Safety Update: 2017 Safety Statistics Show Improvements
Reported injury and illness incidence rates are continuing their downward trend and the average reported experience modification rate remains consistently low, according to SMACNA’s 2017 safety survey.
SMACNA’s annual Safety Excellence Award Program collects members’ important safety and health data along with tracking key safety history, which are compiled each year in the SMACNA Safety Statistics Profile. The detailed safety statistics report from the survey is available at https://www.smacna.org/safety/.
The following are highlights of this year’s findings:
- The average number of reported injury or illness incidents, the OSHA incidence rate, was 2.22, continuing the decade-long trend of decreasing incidence rates.
- The average reported experience modification rate was .81, remaining consistently low as reported in the past decade. While these two data sets are lagging indicators (after-the-fact statistics), they indicate that survey respondents have safety programs that remain effective.
- Nearly all reporting contractors (99 percent) have an established written safety and health program and most conduct regular safety inspections and use toolbox talks during weekly safety training.
- The use of SMACNA safety products (87 percent) continues to be high and the use of SMOHIT products (57 percent) increased from last year.
- Workplace drug and alcohol testing programs are becoming more important as society is experiencing increased drug abuse issues including overdoses and related suicides. The profile report indicates that 85 percent of company respondents have a formal drug and alcohol testing program and those that do tend to have fewer occupational injuries and illnesses.
SMACNA is continuing with a Canadian safety survey and the data from that survey program will be collected and provided to SMACNA membership once it is fully available.
Read the 2017 Safety Statistics Profile on SMACNA’s safety webpage: https://www.smacna.org/safety/surveys-statistics.
