Fewer Injuries and Fatalities and the Possible Correlation of Health & Safety Professionals Advancing the Fork Truck Free Movement

December 9, 2016 Fork Truck Free Info 3673 Views

Recently at the National Safety Council Conference there were data reveal that while most companies have begun reporting on leading indicators, 24% still depend on lagging indicators. Similarly, a full one quarter of respondents’ employees do not have access to technology, making real-time reporting nearly impossible.

Data collected at the National Safety Council Conference were unsurprising, but the normalcy of these statistics is shocking:
• 22% of organizations still use manual processes to manage EHS activities
• Though 80% of respondents believe more safety hazards would be reported if they had access to a mobile reporting app, only 8% of organizations use mobile applications for reporting purposes
• When an incident occurs, the most common reporting process is to email or call a supervisor (33%), which is unsurprising given almost half of the survey’s respondents spend all day, every day dealing with EHS-related matters
Despite this archaic manual processes the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) reported the overall rate of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work – as well as the number of median days needed to recover – decreased in 2015, according to data released earlier this month.
In 2015, 104.0 injury and illness cases per 10,000 full-time workers resulted in days away from work – a 2.9 percent decrease from the 107.1 rate recorded in 2014. For private industry, the rate was 93.9 – a drop of nearly 4 percent from the 2014 rate of 97.8.
The number of median days away from work, considered a “key measure of severity of injuries and illnesses” by BLS, fell to eight in 2015 from nine in 2014.
Two occupations that experienced lower incidence rates in 2015 were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers and nursing assistants. The rates among drivers fell nearly 16 percent to 298.7 cases per 10,000 full-time workers from 355.4 cases in 2014. Nursing assistants’ rates declined almost 7.3 percent to 327.8 in 2015 from 353.6 the previous year.
1.15 million injuries resulting in days away from work occurred in 2015 – virtually unchanged from the 2014 total.
Overexertion and bodily reaction (376,190) resulted in 33 percent of total cases of occupational injuries or illnesses. The next most common event or exposure was slips, trips and falls (309,060), which accounted for 27 percent of total cases.
The rate of injuries and illnesses resulting from cuts, lacerations or punctures was 9.6 cases per 10,000 full-time workers, up from 8.8 cases in 2014.
Whether a direct correlation to safety professionals and their compensation is a causal relationship is difficult to determine.
The results of Safety+Health’s 2016 Salary Survey represented 1,300 occupational safety and health professionals, who shared information on topics such as education, experience and raises.
The typical respondent is male, in his 50s, has the job title of manager and a four-year-college degree, and earns between $100,000 and $125,999. This is consistent with the 2015 survey, in which 77.6 percent of respondents were male, 54.3 percent were older than 50 and 31.7 percent earned at least $100,000 per year.
New this year: more data regarding salary by gender. Nearly 78 percent of respondents were male, a figure consistent with previous survey findings.

About the respondents

  • Of the 1,300 respondents, 17.1 percent reported they earn between $100,000 and $125,999.
  • Manager (38.1 percent) was the most common job title.
  • 8 percent of respondents have worked in the safety and health field for more than 25 years.
  • Most respondents (44.3 percent) have a four-year college degree, and 27 percent have attended some college. In comparison, 23.5 percent have an advanced degree, and 5.3 percent are high school graduates.
  • Nearly 40 percent of respondents have worked for their current employer for less than five years, and 65.2 percent have done so for 10 years or less.
  • As far as safety or health designations, 61.0 percent have none. Most who have a designation are Certified Safety Professionals (24.2 percent).
  • Texas (8.6 percent), California (6.8 percent), and Pennsylvania and Wisconsin (5 percent each) were the most represented states.

Industry

Respondents work mainly in manufacturing (34.8 percent), construction (17.1 percent) and public administration/government (9.9 percent). Close behind were services and education (9.3 percent) and utilities (8.5 percent) to round out the top five.

Compensation

Most survey respondents (17.1 percent) said they earn between $100,000 and $125,999. The next most common pay range was $70,000 to $79,999 (13.9 percent), followed by $80,000 to $89,999 (13.5 percent).

Nearly one-quarter of respondents said they did not receive or expect to receive a raise this year; however, 23.4 percent earned or expected to earn a 3 percent raise. Only 5.7 percent said they received or expected to receive a raise higher than 5 percent, and slightly more than half (55.7 percent) reported they earned a bonus or expected to receive one this year.

For less than one-third of respondents (28.6 percent), at least part of their salary or compensation was determined by their employer’s safety performance.

These professionals are integral in advancing the adoption of the North American Fork Truck Free movement and must be respected for their passion and commitment for health and safety of the workers they manage and supervise.

 

Topper Industrial

Article submitted by Jillian Burrow, Marketing Manager for Topper Industrial

 

 

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