Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has designated June 12 to 18, 2017, as the inaugural “Safe + Sound Week” to raise awareness of the value and importance of workplace safety and health programs. More information about Safe + Sound Week is at www.osha.gov/safeandsoundweek/.
The National Safety Council, American Industrial Hygiene Association, American Society of Safety Engineers, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have joined OSHA to sponsor the effort. In addition, 85 trade associations, industry and professional groups are partnering with the Safe + Sound Week initiative.
Participating in Safe + Sound Week can help organizations get their workplace safety and health programs started or energize an existing one. Organizations of any size or in any industry should participate to show their commitment to workplace safety and health to workers, customers, and the public. Effective programs have three core elements:
- Management leadership that commits to establishing, maintaining, and continually improving the workplace safety and health program. Managers must also provide needed resources to support the program.
- Workers who help identify solutions for improvements. A workforce engaged in workplace safety and health programs result in higher productivity, increased job satisfaction, and strong worker retention, which combine to increase revenues and lower turnover and recruitment costs.
- A systematic “find and fix” approach that calls upon employers and workers alike to examine their workplaces – proactively and routinely – to identify and address hazards before an injury or illness occurs.
“Our nation has made great strides in raising awareness about the importance of workplace safety, yet more than four million workers suffer serious job-related injuries or illnesses annually,” U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta stated in a news release about the inaugural Safe + Sound Week. “We can do better.”
With the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Congress created OSHA to assure safe and healthful working conditions for workers. Information on how to participate in Safe + Sound Week, ideas for events and resources, and details of planned events around the country are available at www.osha.gov/safeandsoundweek/.
As reported previously by ESR News, the 2017 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index ranking the top ten causes of disabling work-related injuries and their direct costs found that $59.87 billion was spent per year – more than $1 billion each week – on serious but non-fatal injuries in workplaces in the United States in 2014, the last year data was available.
MORE ESR NEWS BLOGS ABOUT WORKPLACE SAFETY
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