Hidden Tragedy: Underreporting of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses (Part 2 of 2)
Channel: HouseResourceOrg
Date: 2011-12-06

Hidden Tragedy: Underreporting of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses (Part 2 of 2) - mars-4:hrs04ED_W2175_080619.2 - Rayburn 2175 - Committee on Education and Labor - 2008-06-19 - The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 requires the U.S. Department of Labor to collect and compile accurate statistics on occupational injuries, illnesses and fatalities in the United States. Accurate injury and illness records help the Occupational Safety and Health Administration better allocate its resources, accurately target its inspections, and evaluate the success of its efforts to improve the health and safety of American workers. Every time top officials at the Department of Labor and Occupational Safety and Health Administration have appeared before Congress, they have cited declining injury, illness and fatality numbers to demonstrate their effectiveness at protecting America's working men and women. When Assistant Secretary Foulke has testified before this committee - whether on OSHA's failure to issue standards to protect workers, OSHA's failure to address the fatal "popcorn lung" disease, or OSHA's failure to mitigate combustible dust hazards or OSHA's shortage of inspectors - he has cited record-low injury and illness statistics. Secretary Foulke has essentially told this committee that if fewer workers are being injured on the job, then the agency must be doing something right. However, a growing amount of evidence suggests that the workplace and injury statistics Secretary Foulke cites are grossly inaccurate. Today we will hear about the growing number of academic studies that conclude that the Department of Labor is actually counting and reporting as few as one-third of all workplace illnesses, injuries, and deaths.