Workplace Injuries: Where? Who? Why?

A recent report by the insurance carrier Allsup finds that injury rates vary considerably by state, even for workers in the same industries. Keep reading to find out how your state stacks up.

According to the report, Allsup Study of Workplace Injuries, the states with the highest rate of injuries that involve days of job transfer or restriction are:

• Maine (1.4 cases per 100 workers)
• Indiana (1.1)
• California (1.0)
• Connecticut, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Wisconsin (0.9)
• Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington (0.8)

Those states all have rates that are higher than the national average of 0.7 cases per 100 workers. The findings were based on states that provide data to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

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Industry Groups with Highest Injury Rates

Allsup also crunched the numbers to identify the industry groups with the highest serious injury rates nationwide. Here’s what they found (from highest to lowest):

• Amusement parks and arcades
• Animal slaughtering and processing
• Beverage manufacturing and foundries (tied)
• Nursing care facilities
• Alcoholic beverage merchant wholesalers
• Motor vehicle body and trailer manufacturing
• Hog and pig farming, motor-vehicle manufacturing, community care facilities for the elderly, and poultry and egg production (tied)

More than a million U.S. workers each year experience an injury that causes them to miss a day or more of work, according to Allsup.

Top 10 Noncompliance Issues

Auto expert Terry Dortch has identified 10 compliance pitfalls that are getting auto dealerships in trouble with OSHA and can lead to accidents and injuries as well. The list includes issues familiar to service, retail, wholesale, and warehouse businesses as well.

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Here’s Dortch’s list of top 10 concerns to address "before OSHA does."

• No free-flowing eyewash station accessible within a 10-second or 55-foot walk of technicians
• Eyewash stations not inspected and cleaned weekly
• Workers not properly trained in the new globally harmonized system (GHS) for hazardous material shipping and labeling
• No annual test documentation for fire extinguishers
• No recent forklift operator safety training (required every 3 years)
• No regular checking of proper labeling of bottles of chemicals
• No recent first-aid kit inspection and restocking
• No recent lift safety and function inspections
• Improper battery core storage (must be on a proper pad with secondary containment)
• Unsafe use of extension cords or use of extension cords in an unsafe environment

Dortch concludes that these are all "easy fixes" if they are taken care of before OSHA arrives. "After that, OSHA fines for noncompliance can be painful."