Injuries At the Workplace Going Unreported
The Wall Street Journal reported on recent studies that suggest a significant underreporting of accidents in the workplace. They stated that some of it is related to an increase in immigrant and contract workers.
Some safety experts say the underreporting problem is growing as more immigrants who typically underreport injuries enter the work force, and as more employers classify workers as independent contractors whose injuries aren’t tracked. Those issues are gaining traction in a Democratic-controlled Congress in light of recent construction accidents in New York and Las Vegas.
Although reporting of injuries in the workplace has declined, death rates have stayed the same. This new data is troubling to the Labor Department, “which has begun interviewing employers about OSHA’s record-keeping requirements to see why injuries might be missed.” OSHA is getting most of the blame for the supposed flawed reporting, but they deny that they’re the cause of the underreporting.
Sharon Worthy, an OSHA spokeswoman, said OSHA “strives to obtain the most accurate data on workplace injuries.” She said OSHA conducts 250 record-keeping audits of employers each year and found that 90% accurately recorded injuries and illnesses. She said OSHA doesn’t agree with the findings…
At issue with these new findings are the policy decisions that are reliant on accurate data. If the data isn’t correct, then the Labor Department won’t be able to make sound decisions related to where safety needs to be improved.
