Why learn about safety, health and risk management?
Although serious and often fatal injuries were common in the early industrial age, many of us assume that the modern workplace is a kinder—or at least safer—place. We assume that the laws passed in response to atrocities such as the Triangle Shirtwaist fire (discussed in Module 13: Union–Management Relations) and horrific workplace conditions in the meatpacking and other industries have addressed these risks and created an environment free of—at the very least, preventable—work-related injuries. As Figure 1 illustrates, that assumption would be wrong. In 2017, over 5,000 people died due to work-related-injuries in the United States. What is particularly shocking is that 86% of those fatalities were preventable. That is, 4,414 of the 5,147 deaths could have been avoided. At a global level, the International Labor Organization estimates the number of deaths due to occupational injuries and illnesses is 2,780,000 annually.[1]
Year | Total deaths | Preventable Deaths |
---|---|---|
1992 | 6,217 | 4,965 |
1993 | 6,331 | 5,034 |
1994 | 6,632 | 5,338 |
1995 | 6,275 | 5,015 |
1996 | 6,202 | 5,069 |
1997 | 6,238 | 5,160 |
1998 | 6,055 | 5,117 |
1999 | 6,054 | 5,184 |
2000 | 5,920 | 5,022 |
2001 | 5,915 | 5,042 |
2002 | 5,534 | 4,726 |
2003 | 5,575 | 4,725 |
2004 | 5,764 | 4,995 |
2005 | 5,734 | 4,984 |
2006 | 5,840 | 5,088 |
2007 | 5,657 | 4,829 |
2008 | 5,214 | 4,423 |
2009 | 4,551 | 3,744 |
2010 | 4,690 | 3,896 |
2011 | 4,692 | 3,901 |
2012 | 4,628 | 3,903 |
2013 | 4,585 | 3,899 |
2014 | 4,821 | 4,132 |
2015 | 4,836 | 4,190 |
2016 | 5,190 | 4,398 |
2017 | 5,147 | 4,414 |
The total cost of work injuries in the United States was $161.5 billion in 2017 (see Figure 2 for the breakdown).[3] According to Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index, U.S. employers spent $58.5 billion—over $1 billion per week—on the most disabling nonfatal injuries and illnesses in 2018.[4]
Total Cost in 2017 | $161.5 billion |
---|---|
Cost per worker | $1,100 |
Cost per death | $1,150,000 |
Cost per medically consulted injury | $39,000 |
Although significant, these costs are a fraction of the total cost of ineffective safety and health management. As occupational health and safety experts David Michaels and John Henshaw note in a GreenBiz article, “a strong commitment to safety and health can . . . decrease training and recruitment costs, increase worker engagement and satisfaction, increase productivity and quality and improve reputational and financial performance.”[6]
In this module, we’ll discuss a business’s legal obligations for workplace safety and health, the enforcement process, how to improve workplace safety and risk management.
- "ILO: Global Cost of Work-related Injuries and Deaths Totals Almost $3 Trillion." Safety + Health Magazine. September 6, 2017. Accessed August 20, 2019. ↵
- National Safety Council. “Work-Related Fatality Trends.” Injury Facts. Accessed November 18, 2019. ↵
- "ILO: Global Cost of Work-related Injuries and Deaths Totals Almost $3 Trillion." ↵
- "Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index." Liberty Mutual Insurance. February 2018. Accessed August 20, 2019. ↵
- “Workplace Safety Index.” Liberty Mutual Group. Accessed November 18, 2019. ↵
- Michaels, David and John Henshaw. "Here's Why Worker Safety is a Sustainability Essential." Accessed August 20, 2019. ↵