A Closer Look at OSHA’s Impact on Worker Safety in the Past 40 Years

06/13/11

Since June is National Safety Month, it’s the perfect time to honor OSHA’s 40-year anniversary and recognize the agency’s tremendous influence on worker safety through the decades.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1970 (OSH Act) was signed into law by President Nixon on December 29, 1970. The following year, on April 28, 1971, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was established.

While it’s hard to think of a time when OSHA didn’t exist – and workers were vulnerable to unsafe, unmonitored workplace practices – the reality is that in 1970, approximately 38 American workers were killed on the job every day. Since OSHA’s inception, however, workplace fatalities have decreased by more than 65 percent, and occupational injury and illness rates have dropped 67 percent.

With the tagline, “Healthier Workers. Safer Workplaces. A Stronger America.”, OSHA has certainly paved the way to historic declines in workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses. And for workers in high-hazard industries, such as construction and manufacturing, the benefits of OSHA’s initiatives have been especially great.

Keeping Safety at the Forefront

There’s no question that OSHA is directly impacting worker safety, but are you doing your part as a business? In recognition of June being National Safety Month, are you confident you’re meeting your responsibilities for creating a safer, OSHA-compliant workplace year-round?

According to OSHA, the 10 most frequent workplace safety violations last year were:

1. Scaffolding
2. Fall Protection
3. Hazard Communication
4. Respiratory Protection
5. Ladders
6. Control of Hazardous Energy – Lockout/Tagout
7. Electrical-Wiring Methods
8. Powered Industrial Trucks
9. Electrical – General
10. Machine Guarding

It’s important to know where your company stands regarding this list. OSHA is stepping up workplace inspections and moving forward with a new, stricter administrative penalty policy that became effective October 1, 2010. Many experts felt that OSHA’s penalties, which have been around since the early 1970s, were too low to act as a deterrent. A handful of penalty adjustments will have a much wider, harder-hitting effect on employers in the coming years.

Now, more than ever, you should assess your safety program and ensure it’s rock solid – from meeting OSHA safety and recordkeeping standards to preventing injuries through training, adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) and proper safety procedures.

OSHA is dedicated to supporting healthier, safer workplaces, but it’s up to you to uphold the standards and keep your employees out of harm’s way.