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Strategic Objective
Secure safe and healthy workplaces, particularly in high-risk industries
Strategic Objective
Overview
In the wealthiest Nation on earth, no mother or father should have to die for a paycheck. America’s working men and women deserve the opportunity to provide for their families without unnecessary risk to their health, safety, and livelihood. The Labor Department both promotes and protects the opportunity that has made America the country it is today, and American families are safer, more secure, and more prosperous because of it.
All workers have a right to a safe and healthful work environment. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) recognize that some workers are more vulnerable than others and that some workplaces are more hazardous than others. By strategically scheduling inspections and outreach in high-risk areas, in addition to completing mandated enforcement activity, DOL expects to have the greatest effect on overall compliance. With more employers in compliance, workplace injuries, fatalities, and illnesses should decline – the ultimate outcome for DOL and American workers and a critical component of the Secretary’s vision.
Read Less...Progress Update
The Department of Labor, in consultation with the Office of Management and Budget, has determined that performance toward this objective is making noteworthy progress. Both the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) support this objective.
In FY 2015, OSHA continued to focus on preventing fall hazards through inspection targeting. OSHA partnered with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the Center for Protection of Workers’ Rights (CPWR), and the Department of Defense on Safety Stand-Downs in 2014 and 2015. The National Campaign to Prevent Falls in Construction Final Report indicated that thousands of employers received certificates, and over 1 million workers and over 1.5 million military and civilian personnel participated in the Stand-Downs. Fall protection continues to be the number one violation cited by OSHA. Falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry and account for 20 percent of all serious injuries. OSHA has national and local emphasis plans (NEPs and LEPs), as well as a Strategic Plan that directs Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs) to those establishments with the most significant risk of fall hazards. In FY 2015, preliminary data shows that OSHA conducted about 11,024 inspections of worksites as a result of these programs, and about 9,133 fall-related violations were abated in FY 2015. This level of attention and proactive enforcement will directly impact the workers at these establishments by requiring abatement. More generally, this enforcement activity will alert and educate other employers about fall hazards in the industries affected and in the local areas. It will also serve to incentivize employers to proactively assess and address fall hazards in order to avoid enforcement actions.
OSHA has tracked two measures to monitor its effect on federal employee safety. The federal agency total injury/illness case rate fell from 3.11 per 100 employees in FY 2010 to 1.68 in FY 2015 (as of 3rd quarter FY 2015), and the federal agency lost time injury/illness rate (also per 100 employees) fell from 1.46 to 1.13 over the same period. OSHA contributed to these improved results by providing compliance assistance to federal agencies and by inspecting federal establishments with high numbers of lost time cases.
OSHA issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for crystalline silica on September 12, 2013 and continued work toward a final rule during FY 2014 by holding three weeks of public hearings and collecting post-hearing comments and briefs. During FY 2015, OSHA continued to analyze the public record and work on completing the final rule. OSHA anticipates publishing the final crystalline silica rule during the second quarter of FY 2016. OSHA estimates that the rule will save hundreds of lives per year once the full effects of the rule are realized.
OSHA has proposed to amend regulations to improve the quantity, quality, and accessibility of the data it uses to direct and perform its enforcement functions. The proposed regulation on improving tracking of workplace injuries and illnesses will require electronic submission of injury and illness information employers are already required to keep under OSHA’s regulations. Combined with the expanded requirements for employers to report severe injuries to OSHA, these data will provide OSHA with a much larger database of information about injuries and illnesses in the workplace, helping OSHA use its resources more effectively by enabling OSHA to identify the workplaces where workers are at greatest risk.
In FY 2015, MSHA achieved its DOL Priority Goal to reduce mining fatalities. The five-year rolling average of fatal injuries per 200,000 hours worked exceeded the target with a result of 0.0125. This is a drop of 33 percent from the FY 2010 result of 0.0187. This reduction is attributed to a number of factors, including stronger enforcement and regulation, better technology, improvements in mining practices, and improved training.
In FY 2014, MSHA published a final rule on lowering miners' exposure to respirable coal dust. The first year under the new respirable dust rule also saw the yearly average respirable dust levels for the dustiest mining occupations drop to the lowest levels ever at 0.65 mg/m3. The rule is achieving the intended result of lowering miners’ exposures to unhealthy dust.
Agency Priority Goals
FY 14-15 Agency Priority Goal:
Secure safe and healthy workplaces, particularly in high-risk industries.
