace injuries:

Workers who explained their failure to report a work-related injury were most likely to say that “my injury was small” and “pain is a natural part of my job,” according to the CPWR.

The full article is available at ishn.com.

EHS Today Releases its National Safety Survey Results

Below is an excerpt from the EHS Today 2013 National Safety Survey article. 

The respondents to the 2013 National Safety Survey generally are well-paid (approximately 80 percent earn more than $55,000 and 15 percent earn more than $105,000 per year); most have responsibility for safety (96 percent) followed closely by emergency preparedness (74 percent), occupational health (73 percent), ergonomics (66 percent) and industrial hygiene (65 percent); 94 percent attended college; and three-quarters are certified safety professionals (CSP). 

Most rate their organization's EHS performance as "good" (31.8 percent), "very good" (34.2 percent) or world-class (4.9 percent). Companies that offer a "one-size-fits-all" approach to EHS were criticized and the "production versus safety" argument appears to be ongoing. 

Here is a sample of what some respondents said when asked: "What is the most frequent complaint you hear from employees about your organization's safety and health program?":

    • Our managers care more about product than safety.

    • The foremen of the company still push and drive with disregard to safety. The foremen are not held accountable [for poor safety performance].

    • Management does not follow safety programs.

    • That our side (construction) has to follow the regulations but the facilities and maintenance sides do not have to follow safety policies, training or OSHA requirements.

The full article and the full survey results are available at ehstoday.com.

ARA Adjusts U.S. Rental Forecasts but Remains Positive

This is an excerpt from an International Rental News article by Murray Pollok.

The American Rental Association (ARA) continues to make bullish forecasts for the U.S. rental market with 7.0% growth expected this year followed by increases of 9.2% next year and 12.9% in 2015.

The 7.0% figure is slightly lower than the 7.3% estimated by the association in May this year, reflecting a modest slowdown of the economy, but it remains an extremely high rate and in stark contrast to Europe where rental market growth this year is expected to be around 1%.

The ARA figures come from its quarterly Rental Market Monitor produced by consultant IHS Global Insight.

“The U.S. economy slowed more than expected in the first half of the year, but equipment rental demand has remained strong”, said Scott Hazelton, a senior partner with IHS Global insight, “We have lowered our growth expectations for 2013 modestly to reflect this, but rental growth will still handily outperform the overall economy.

“The path ahead still looks promising with employment growth continuing and housing data coming in strong, which implies an improving commercial construction market to follow. Industrial markets, especially those tied to energy exploration and production, also should see growth”.

The full article is available on the International Rental News website.