TEXT VERSION OF SLIDE:
Title: OSHA's Comprehensive Approach
Content:
- One Vision, One Voice
- Compliance Assistance and Cooperative Programs
- Enforcement
- Standards and Guidance
[Includes photo of people at work, and the Alliance and OSHA logos]
Speaker Notes:
OSHA faces significant communications challenges that stand as barriers between
the Agency and its customers. Qualitative research from 2002 and 2003 revealed
many employers and employees view OSHA as an adversary. Respondents said they
thought OSHA focuses on petty violations and even enjoys shutting down
businesses. While we have made considerable progress over the past few years,
these misperceptions remain. We are committed to overcoming these obstacles and
moving forward. We are sharing and letting the public get to know the real
OSHA. According to an Opinion Research Corporation study, "People who know a
company well are five times more likely to have a favorable opinion of it.“ The
more accurate information employers and employees have about OSHA, the more
likely they will be to have a positive impression of this Agency. For OSHA to
achieve its goal, we must consistently articulate the importance of OSHA's role
as an advocate for safety and health. OSHA’s vision is that “Every employer in
the nation recognizes that occupational safety and health adds value to
American businesses, workplaces and workers’ lives.”
Evidence for how “Safety is Good Business” can be found in
Liberty Mutual’s 2008 Workplace Safety Index. The insurance company’s
research division estimated that employers across our nation paid $48.6 billion
to injured employees and their medical care providers, or nearly $1 billion a
week. In fact, when you consider all the costs associated with workplace
injuries and illnesses, we find that there is a total cost impact of $170
billion a year 1 to businesses. These unnecessary expenditures come
straight out of the bottom line. Workplaces that establish safety and health
management systems can reduce their injury and illness costs by 20 to 40
percent. 2
The meaning of “Safety is Good Business” is becoming increasingly clear as new
studies show a strong link between healthy employees and healthy businesses.
Recently, for example, the global investment firm Goldman Sachs JBWere reported
a study3 that makes a compelling business case for workplace safety
and health. The study found that companies which managed occupational safety
and health performed better financially than companies that did not make safety
and health a priority. The findings suggest that investors would be wise to
consider companies’ occupational safety and health policies and practices as a
factor in deciding where to invest.
1Leigh JP, Markowitz SB, Fahs M, Shin C, Landrigan PJ. 1997.
Occupational injury and illness in the United States. Estimates of costs,
morbidity and mortality. Arch Intern Med 1997 Jul 28;157(14):1557-68.
2The Workers' Compensation Rating and Inspection Bureau of
Massachusetts. 1996. Massachusetts Workers Compensation: Evaluation of the
Qualified Loss Management Program.
3Goldman Sachs JBWere Finds Valuation Links in Workplace Health and
Safety Data (2007 October 19).
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