1. 8th Joint US/EU Conference on Occupational Safety and Health Fort Worth, Texas David Michaels, PhD, MPH Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health September 17, 2015

2. Some of Our Challenges  In the United States, employers record approximately 3 million work injuries every year  This is probably a huge underestimate  The number and rate of injuries, including fatal injuries, are decreasing only slightly from year to year  We know less about, and are probably having an even smaller impact, on work illnesses

3. WHY IS THIS ACCEPTABLE?

4. What must we do to dramatically reduce the number of work injuries, illnesses and fatalities occurring in our countries, and across the world, today?

5. Whatever we are doing now isn’t enough. What must we to do to change the behavior of millions of employers?

6. Criminal Penalties Inspections & Civil Penalties Compliance Assistance & Consultation Recognition Programs Distribution of Employers, by Commitment to Workplace Safety COMMITMENT TO SAFETYLITTLEGREAT NUMBER OF EMPLOYERS SVEP

7. DysfunctionalReactive CompliantProactiveExemplary Distribution of Employers, by Workplace Safety Culture SAFERDANGEROUSGREAT NUMBER OF EMPLOYERS WORKPLACE SAFETY CULTURE

8. Distribution of Employers, by Workplace Safety Culture NUMBER OF EMPLOYERS SAFERDANGEROUSSAFE WORKPLACE SAFETY CULTURE DysfunctionalReactive CompliantProactiveExemplary

9. Safer, but not Safe! Some fatalities and serious injuries will not be prevented by simply complying with OSHA regulations Will Compliance with OSHA Regulations Make My Workplace Safe?

10. We need to better understand why some employers make to a commitment to developing an exemplary safety culture – And others don’t.

11. Are the reasons…. Normative Economic or Financial Moral or Personal

12. OSHA’s New Severe Injury Reporting Rule E mployers are required to report to OSHA:  All work-related fatalities within 8 hours (same as current requirement)  All work-related in-patient hospitalizations of one or more employees within 24 hours  All work-related amputations within 24 hours  All work-related losses of an eye within 24 hours

13. “Human Errors are Consequences not Causes” -James Reason

14. August 16, 2012 Lawrence “Day” Davis’ first day at work. Ever.

16. Why Are Temp Workers At High Risk of Injury?  New workers are at increased risk of injury.

19. Source: U.S. Dept. of Labor/Bureau of Labor Statistics: Safety Movement in Iron and Steel Industry 1907-1917

20. Why Are Temp Workers At High Risk of Injury?  New workers are at increased risk of injury.  Host employers don’t have the same commitment to temporary employees as to permanent ones.  Employer who bears the risk of the injury (temp agency) does not control safety and health investment.

22. W ho bears the cost of worker injuries?

23. Protecting Poultry Processing Workers