Occupational Medicine

Fines for worker safety are a necessary tool

2008-12-01T16:16:00.000-08:00

It's progress, of a sort, that the N.C. Labor Department has proposed fining one of the state's largest poultry companies almost $180,000 for a variety of workplace safety violations.
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Industrial Accident Prevention

2008-12-01T16:11:00.000-08:00

Industrial accidents refer to any accident that occurs on an industrial site. Causes can range from workers'' negligence or fatigue to faulty machinery, improper supervision of the work site, inadequate safety precautions and unknown safety hazards.
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Causes of Industrial Accidents

2008-12-01T16:10:00.000-08:00

There are a just as many causes of industrial accidents as there are types of industrial accidents. The broad category of industrial accidents covers anything from small cuts and bruises to huge disasters that affect a large population of people. Approximately 120 million industrial accidents occur in the work place world wide each year. Approximately 210,000 of these accidents result in fatality. The industries which have the highest rate of accidents are the mining, construction, transportation, and agricultural industries. Construction accidents account for fifteen percent of all accidents and thirty percent of all fatalities in industrial work environments.
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On The Job Injuries - Now What?

2008-12-01T16:01:00.000-08:00

If you’ve been hurt on the job, you might wonder if you need a lawyer. Often employers or insurance company representatives will try to discourage injured workers from obtaining representation. Co-workers, friends and family members may offer all sorts of conflicting information. What should you do?

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How we get injured at work

2008-12-01T15:58:00.000-08:00

Slips, trips and falls
Safe lifting
Proper use of personal protective equipment
Safe handling of chemicals and other hazardous materials
Lockout/tagout procedures
Machine guarding/shielding
Falls from cranes, ladders and scaffolding
Injuries caused by power tools, derricks, hoists, conveyors, winches
Accidents involving forklifts, trucks, graters, scrapers, tractors, bulldozers, forklifts, back hoes, heavy equipment,
Fires and explosions involving boilers, pressure vessels, and gas lines
Electrical accidents and electrocution involving overhead power lines
Excavations and collapses
Burns and chemical burns caused by flammable and combustible materials

Workplace Pressures, Hazards Raise Risk Of Job Injuries In Youths

2008-12-01T15:55:00.000-08:00

Exposure to work hazards and a frenetic job pace increases the likelihood of injury among adolescent and young adult workers, a new systematic review suggests
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Hump Day the worst Day for Injuries on the Job

2008-12-01T15:45:00.000-08:00

Workers looking for a good day to call in sick might want to pick Wednesday, since it's the most likely day to get injured on the job, according to a study by the Kansas Department of Labor.

The department's "2006 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses'' of 3,500 private businesses found that middle-of-the-week day is the most likely for an on-the-job injury or illness that requires additional time off.

The survey found that 2,050 of the workplace injuries requiring time off occurred on Wednesday, while each of the other four standard workdays had 1,620 to 1,880 such injuries. Sunday had the fewest on-the-job injuries requiring time off, with 530.

The random survey of private employers found there were an estimated 46,800 occupational injuries or illnesses during 2006. Of those, 21% required additional days off with a median length of seven days. Fractures resulted in the longest absences, which averaged 22 days.

The survey, which was produced in conjunction with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, said an average of 128 nonfatal accidents or injuries occur each day at private Kansas employers.

Workers age 35-44 were most likely to get injured, and men accounted for 68% of all injuries requiring days away from work, according to the study.

United States Injuries on the Job

2008-12-01T15:39:00.000-08:00

According to the National Institute for Occupational Health & Safety, (NIOSH):

• From 1980 through 1995, at least 93,338 workers in the US died as a result of trauma suffered on the job, an average of about 16 deaths per day.

• NIOSH estimates that about 3.6 million occupational injuries were serious enough to be treated in hospital emergency rooms in 1998.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics' Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, in 2005:

• There were 5,702 fatal work-related injuries across all sectors, making the rate at which fatal work injuries occurred in 2005 4.0 per 100,000 workers. Fatal highway incidents are the most frequent type of fatal workplace event, accounting for one in every four fatalities nationally.

• There were 564 workplace homicides and 177 workplace suicides recorded.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics' Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities (IIF) program, in 2005:

• There were 4,214,200 recorded cases of nonfatal injuries and illnesses in private industry, with 1,234,700 cases involving days away from work.

• Of the 4.2 million cases of nonfatal injuries and illnesses, 4.0 million (94.2%) were injuries and the remainder illnesses.

• The largest shares of injuries were in the manufacturing sector (20%), the healthcare and social assistance sector (16%), and the retail trade sector (15%).