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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Mei-Li Lin, PhD and Sergey Sinelnikov, MPH. Research and Statistical Services, National Safety Council, 1121 Spring Lake Drive, Itasca, IL 60143
Although off-the-job injuries among workers pose a significant public health burden, employers frequently overlook their effect on corporate financial performance. Private industry needs to have a clear understanding of all the costs associated with off-the-job (OTJ) injuries to be able to develop more effective safety and health education programs and protect workers’ health. The National Safety Council in collaboration with the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control and National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health undertook a multi-stage project designed to gauge how much emphasis American companies put on worker safety away from work. The ultimate goal is to provide employers with an economic model for assessing the cost of OTJ injuries. This project involves a baseline perception survey of industrial safety professionals, a focus group meeting with representatives of several major U.S. corporations, and a review of existing data management systems that capture OTJ injury costs. Findings of this project illustrate the need to educate employers about the burden of OTJ injuries among workers, highlight a broad range of challenges in quantifying worker safety and health performance away from work, and encourage integrating of safety and health improvement initiatives into strategic business planning.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Injuries, Safety
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.