March 2007 - OSHA Identifies Workplaces with High 2005 Injury/Illness Rates

For the past several years, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has sent letters to workplaces identified as having high injury or illness rates to notify them that their injury rates exceeded norms. Based on data from year 2005, OSHA has mailed this year’s letters to workplaces that had 5.3 or more injuries or illnesses resulting in "days away from work, restricted work activity, or job transfer" (DART) for every 100 full-time workers. The national average during 2006 was 2.4 DART instances for every 100 workers.

Employers receiving the letters were also provided copies of their injury and illness data, along with a list of the most frequently violated OSHA standards for their specific industry. The letter also offered assistance in helping turn the numbers around by suggesting, among other things, the use of free OSHA safety and health consultation services provided through the States, such as their workers' compensation agencies, insurance carriers, or outside safety and health consultants.

The list does not designate those earmarked for any future inspections. An announcement of targeted inspections will be made later this year. Also, the worksites listed are establishments in States covered by federal OSHA; the list does not include employers in the 21 States and Puerto Rico, who operate OSHA-approved State plans covering the private sector.

The 14,000 sites are listed alphabetically, by State, on OSHA's Web site at www.osha.gov/as/opa/foia/hot_13.html.

COPYRIGHT ©2007, ISO Services Properties, Inc.

The information contained in this publication was obtained from sources believed to be reliable. ISO Services Properties, Inc., its companies and employees make no guarantee of results and assume no liability in connection with either the information herein contained or the safety suggestions herein made. Moreover, it cannot be assumed that every acceptable safety procedure is contained herein or that abnormal or unusual circumstances may not warrant or require further or additional procedure.