Workplace safety
Encyclopedia
Workplace safety & health is a category of management
responsibility in places of employment.
To ensure the safety and health of workers, managers establish a focus on safety that can include elements such as:
Data from 2003
http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/overall/fatl0506.pdf
In most countries males comprise the vast majority of workplace fatalities. In the EU as a whole, 94% of death were of males. In the UK the disparity was even greater with males comprising 97.4% of workplace deaths.
of the United States Department of Labor
compiles information about workplace fatalities
in the United States
. Since 1992, the year with the most workplace fatalities was 1994 with 6,632 fatalities, and the lowest in 2002 with 5,534.
The Bureau also compiles information about the most dangerous jobs. The most recent information comes from the year 2006, during which 5,840 people died on the job.
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
responsibility in places of employment.
To ensure the safety and health of workers, managers establish a focus on safety that can include elements such as:
- management leadership and commitment
- employee engagementEmployee engagementEmployee engagement, also called worker engagement, is a business management concept. An "engaged employee" is one who is fully involved in, and enthusiastic about their work, and thus will act in a way that furthers their organization's interests...
- accountability
- safety programs, policies, and plans
- safety processes, procedures, and practices
- safety goals and objectives
- safety inspections for workplace hazards
- safety program audits
- safety tracking & metrics
- hazardHazardA hazard is a situation that poses a level of threat to life, health, property, or environment. Most hazards are dormant or potential, with only a theoretical risk of harm; however, once a hazard becomes "active", it can create an emergency situation. A hazard does not exist when it is not...
identification and control - safety committees to promote employee involvement
- safety education and training
- safety communications to maintain a high level of awareness on safety
European Union
| Country | Fatalities | Fatalities per 100,000 employees |
|---|---|---|
| Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
145 | 1.71 |
| Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
41 | 2.4 |
| Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... |
27 | 1.8 |
| Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... |
29 | 1.9 |
| France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
318 | 2.9 |
| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
465 | 2.3 |
| Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
48 | 3.0 |
| Ireland Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... |
52 | 3.2 |
| Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
427 | 2.8 |
| Luxembourg Luxembourg Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south... |
6 | 3.2 |
| Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
60 | 2.0 |
| Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... |
285 | 7.6 |
| Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
365 | 3.7 |
| Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
28 | 1.2 |
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
182 | 1.1 |
| European Union | 2,478 | 2.5 |
Data from 2003
http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/overall/fatl0506.pdf
In most countries males comprise the vast majority of workplace fatalities. In the EU as a whole, 94% of death were of males. In the UK the disparity was even greater with males comprising 97.4% of workplace deaths.
US Statistics
The Bureau of Labor StatisticsBureau of Labor Statistics
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is a unit of the United States Department of Labor. It is the principal fact-finding agency for the U.S. government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics. The BLS is a governmental statistical agency that collects, processes, analyzes, and...
of the United States Department of Labor
United States Department of Labor
The United States Department of Labor is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and some economic statistics. Many U.S. states also have such departments. The...
compiles information about workplace fatalities
Occupational fatality
An occupational fatality is a death that occurs while a person is at work or performing work related tasks. Occupational fatalities are also commonly called “occupational deaths” or “work-related deaths/fatalities” and can occur in any industry or occupation....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Since 1992, the year with the most workplace fatalities was 1994 with 6,632 fatalities, and the lowest in 2002 with 5,534.
The Bureau also compiles information about the most dangerous jobs. The most recent information comes from the year 2006, during which 5,840 people died on the job.
| Job | Fatalities | Fatalities per 100,000 employees |
|---|---|---|
| Fishermen | 53 | 147.2 |
| Pilots Aviator An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne... |
104 | 90.4 |
| Timber cutter Logging Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard... |
66 | 84.6 |
| Structural metal workers International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers The International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers is a union in the United States and Canada, which represents primarily construction workers, as well as shipbuilding and metal fabrication employees.-Origins:... |
36 | 61.0 |
| Waste collector Waste collector A waste collector is a person employed by a public or private enterprise to collect and remove refuse and recyclables from residential, commercial, industrial or other collection site for further processing and disposal... s |
37 | 40.7 |
| Farmers and ranchers Agriculture Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the... |
292 | 37.2 |
| Power-line workers Power Line Power Line is an American political blog, providing news and commentary from a conservative point-of-view. It was originally written by three lawyers who attended Dartmouth College together: John H. Hinderaker, Scott W. Johnson, and Paul Mirengoff... |
38 | 34.9 |
| Miners Mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock... |
156 | 34.5 |
| Roof Roof A roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a cathedral or stadium, dwellings being the most numerous.... ers |
81 | 33.5 |
| Truck driver Truck driver A truck driver , is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck, usually a semi truck, box truck, or dump truck.Truck drivers provide an essential service to... s |
957 | 27.5 |
| All occupations | 5,840 | 4.0 |
See also
- Certified safety professionalCertified safety professionalThe Certified Safety Professional is a certification offered by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals . The CSP has been accredited in the United States by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies and the Council of Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards , and internationally...
- CCOHS
- Effective Safety TrainingEffective Safety TrainingThe Occupational Safety and Health Administration has written voluminous workplace safety standards and regulations that affect employers and employees in the United States. It is the employer's legal responsibility to educate employees on all workplace safety standards and the hazards that their...
- Hearing conservation programHearing conservation programHearing conservation programs are designed to prevent noise induced hearing loss. A written hearing conservation program is required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration “whenever employee noise exposures equal or exceed an 8-hour time-weighted average sound level of 85 decibels...
- Industrial Union Department v. American Petroleum InstituteIndustrial Union Department v. American Petroleum InstituteIndustrial Union Department v. American Petroleum Institute , , was a case heard before the United States Supreme Court. This case represented a challenge to the OSHA practice of regulating carcinogens by setting the exposure limit "at the lowest technologically feasible level that will not impair...
- Material safety data sheetMaterial safety data sheetA Material Safety Data Sheet is a form with data regarding the properties of a particular substance....
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and HealthNational Institute for Occupational Safety and HealthThe National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is the United States’ federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. NIOSH is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention within the U.S...
(NIOSH) - Occupational diseaseOccupational diseaseAn occupational disease is any chronic ailment that occurs as a result of work or occupational activity. It is an aspect of occupational safety and health. An occupational disease is typically identified when it is shown that it is more prevalent in a given body of workers than in the general...
- Occupational fatalityOccupational fatalityAn occupational fatality is a death that occurs while a person is at work or performing work related tasks. Occupational fatalities are also commonly called “occupational deaths” or “work-related deaths/fatalities” and can occur in any industry or occupation....
- Occupational health psychologyOccupational health psychologyOccupational health psychology emerged out of two distinct applied disciplines within psychology, health psychology and industrial/organizational psychology, and occupational health. OHP is concerned with the psychosocial characteristics of workplaces that contribute to the development of...
- Occupational safety and healthOccupational safety and healthOccupational safety and health is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. The goal of all occupational safety and health programs is to foster a safe work environment...
- OSHAOccupational Safety and Health AdministrationThe United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. It was created by Congress of the United States under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, signed by President Richard M. Nixon, on December 29, 1970...
- Participatory ErgonomicsParticipatory ErgonomicsIndustrial Ergonomics programs seek to identify and correct factors that negatively impact the physical health of their workers. Participatory ergonomics programs seek to maximize the involvement of the workers in this process based on the simple fact that a worker is an expert on his or her job...
- Process Safety ManagementProcess Safety ManagementProcess Safety Management is a regulation, promulgated by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration . A process is any activity or combination of activities including any use, storage, manufacturing, handling or the on-site movement of Highly Hazardous Chemicals as defined by OSHA...
- Safe-In-Sound Award Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Award
- SafetySafetySafety is the state of being "safe" , the condition of being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types or consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event which could be...
- Safety engineeringSafety engineeringSafety engineering is an applied science strongly related to systems engineering / industrial engineering and the subset System Safety Engineering...
- Safety Services CompanySafety Services CompanySafety Services Company is a safety training and supply provider headquartered in Tempe, AZ, 2626 S. Roosevelt St. Suite #2. The company also has a second location in Yuma, AZ, 2995 S...
External links
- OSH Answers
- Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)
- History of Workplace Safety in the United States by Mark Aldrich of Smith College
- Occupational Safety & Health Administration
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
- National Safety Council
- Free OSHA Publications
- New Zealand Department of Labor
- International Labour Organization
- Institution of Occupational Safety and Health UK-based professional organization
- Forbes: Dangerous jobs
- CNN: Dangerous jobs
- National Association of Safety Professionals
- American Society of Safety Engineers
- Occupational Safety Training and Certification Alliance
- European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU)
- Healthy Workplace Initiative (new member states)
- Workplace Fatalities & the Aftermath United Support & Memorial for Workplace Fatalities
- Safety Manual