Workplace Injuries Less Likely Where Employers Provide Paid Sick Leave

September 21, 2012Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetArticleComments

Workers with access to paid sick leave are 28 percent less likely overall to suffer nonfatal occupational injuries than workers without access to paid sick leave, according to a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study.

The study found that workers in high-risk occupations and industries such as construction, manufacturing, agriculture, and health care and social assistance, appear to benefit most from paid sick leave.

The NIOSH study, by Abay Asfaw, PhD, Regina Pana-Cryan, PhD, and Roger R. Rosa, PhD, was published in the American Journal of Public Health.

The authors suggest that by providing an income, paid sick leave might keep some people who are sick from going back to work before they are ready, thereby making workplaces safer.

The 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act requires employers to provide up to 12 weeks of leave to eligible workers, however this does not have to be paid leave. The researchers said that 43 percent of U.S. private sector workers reported having no access to paid sick leave. The study used data on 38 000 working adults.

The authors conclude that improved access to paid sick leave might help businesses reduce occupational injuries and, in turn, reduce employers’ costs.

“Our findings suggest that, similar to other investments in worker safety and health, introducing or expanding paid sick leave programs might help businesses reduce the incidence of nonfatal occupational injuries, particularly in high-risk sectors and occupations,” the authors wrote.

They also said that previous research has shown that paid sick leave is associated with shorter worker recovery times and reduced complications from minor health problems.

“We hope that our study along with previous research that supports our findings and conclusions will encourage policy makers and employers to consider the overall well-being of workers when making policy or funding decisions. Such a holistic approach would lead to more integrated development of programs that both prevent occupational injury and illness and improve other aspects of worker health,” the authors stated.

Source: NIOSH

 

Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetCategories: National NewsTopics: accident prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, NIOSH, paid sick leave, Research and Trends, workers' compensation and paid sick leave, workplace injuriesHave a hot lead? Email us at newsdesk

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Wyoming Pushes Workplace Safety With New Hire

May 25, 2012Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetArticleComments

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead announced Wednesday the state is hiring a veteran public health official from New Mexico to continue the push to reduce Wyoming’s workplace fatality rate.

Dr. C. Mack Sewell, who has served as New Mexico’s state epidemiologist since 1989, will start work in Wyoming in early July.

Sewell, 63, follows Dr. Timothy Ryan, who resigned last winter after submitting a scathing report to Mead. Ryan concluded Wyoming employers consistently fail to enforce safety rules while telling their employees to just “get the job done.”

The overall workplace death rate in Wyoming was more than three and a half times the national average in 2010. It has ranked worst in the nation five of the past 10 years. Ryan’s report singled out Wyoming’s oil and gas industry, which produces a hefty portion of the state’s revenues.

Ryan’s yearlong review of Wyoming records found that safety rules were commonly ignored in the 62 fatalities in Wyoming’s petroleum industry from 2001-2008. He wrote that objects struck or crushed 16 of 32 workers killed on drilling rigs while 17 of the 25 oil and gas workers killed in vehicle accidents weren’t wearing seat belts.

The Wyoming Legislature, meanwhile, has resisted calls to increase fines for safety violations. The state this year beefed up the ranks of inspectors available to perform voluntary safety evaluations at industry’s request.

Joan Evans, head of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, joined Mead at a press conference in Cheyenne on Wednesday to announce Sewell’s hiring. She said members of the state’s Work Force Fatality Task Force, including representatives from trucking, contracting and labor organizations, participated in the interview process that led to Sewell’s hiring.

Mead said he expects Sewell to continue Ryan’s work. He said Ryan’s work showed the state needs to continue monitoring information about accidents.

Mead said Ryan’s work also showed the difficulty of compiling information about workplace safety.

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Wisconsin Governor Signs Bill Erasing Workplace Discrimination Damages

April 9, 2012Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetArticleComments

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has signed a bill that prohibits workers from collecting damages in employment discrimination cases.

The legislation eliminates compensatory and punitive damages for acts of employment discrimination or unfair honesty, according to the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI). The bill repeals 2009’s Act 20, which for the first time imposed punitive and compensatory damages under Wisconsin’s employment discrimination law.

Under current state law, employees who prevail in discrimination lawsuits can collect between $50,000 and $300,000 in compensatory and punitive damages. The Republican bill blocks anyone from collecting such damages in employment discrimination suits.

The state Department of Workforce Development could still award an employee back pay, costs and attorney fees, however.

Democrats say the bill hurts women who might suffer discrimination in the workplace.

Walker signed the bill on April 4 but announced the signing on April 5. His spokesman says it was easier to include the announcement in a broader release noting the governor signed dozens of bills over the two days.

 

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetCategories: Midwest NewsTopics: damages, legislation, tort reform, Wisconsin, workplace discriminationHave a hot lead? Email us at newsdesk

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