Safety Matters

Safety Facts & Resources

There is no doubt that safety training reduces accidents and increases profits. The real question is how to train the people who need it without compromising efficiency, effectiveness, and profits. The answer is Weekly Safety Meetings. They allow you, your superintendent, or your foreman to conduct quick, effective, powerful safety training on-site where the employees are and the hazards are.

Safety training has to happen. OSHA, your insurance carrier, the owner, and your own commitment to the safety of your people make training mandatory. Accidents are very expensive regardless of how you tally the costs.
Safety Sayings, Slogans, and Truisms
Having a great safety saying can be valuable when you’re talking to your crew (or anyone else) about safety. A good saying can emphasize your point, and at the same time make it memorable so that it sticks your audiences’ minds. When your crew internalizes safety, good habits are formed and accident numbers go down. We’re building a collection of safety sayings. You can find the current list here: Sayings Safety and Slogans. We’d like your help in growing the list. If you have a favorite saying, please tell us about it. You can find a link to send that saying to us on the Safety Sayings page.
Supervisors and Guidelines
The importance of the supervisor's role in safety training is critical to a top-notch safety program. Read more about The Supervisor’s Role in Safety Training.
Household Hazardous Chemical Safety Resources
We’ve collected some resources to help you and your employees manage hazardous chemicals which are routinely found in homes. You can find those resources here.
Motor Vehicle Safety - New Measurement Test for Tread Depth
New tests show that the Quarter Test is a safer test of tread depth for worn tires. Learn more at The Penny Test vs the Quarter Test.
Safety Facts

1. Although workplace homicides declined by 7 percent in 2010 to the lowest total ever recorded by the fatality census, workplace homicides involving women increased by 13 percent. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)

2. The number of fatal work injuries resulting from fires and explosions increased by 65 percent—from 113 in 2009 to 187 in 2010. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)

3. In 2010, construction accounted for more fatal work injuries than any other industry. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)

4. In 2010, fatal work injuries increased for workers under 18 years of age, workers age 25 to 34, and for workers 55 years of age and older. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)

5. Motor vehicle crashes cost employers $60 billion annually in medical care, legal expenses, property damage, and lost productivity. (Source: National Safety Council)

6. The average crash costs an employer $16,500. (Source: National Safety Council)

7. When a worker has an on-the-job crash that results in an injury, the cost to the employer is approximately $74,000. (Source: National Safety Council)

8. When a worker is killed in an on-the-job crash, costs can exceed $500,000. (Source: National Safety Council)

9. On average, approximately 1.7 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury annually. (Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

10. Falls continue to be the leading cause of traumatic brain injury in the United States. (Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

11. An average of 26 construction workers die each year from using aerial lifts. (Source: Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety and Health)

12. On aerial lifts, the major causes are falls, electrocutions, and collapses or tipovers. (Source: Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety and Health)

13. Boom lifts accounted for almost 70% of the aerial lift deaths. (Source: Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety and Health)

14. Homicide is currently the fourth leading cause of fatal occupational injuries in the United States. Of the 4,547 fatal workplace injuries that occurred in the United States in 2010, 506 were workplace homicides. (Source: Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

15. Homicide is the leading cause of death for women in the workplace. (Source: Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

16. OSHA estimates that forklifts cause approximately 85 fatal accidents and 34,900 serious injury accidents per year. (Source: Texas Department of Insurance)

17. Males accounted for 71 percent of all traffic fatalities, 70 percent of all pedestrian fatalities, and 85 percent of all bicyclist fatalities in 2011. (Source: U.S. Department of Transportation)

18. NHTSA estimates that 11,949 lives were saved in 2011 by the use of seat belts. More than half (52%) of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes in 2011 were unrestrained. (Source: U.S. Department of Transportation)

19. ”Construction Trades Workers“ alone represent about 38% of all electrical fatalities. (Source: Electrical Safety Foundational International)

20. The Construction industry has the highest rate of nonfatal electric shock injuries. (Source: Electrical Safety Foundational International)

21. Electrocution is the fourth leading cause of work-related death for construction workers. On average, one worker is electrocuted on the job every day in the United States. (Source: Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Safety Resources

Stress at work a NIOSH publication

Occupational Safety & Health Administration www.osha.gov
American Society of Safety Engineering www.asse.org
Construction Safety Council www.buildsafe.org
National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health www.cdc.gov/niosh
American National Standards Institute www.ansi.org
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers www.asme.org
Bureau of Labor Statistics www.stats.bls.gov
National Safety Council www.nsc.org