Study: Workers Safer on the Job Than At Home

Contrary to popular belief, today's workers are safer on the job than they are at home or in their communities, according to a recent survey. Research provided by the National Safety Council (NSC) shows that recent gains in lowering workplace death rates, which are down 17 percent since 1992, have been undone by the rate of fatalities occurring off the job. Those deaths are up 14 percent in the same time period. The NSC is a nonprofit, nongovernmental, international public service organization dedicated to protecting life and promoting health.

While dramatic gains have been made in workplace safety, businesses are losing money on accidents unrelated to the workplace. "The business costs of off-the-job accidents is staggering when you take into account lost wages and productivity, medical and disability payments and training for new employees," says Alan McMillan, NSC president and CEO.

Twice as many workers (6.8 million) were seriously injured off the job than were injured while working, according to NSC statistics. And of the 49,000 injury-related deaths in 2004 involving workers, roughly 90 percent occurred while employees were off the job.

In 2004, the cost of employee injuries – both on and off the job – was more than $330 billion, according to the report. Nearly 60 percent – or $200 billion – was for injuries to employees who were off the job, according to the NSC. In addition, off-the-job injuries accounted for employers losing 165 million days of production time, compared with 80 million lost workdays as a result of workplace injuries.

Increasingly, businesses are recognizing the value of keeping their employees safe at all times both on and off the job. In a recent NSC survey of 1,300 companies of varying sizes, the impact of off-the-job safety training has begun to be felt at businesses that have implemented programs. Of those who have implemented off-the-job programs, 58 percent reported reductions in injuries occurring outside of work. Moreover, research presented at the 17th World Congress on Safety and Health at Work last fall found that for every dollar businesses spend on safety, they realize a $3 to $6 savings.

Gary Kopps, manager of Occupational Safety Worldwide for John Deere and Co., noted that corporate-sponsored safety initiatives are a win-win for both businesses and their employees.

"Employees value that you take time to remind them about safety, and they pay you back many times over through loyalty, increased productivity and quality, and reduced absenteeism," says Kopps, who will present the John Deere business case for off-the-job safety at the upcoming Off-the-Job Symposium, scheduled to be held Feb. 15–16 in Orlando, Fla.

In the green industry, on- and off-the-job safety is becoming a priority for many companies with the help of organizations like the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET). “PLANET recognizes that safety is an issue that must be stressed and practiced 24/7 – not just while on the job," says PLANET Safety Specialist Barb Mulhern. "Since federal OSHA has identified landscape and horticultural services as one of the top seven highest hazard industries in the United States, it is important for employers in our industry to take advantage of all available resources in order to reduce employee injuries and their related costs. "Injuries resulting from improper lifting, truck-trailer crashes, and other activities can be very painful for employees and result in high workers' compensation costs and reduced productivity for employers."

PLANET has developed a number of resources independently and as part of an Alliance with OSHA, in order to help business owners and managers meet safety goals for their company. A number of the resources are available in both English and Spanish. "Many of the bilingual (English-Spanish) safety resources we have developed can be used both at work and while off the job,” Mulhern says. “Some examples of these are the bilingual Checklists for Safe Practices (tailgate training) that are included in every issue of Safety SOLUTIONS, a monthly safety and OSHA compliance newsletter sent to all PLANET members. Among the specific training topics we have covered that apply to both work and home are safe driving, cell phone safety, heat stress, cold weather safety, and safe lifting.”
 
Through its cooperative Alliance with OSHA, PLANET has also developed four English-Spanish "Safety Tips Sheets" – one-page tailgate training scripts that are available to anyone in the industry. To access and download these materials, which can be used both on and off the job, visit www.landcarenetwork.org, choose “Programs” and “Safety Programs.” The Tips Sheets are located in the first section on the OSHA-PLANET Alliance.
 
Another free resource available to green industry employers who pledge to a "higher level" of safety is PLANET'S STARS Safe Company Program. This program, which provides company members with monthly safety-related e-mails and faxes, as well as access to a STARS Champions Advisory Board (volunteer company safety managers with years of experience reducing injuries and costs), currently has more than 610 company members.
 
"STARS members recently shared some of their 'best safety practices' with other STARS members, and we learned that many have dramatically reduced injuries and/or costs," Mulhern says. "Among these companies are Kujawa Enterprises, Oak Creek, Wis., which implemented a proactive eye-protection program and reduced eye injuries from nine to zero in just one season; and Farmside Landscape & Design, Wantage, N.J., which received a 10-percent discount on its liability insurance premium for the 2005 season, due in large part to its membership in the STARS program."

Mulhern says other STARS member companies reported reductions in annual workers’ compensation payments, injuries and incidents by implementing a variety of safety efforts. For these companies, injuries and incidents were reduced 5 to nearly 50 percent.
 
"It makes good business sense for all companies in our industry that place a high priority on safety to join PLANET's STARS program and to take advantage of all of the other resources that are available to reduce injuries both on and off the job," Mulhern says.