OSHA: Workplace Safety Initiatives Helping to Reduce Workplace Fatalities
Preliminary figures suggest a marked decline in the number of fatalities in the workplace in 2024, especially in areas where the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the Department of Labor has focused its enforcement resources. In fiscal year 2024, OSHA investigated 826 workplace fatalities, down 11% from the 928 last year. If COVID-related deaths are excluded, this year has seen the lowest number of workplace fatalities since 2017, especially for two of the most common causes of death in the workplace – trench collapses and falls.
“These numbers are promising evidence that stronger enforcement and collaboration with labor and management, driven by the Biden-Harris administration’s worker-centered approach, is saving lives,” said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health, Douglas Parker. “Most striking is the improvement in areas we have focused on with employers and unions. Our state program partners have also seen improvements.”
On May 1, 2023, OSHA launched a National Emphasis Program designed to prevent falls in the workplace, one of the most common causes of death and serious injury in the workplace. That program appears to have been successful as 2024 has seen an almost 20% reduction in fall-related fatalities, from 234 deaths in 2023 to 189 in 2024, and a 15% year-over-year reduction in fall-related deaths in state jurisdictions.
OSHA has also conducted extensive outreach and education and adopted a zero-tolerance policy for unprotected trenches. Reports of violations have triggered immediate inspections and referrals for criminal prosecution. Worker deaths due to trench collapses have fallen by 70% from the 39 fatalities in 2022 to 12 in calendar year 2024.
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While the provisional figures are encouraging, OSHA points out that around 5,000 workers die each year in the United States due to largely preventable incidents. “Reducing worker deaths means embracing an approach that makes worker health and safety a core value in every workplace. Only then can we fully address all the causes and factors that lead to workers dying needlessly on the job,” said Parker.
