The numbers and the stories of individuals cross your desk and mine every day. And they remain devastating. Nearly 50 American workers are injured every minute of each 40-hour workweek. Almost 17 die each day . We must all do better.
Education is one key to success.
State workers compensation agencies have excelled in that area. I know in North Carolina our school for workers and employers offers a model for cooperation between the OSHA program and the Industrial Commission. I would like to see OSHA partner with each of you in providing information and training to employers and employees. At OSHA, we are looking at success in very practical, measurable terms as stated in our five-year strategic plan. One of our goals is to help employers in 100,000 workplaces where we initiate a major intervention to reduce their injury and illness rates by 20 percent over the next five years.