New OSHA Report Shows Ohio Construction Accident Injuries Increasing At An Alarming Rate
A new report from OSHA has found that Ohio construction accidents are on the rise. Ohio currently has an incident rating slightly below national average, but with seven workplace fatalities already seen this year, Ohio may soon fall behind national averages. The OSHA report cites a lack of attention to safety and the use of less-experienced workers as the two biggest reasons for recent increases in Ohio construction accidents.
Ohio sees a large number of construction accidents each year. In 2013, there were 4,616 traffic accidents involving work zones, 1,559 traffic accidents involving construction equipment, and 791 traffic accidents involving construction barricades. 19 construction fatalities occurred in 2013 in Ohio. Ohio also sees a high number of workplace construction accidents each year. In 2013, there were 148 workplace-related construction fatalities and even more injuries. According to data from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, Ohio has an accident rate of 3 cases per 100 full-time workers. This is slightly below the national average of 3.5 cases per 100 full-time workers. The estimated figure for number of workplace illnesses and injuries were 122,600 in 2013. [http://www.publicsafety.ohio.gov/links/2013CrashFacts.pdf, March 2015] [http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/tgs/2013/iiffw39.htm, March 2015]
Even though Ohio has a slightly lower-than-average injury and fatality rating, hundreds of individuals die each year in Ohio construction accidents. Just this year, several high-profile construction accidents have occurred in Ohio.
In October of 2014, two men died when they fell off a water tower in Butler County. That same month, a man was killed by electrocution at a recycling plant.
In January, Ohio construction workers constructing a new bridge on I-75 were involved in an accident that collapsed the bridge and killed one construction worker. The bridge collapsed onto the road below, stopping traffic and injuring the driver of a tractor trailer that was passing under the bridge at the time of its collapse.
In March, an Ohio contraction worker was killed while operating a front-end loader in Sharonville. The man was trapped by the equipment during use.
Ohio Construction Accidents
According to a report by OSHA, Ohio construction accidents are on the rise. Seven individuals have already died in construction accidents this year according to the report. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has spent most of its time and budget in recent years responding to accidents rather than working to prevent future accidents from occurring. This is, in part, due to new regulations requiring the Safety and Health Administration to notify OSHA within 24 hours of any workers hospitalized overnight, amputations, or loss of an eye, the Springfield News Sun reports.
The OSHA report stated that the new reporting requirements are taking time away from actions that could prevent future injuries from occurring. “We’re finding it difficult to do these other types of investigations which are really designed to be more preventive,” a spokesperson for the Ohio OSHA office told the Springfield News Sun. According to the OSHA report, one Ohio worker dies almost every week.
According to OSHA, the increases in Ohio construction accidents are due to lack of attention to training and safe work practices and a younger workforce in manufacturing and construction. The OSHA report stated that companies trying to save money by cutting corners and hiring younger, less-experienced workers are driving the accident and fatality rate up.
