Dealing With Hazards Stats & Facts

FACTS

Top Seven Safety/Hazards in the US. Workplace

  1. PHYSICAL HAZARDS – Prolonged direct exposure to sunlight, radiation, extreme temperatures, and high stress on the body from manual labor are a handful of prominent physical hazards that can occur on the job.
  2. HEIGHT HAZARDS – Employers should be aware that fall protection is required by OSHA at elevations of four feet in general industry workplaces, five feet in shipyards, and six feet in the construction industry.
  3. WORK ORGANIZATION AND HOUSEKEEPING HAZARDS – Poor housekeeping can even include unguarded machinery and other shortcomings that have the potential to be extremely damaging. Types of work organization hazards may include workplace violence, excessive workplace demands, and a very high intensity of work.
  4. CHEMICAL HAZARDS – This encompasses the use, transfer, and storage of chemicals. Hazardous liquids, cleaning products, paints, and solvents, as well as flammable chemicals and dangerous gases, all pose potential risks to employees.
  5. MICROBIOLOGICAL HAZARDS – Exposure to mold and fungi, blood and bodily fluids, sewage, airborne illnesses (even a common cold), insects that sting, poisonous plants, and animal/bird feces are all examples of microbiological hazards. These safety risks are mostly found outside, which is where many lone workers do most of their work.
  6. ELECTRICAL HAZARDS – These may include damaged tools and equipment, overhead power lines, exposed electrical parts, misuse of extension cords, improper grounding, poor wiring, overloaded circuits, damaged insulation, and wet conditions.
  7. ERGONOMIC HAZARDS – Such hazards include repetitive movements (such as frequent lifting), uncomfortable workstation height, manual handling, poor body positioning or posture, and any other hazard which negatively impacts an employee’s musculoskeletal system.

STATS

  • 5,333 workers died on the job in 2019 (3.5 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers) — on average, more than 100 a week or about 15 deaths every day. About 20% (1,061) of worker fatalities in private industry in calendar year 2019 were in construction – accounting for one in five worker deaths for the year.
  • Some of the major findings in the ILO’s latest statistical data on occupational accidents and diseases, and work-related deaths on a world-wide level include the following:
    • Diseases related to work cause the most deaths among workers. Hazardous substances alone are estimated to cause 651,279 deaths a year.
    • The construction industry has a disproportionately high rate of recorded accidents.
    • Younger and older workers are particularly vulnerable. The ageing population in developed countries means that an increasing number of older persons are working and need special consideration.