Since the creation of OSHA in 1970, workplace safety has dramatically improved and the number of fatalities and injuries has decreased over the years. Here are some statistics you should know.
- According to the National Safety Council and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the workplace fatality rate has decreased by 78% since 1970.
- According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 11 injuries per 100 full-time workers in 1973; by 2001 the rate was 5.7 per 100 workers, a decrease of 48%.
- Since 1970, the fatality rate in manufacturing has decreased by 66% and the injury rate has decreased 53%, as opposed to manufacturing plants that don’t implicate OSHA standards.
- Similarly, the fatality rate at construction sites has decreased by 82% and the injury rate by 64%.
- In 2009, 71,700 fewer construction related injuries were reported, a 22% decline from 2008.
- Between 2006-2009, the injury rate among full-time workers decreased from 4.2% to 3.5 % per 100 workers.
- In 2009 a total of 4,551 fatal work injuries were reported, a 26% decline from 1992 where 6,217 fatal injuries were reported.
- The number of fatalities related to non-highway work decreased from 436 reports in 1992 to only 261 in 2009, a 40% decrease.
- 37 States reported a decline in workplace fatalities from 2008-2009.
- The number of work related fatalities in Hispanic or Latino workers have declined 22% from 923 incidents in 2005 down to 713 incidents in 2009.
