BREAKING NEWS

NIOSH Aims to Create Awareness of Workplace Safety when ‘Going Green’

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is creating an awareness program to educate employees, including Federal employees, about the importance of safety in “green jobs.” With the push to go green, agencies cannot forget to also incorporate safety into their environmental sustainability programs. The awareness program includes a special workshop to be conducted this winter and a specialized Web page on the main NIOSH Web site.

Welcome to SafetyNet

The Department of the Interior’s Occupational Health and Safety Program supports the Department’s Mission to protect and provide access to our Nation's natural and cultural heritage by:

Keeping employees and volunteers well,
Keeping employees and volunteers on the job, and
Reducing accident related losses.

IN FOCUS

Presidential Safety, Health and Return to Employment SCORECARD - First and Second Quarter, FY 2009

Presidential Safety, Health and Return to Employment SCORECARD First and Second Quarter, FY 2009
OSHA/OWCP Scorecard Elements	IA	BLM	BOR	FWS	NPS	OSM	USGS	DOI Other	DOI	DOI Goal
Total Case Rate	5.94	5.50	4.22	4.94	7.34	0.76	2.16	1.34	5.12	5.64
Lost Time Case Rate	3.04	1.12	1.34	1.08	3.32	0.00	0.34	0.38	1.86	1.96
Timeliness	35.9	87.6	77.7	79.9	86.1	Not Avail	96.0	Not Avail	78.0	60.0
Lost Production Days	67.0	36.4	38.1	25.6	60.6	Not Avail	9.5	Not Avail	41.7	57.2

Total Case Rate: Reduce the total number of injury and illness cases reported to the Office of Workers’ Compensation programs (OWCP) by 3%.

Lost Time Case Rate: Reduce the number of injury and illness cases where employees missed work reported to the Office of Workers’ Compensation programs (OWCP) by 3%.

Timeliness: Improve timeliness of filing workers’ compensation claims by 5%.

Lost Production Days: Reduce the rate of lost production days (days away from work due to work related injuries or illnesses) by 1%.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Senators call for states to ban TWD

Four senators on July 29 announced plans to unveil legislation that would restrict federal funding to any state that does not ban texting while driving. According to reports from The New York Times and the Associated Press, Sens. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Kay Hagan (D-NC) plan to introduce legislation that would require states to ban TWD or lose a percentage of their annual federal highway funding.

In addition, Schumer on July 26 announced plans to introduce legislation that would ban TWD for bus and truck drivers and conductors who operate transportation vehicles. On July 27, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in Blacksburg released findings from a study on cell phone use and TWD. The findings suggest manual manipulation of phones leads to a substantial increase of being involved in a crash.

Report: 2008 traffic safety fatalities down

The overall number of traffic fatalities declined to its lowest level since 1961, but the number of motorcycle-related fatalities continues to increase, a new report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows.

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood on July 3 said NHTSA's 2008 Traffic Safety Annual Assessment (.pdf file attached) shows the overall number of traffic fatalities fell 9.7 percent in 2008 to 37,261, down from 41,259 in 2007. However, motorcycle fatalities increased for the 11th consecutive year, reaching 5,290 fatalities – 14 percent of the total traffic fatalities.

Additional data shows:

Light-truck occupant fatalities decreased for the third consecutive year. Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in crashes declined by 9.7 percent. The fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled fell to a historic low of 1.27. LaHood attributed the declining death rate to increases in seat belt use; efforts to curtail impaired driving; and improvements in road, highway and vehicle safety.

Fatal Workplace Injuries in 2006: A Collection of Data and Analysis

The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), administered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in conjunction with the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and New York City, compiles detailed information on all work-related fatal injuries occurring in the United States. In an effort to compile counts that are as complete as possible, the fatality census uses diverse sources to identify, verify, and profile fatal work injuries. Source documents such as death certificates, news accounts, workers' compensation reports, and Federal and State agency administrative records are cross-referenced to gather key information about each workplace fatality.

The annual CFOI report provides detailed tabulations of data from the fatality census, as well as analytical articles on various topics related to fatal workplace injuries. The report contains charts and text highlighting fatality data from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, including charts derived from the three analytical articles that use CFOI data.

User created tables and supplemental tables can be accessed on the internet at www.bls.gov/iif

The online version of the Profiles System can be accessed at http://data.bls.gov/GQT/servlet/InitialPage