US Bureau of Labor statistics show reduction in in recordable injuries and illnesses
US Bureau of Labor statistics show reduction in in recordable injuries and illnesses
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The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has released its 2015 workplace injury and illness data, which reveals a reduction in total recordable workplace injury and illness cases in the waste and remediation sector. According to the National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA), Washington, the data also reveal a slight decrease in injuries that resulted in job transfers or job restrictions and a year-over-year decline in the rate of lost workday cases. The report also indicates a downward trend of incidence rates across all industries, with the total recordable cases for private industry falling to 3 per 100 full-time workers in 2015, down slightly from 3.2 in 2014.
The BLS data for the waste and remediation sector show:
- The total recordable cases of workplace injury and illness in the waste management and remedial services category was 4.5 per 100, a decrease from the 2014 rate of 5.1 per 100.
- The rate for cases with days away from work was 1.9 per 100, a decrease from 2.2 per 100 in 2014.
- The rate for cases that resulted in job transfer or restriction was 1.2 per 100, the same rate as in 2014.
In addition, the BLS data found that in the subcategory for solid waste collection employees within the waste and remediation category was lower in two of three measurements:
- The total rate of recordable cases for solid waste collection employees was 6.6 per 100, down from the 2014 rate of 7.1 per 100.
- The rate of cases with days away from work was 2.9 per 100, down from the 2014 rate of 3.3 per 100.
- The rate of cases with job transfer or restrictions was 1.7 per 100, slightly up from the 2014 rate of 1.5 per 100.
The solid waste collection segment of the industry had the highest rate of incidences in 2015, followed by the material recovery facilities (MRFs), landfill and waste-to-energy segments, the NWRA notes.
“NWRA is engaged in a comprehensive data collection effort as part of our strategic initiatives to directly impact industry safety performance,” says Bret Biggers, director of statistics and standards for NWRA. “We monitor both long-term trends and current performance data from our member companies to continuously evaluate the impact of our programs that are designed to prevent and reduce accidents and injuries. What we see in the 2015 BLS data is favorable for the waste and recycling industry, reflecting the continuing safety efforts of industry companies.”
“Earlier this year, NWRA convened an unprecedented industrywide Safety Summit with the goal of significantly reducing accidents, injuries and fatalities as we build a stronger safety culture,” says Anthony Hargis, NWRA national director of safety. “As a result, the tools and tactics we have deployed all focus on specific areas where performance can be improved, including weekly safety reminders for frontline employees to nationwide weeklong ‘Stand Down’ programs and Safety Professional Development sessions with our chapters across the country. These efforts are directly driven by the data collection and analysis we perform so we can have the greatest impact in creating a safer work environment for our employees across the United States.”
BLS data on workplace injury and illness are published annually, and information on the waste and recycling industry is based on the U.S. Census Bureau definition of the waste and remediation services industry (NAICS Code 562) as “solid waste collection, hazardous waste collection, other waste collection, hazardous waste treatment and disposal, solid waste landfill, solid waste combustors and incinerators.”
While the BLS data cover the private sector waste and recycling industry, NWRA also coordinates its safety effort with other associations serving various sectors of the waste industry. NWRA and its public sector counterpart, the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), Silver Spring, Maryland, are holding a joint safety meeting Nov. 15-16, 2016, in conjunction with NWRA’s ANSI Standards meetings. More information on the meeting can be found here.
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Source: Recycling Today
US Bureau of Labor statistics show reduction in in recordable injuries and illnesses
<![CDATA[The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has released its 2015 workplace injury and illness data, which reveals a reduction in total recordable workplace injury and illness cases in the waste and remediation sector. According to the National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA), Washington, the data also reveal a slight decrease in injuries that resulted in job transfers or job restrictions and a year-over-year decline in the rate of lost workday cases. The report also indicates a downward trend of incidence rates across all industries, with the total recordable cases for private industry falling to 3 per 100 full-time workers in 2015, down slightly from 3.2 in 2014. The BLS data for the waste and remediation sector show: The total recordable cases of workplace injury and illness in the waste management and remedial services category was 4.5 per 100, a decrease from the 2014 rate of 5.1 per 100.The rate for cases with days away from work was 1.9 per 100, a decrease from 2.2 per 100 in 2014.The rate for cases that resulted in job transfer or restriction was 1.2 per 100, the same rate as in 2014. In addition, the BLS data found that in the subcategory…