April Safety Update

Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation sent this bulletin at 04/06/2023 07:35 AM EDT

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BWC News

The Ohio State University Head Football Coach, Ryan Day will be a featured speaker at BWC's Medical & Health Symposium. Coach Day's session will be: "Speaking Up and Speaking Out on Mental Health". The three-day symposium is free and offers free continuing education for medical and legal professionals. Register today!

Ohio Safety Congress and Expo
In March, more than 7,000 people attended the Ohio Safety Congress & Expo. The event was hosted March 8-10 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center and featured over 200 exhibitors and 100 educational sessions. Missed the event? Click the image for a short recap.

Stand Down to Prevent Falls in Construction online event
In anticipation of the National Fall Safety Stand-Down, BWC is hosting a panel discussion on the latest data on the underlying causes of falls. Join us April 27 from 1-2:30 p.m.

New Planning for a Chemical Emergency Webpage
Review, revise, or develop emergency procedures for your facility with our new webpage.

Safety Intervention Grant Program
We reopened the Safety Intervention Grant (SIG) Program in November 2022. The SIG Program is available to both private and public employers and recipients of the grant are eligible for a 3-to-1 matching grant, up to $40,000. Click the image to see how Anderson Township used the SIG Program to provide better care for patients and protect their EMS personnel from injury.

BWC Library Question of the Month

A question received by the library over the past month with our response.

Question:
I am searching for current statistics relating to employee length of service and non-fatal occupational injuries. What percentage of workers with less than a year on the job are injured, compared to employees with more time on the job?

Answer:
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) provides non-fatal injury statistics for employee length of service. We ran reports for all categories possible: less than three months, three to 11 months, one year to five years, and five years or more. We ran the reports for 2020 (the most recent set of data) and set the parameters to include the entire United States and all forms of ownership (e.g., private, government, etc.).

In 2020, there were a total of 1,424,560 non-fatal occupational injuries in the United States in all ownerships. The percentages for employees who had a non-fatal injury broken down by the employee’s length of service are:

46% of employees with less than three months on the job (120,660)
77% of employees with three to eleven months on the job (238,910)
56% of employees with one year to five years on the job (492,340)
35% of employees with five years or more on the job (532,160)

Note: 2.8% employees did not have their length of service reported to BLS (40,490)

2020, a little over 25% of workers with a non-fatal injury had less than one year on the job, compared to about 72% of workers who have been on the job for a year or more.

If you need help understanding occupational injury statistics, contact BWC’s Division of Safety and Hygiene. Consultation services are no cost for those with a BWC policy. Find out more on our website.

If you have question related to occupational safety and health, email the library at library@bwc.state.oh.us. The library can run BLS statistical reports (including fatality reports) pertaining to a variety of factors, including statistics by industry, occupation, injury, event, age, affected body part, and more. We can also pull statistics for just Ohio and for specific ownership types.

Other Safety News

New NIOSH Publications
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) created a group of new Safety and Health at Work pamphlets and posters with information to help workers stay safe on the job.

National Construction Stand Down
The 4th annual National Stand-Down to Prevent Struck-by Incidents in construction is April 17-21, 2023. NIOSH is planning the National Stand-down with the NORA Construction Sector Council, National Construction Center, and other partners. This event is held in conjunction with National Workzone Awareness week.

Struck-by Prevention Materials
WorkSafe British Columbia developed three items to help prevent injuries from being struck by vehicles or equipment: an information sheet to raise awareness of the key factors that contribute to these incidents and help employers assess them to determine the degree of risk and a fillable template and a guide to help employers identify where on their worksite vehicles or mobile equipment operate near workers so they can eliminate or minimize the risks.

In-person training

April 4: In-person training - Tree work essential: Chainsaws, chippers, and other safety concerns. More info online.

April 5: In-person training - First aid in the workplace. More info online.

April 11: In person training – Electrical safety in the workplace through insight and implementation of NFPA 70E. More info online.

April 17: In-person training – OSHA 30: Construction safety principles. More info online.

April 17: In-person training – OSHA 10: Industry safety basics. More info online.

April 20: In-person training – First aid in the workplace. More info online.

April 24: In-person training – OSHA 30: Industry safety principles. More info online.

April 25: In-person training – OSHA 10: Industry safety basics. More info online.

April 25: In-person training – Scaffolding safety. More info online.

April 25: In-person training – Emergency preparedness planning. More info online.

April 26: In-person training – OSHA 10: Construction safety basics. More info online.

Online training

April 5: Virtual training – Safety for the non-safety professional. More info online.

April 10: Virtual training – Hazardous waste operations and emergency response series module 9: Site safety plan, contingency planning. More info online.

April 11: Webinar – Heat hazards for agricultural and other outdoor workers. More info online.

April 18: Virtual training – Job safety analysis half-day. More info online.

April 20: Webinar – Outdoor equipment safety. More info online.

April 24: Virtual training – Health hazards and toxicology fundamentals. More info online.

Check out our blogs!

In our latest blog, BWC Safety and Health Consultant Laura Mattimoe shares her experience being trapped in grain during a safety demonstration.

BWC's Division of Safety & Hygiene provides a variety of programs, services, and resources to help Ohio employers create a safe and healthy workplace.

Visit bwc.ohio.gov or email BWCDSH@bwc.state.oh.us or call 1-800-644-6292.

Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation

Vision: To transform BWC into an agile organization driven by customer success.
Mission: To deliver consistently excellent experiences for each BWC customer every day. Core Values: One Agency, Personal Connection, Innovative Leadership, Relentless Excellence.

Established in 1912, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation is the exclusive provider of workers’ compensation insurance in Ohio, serving 257,000 public and private employers. With nearly 1,600 employees and assets of approximately $21 billion, BWC is one of the largest state-run insurance systems in the United States. For more, visit www.bwc.ohio.gov.