Synergist - October 2009

The program is featured in the August edition of the Journal of Management.

NIOSH Develops New Software for Use in Mines

The July 2009 issue of Technology News, a NIOSH publication, describes a new software tool intended to help mine safety and health professionals reduce noise exposures. The goal of the NIOSH Determination of Sound Exposures (DOSES) software is to help identify exposure problems by simplifying record-keeping and analysis.

DOSES tracks start- and stop-times of worker tasks. When sound data are entered into the program, DOSES allows safety professionals to monitor noise exposures over time. DOSES can be downloaded from the NIOSH mining website at www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/products/.

OSHA Changes VPP in Response to GAO Report

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report issued in May
that criticized aspects of OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program
(VPP) has persuaded the agency to make several changes to the
VPP, according to an article in the Aug. 20 issue of Occupational
Safety and Health Reporter. The changes include:
• Barring on-site OSHA evaluators from sharing recommenda-
tions on how to achieve VPP status with employers
• Requiring thorough follow-up responses to fatalities at VPP
workplaces
• Requiring thorough analysis of VPP workplaces that do not
meet program requirements
• Reviewing VPP participants’ self-evaluations
The GAO report found that OSHA does not require VPP sites to
provide information about employers’ responses to workplace fa-
talities and injuries. In addition, the report revealed that 12 per-
cent of VPP worksites had injury and illness rates that were
higher than the rate for their industries. Despite this finding,
from 2003 to 2008 OSHA doubled the number of VPP partici-
pants. The report is available at www.gao.gov.

Public Input Sought on EPA Priorities

In August, the EPA announced that it was seeking public input about its national enforcement program. Suggestions can be submitted through Dec. 1 via the EPA blog ( http://blog.epa.gov/ enforcementnationalpriority/).

EPA’s current enforcement priorities include pollution from stormwater runoff, air toxics, concentrated animal feeding operations, and mineral processing. More information on enforcement priorities can be found at www.epa.gov/compliance/data/planning/ priorities/ index.html.

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IH/EHS NEWSWATCH | DEPARTMENT

By the Numbers

BLS Releases Preliminary 2008 Workplace Fatality Data

In August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released preliminary data from its National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) for 2008. The preliminary total of 5,071 fatalities and the rate of 3. 6 fatal injuries per 100,000 full-time workers are the lowest ever recorded since the survey was first conducted in 1992.

The 2008 data are the first CFOI data based on hours
worked. Previously, all CFOI data were calculated based on
employment estimates from the BLS Current Population Survey.
According to the BLS website, “Hours-based rates measure
fatality risk per standardized length of exposure, and are
generally considered more accurate than employment-based
rates. Hours-based rates use the average number of employees
at work and the average hours each employee works.”
Further information on the rates is available at
www.bls.gov/iif/oshnotice10.htm. Hours-based rates for years
2006 through 2008 and employment-based rates for years
1992 through 2007 can be found at www.bls.gov/iif/
oshcfoi1.htm.

BLS states that economic factors, such as a one percent drop in average hours worked in the U.S., probably affected the preliminary data. Reductions in employment and hours worked in high-fatality industries such as construction may also have contributed to lower fatality numbers.

Highlights from the preliminary 2008 CFOI data appear below; visit www.bls.gov for more information. Final 2008 CFOI data will be released in April 2010.