FACTS

Here are 5 facts about workplace safety violations.

1. About a quarter of workplace injuries are due to overexertion.
2. Almost ¾ of people who use drugs are employed.
3. Hazardous materials lead to 10% of skin cancers.
4. Workplace safety program reduce injuries by half.
5. Every day, 6000 people die due to workplace injury.

STATS

• Injuries that are the result of pushing, lifting, pulling, carrying, and/or holding cost businesses a combined $12.75 billion annually. That also amounts to more than 25% of costs related to workplace injuries.
• Falling on the same level (such as walking on a flat surface and tripping over one’s feet) is the #2 cause of all disabling injuries. That incident costs employers almost $8 billion annually.
• Out of the 7.2 million adults who used drugs way back in 2005, almost 13 million of them, or 74.8%, held either full or part-time jobs. Beyond that, some 10-20% of people who die while working for their employer test positive for either alcohol or illegal drugs.
• Hazardous materials kill almost 440,000 employees annually, according to the International Labour Organization. That organization also says that 10% of reported skin cancers are caused by workplace exposure to hazardous materials.
• If you own a business that doesn’t have a workplace safety program in place, be advised that you can reduce injuries by 50% if you add one, according to the American Society of Safety Engineers.
• On an average day, about 6,000 people will die because of workplace-related diseases or accidents, according to the International Labour Organization. That amounts more than 2 million workplace deaths annually. About five times as many people die from workplace related illness than die because of an accident on the job.