A report from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found that there were 10,388 severe injuries on the job in 2015. Those injuries lead to 2,644 amputations and 7,636 hospitalizations. The reported cases amount to about 30 severe injuries a day in the United States. This post will go over these figures and how it may impact your job.
Additionally, OSHA only collected data from 26 states. Therefore, it is very likely that the actual number is much higher. OSHA found that manufacturing accounted for the vast majority of severe injuries, about 57 percent of amputations and 26 percent of hospitalizations. Also, oil and gas, transportation, construction, and warehousing received honorable mentions for their rates of injury.
The report was made possible by a new rule which requires employers to disclose workplace injuries. OSHA further estimates that 50 percent of injures in the monitored states go unreported. OSHA hypothesizes that some smaller companies are unaware of the new requirement. But the more sinister concern is that some companies actively try to conceal or block the publishing of the data.
To prevent these abuses, OSHA raised the fine for violations from $1,000 to as much as $7,000. Luckily, most companies, once they are made aware, take the necessary steps to come into compliance. If you were injured on the job due to dangerous equipment then you may want to contact a lawyer for assistance. Your employer is required submit your information to the federal government to ensure that future injuries can be prevented. A lawyer can ensure that your rights are respected by your company, even if the managers do not want to comply with the law.
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