제  목 : OSHA Intervention Reduces Fatalities
  일  자 : 1996년 05월
  제공처 : Occupational Safety and Health News for General Industry

    An AFL - CIO report reveals that those industries where OSHA has
  focused its resources demonstrate the greatest reductions in workplace
  fatalities and injuries.

    Additionally, new hazards - such as repetitive trauma disorders (RTD)
  and workplace violence - have emerged posing further risks to workers.

    The labor group released Safe Jobs : Promises Kept, Promises Broken,
  25Years of worker Safety and Health in the United Stateson April 25,
  commemorating a quarter century since passage of the OSH Act.

    The group claims that OSHA's intervention has caused fatalities to
  decline by 72% and workplace injuries by 23%

    The greatest reduction in workplace fatalities and injuries has
  occurrd in those sectors having the highest level of government
  enforcement : mining, construction, and manufacturing.

    "What the report basically finds is that where the efforts of
  enforcement and standards have been focused, there have been
  significant reductions in fatalities, injuries and disease," said Peg
  Seminario, director of Occupational Safety and Health at the AFL - CIO.

    "So that's the good news. The bad news is that the level of commitment
  and the level of resources has been insufficient to the overall task
  that OSHA has. We still have significant safety and health problems in
  the workplace, and we have whole new areas [of hazards] which are
  emerging."

    OSHA has conducted nearly half of its inspections in construction
  causing the fatality rate to decline by 78% and the injury rate by
  40%. However, construction continues to account for a disproportionate
  number of workplace fatalities.

    In 1994,16% of workplace deaths occurred in construction, while the
  industry as a whole represents only 6% of the workforce.

    Workplace injuries and illnesses in the private sector fell from 11.0
  per 100 workers in 1973 to 8.4 per 100 workers in 1994, demonstrating a
  24% decrease. In contrast, industries where OSHA has focused limited
  attention - such as transportation, trade and agriculture - have shown
  less improvement.

    According to Safe Jobs, workplace injuries account for costs of more
  than $120 billion and 125 million days of lost work in 1994.

    The report also signaled a rise in new injuries and illnesses.
  According to the AFL - CIO, ergonomic hazards are the most significant
  safety and health problems in the workplace today.

    Repeated trauma disorders, including carpal tunnel syndrome and other
  repetitive strain orders, amounted to 332,100 or 64% of all reported
  cases. This represents an 800% increase over the past 10 years.

    Specific sectors also reported more than their fair share of injuries.
  While the injury rate in the service and trades industries has changed
  very little since 1973, the service sector in 1994 accounted for 47% of
  all workplace injuries and illnesses or 3,160,700 cases. The service
  industry represents nearly 33 million workers and includes hotels, auto
  repair, business services, health and educational services.

    Seminario believes OSHA's lack of activity in the service sector
  caused this lopsided result.

    " The service sector is a big sector. It's huge in terms of the
  numbers of people, the kinds of industries, and hazards. Their rates
  have gone up over the years. Then you look at subsectors within service,
  particularly in the health care industry. Nursing homes have gone
  through the roof in terms of both numbers and rates of injuries and
  illnesses.

    " However, only 15% of OSHA inspections [occur in service]. In terms
  of the OSHA's presence, [the service sector] is disproportionately
  serviced in terms of the attention that they get. That's not to say that
  construction shouldn't get the attention. It certainly should. It's a
  high risk industry. But so little attention is paid to some of these
  areas that are huge areas of the economy and responsible for huge
  numbers of injuries. Within the service sector there are some pockets
  with very, very high rates."

    Opponents maintain that OSHA is not responsible for the general
  reduction in injuries and illnesses and claim that the market itself is
  stemming the rise of hazards. Seminario does not agree with this
  conclusion.

    " Well, then why is it so uneven? If the market is working, why isn't
  it working every where? If that argument were true then you would see
  proportional reduction [in injuries and fatalities] across the board.

    " The most significant reductions here are in those sectors where the
  most attention has been devoted. Which makes sense. You would expect
  that where those areas getting the most attention with respect to
  standards, with respect to enforcement, you would have the biggest
  reduction," said Seminario.