New York business owners and OSHA have one thing in common; they both want to create a zero-accident workplace. For business owners, the focus is often on eliminating liability and maintaining productivity. However, there are some who share OSHA’s goal of keeping workers safe and healthy.
In spite of their best efforts, CBS News reports that a workplace injury occurs every seven seconds. That works out to 4.7 million workers per year and a surreal 12,900 workers per day. People often think that older workers are the ones getting injured, but the opposite is true. It appears that younger workers are the ones facing higher rates of injuries. Most injuries occur within the first 12 months of work.
Another thing to note is that about a third of U.S. workers are still quite young. They fall within the group of workers that range from 18 years old to 34 years old. People over 55 years old also make up another third of the workforce. While younger people appear to be more likely to get injured, older people tend to be less resilient when they do get hurt. They may also suffer from poorer balance and deteriorating eyesight and hearing.
Among the most commonly recognized workplace accidents are slips, trips and falls. A study published by the U.S. National Libary of Medicine points out that even when these do not involve falling down the stairs or from high places, the risk of injury is still high. In 2012, for instance, falls on the same level accounted for 15.4% of total injury costs at $9.19 billion dollars.