Staying safe at work By Julie Fernandez, Tulare Advance Register, CA
This downward trend in on-the-job injuries is nationwide. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in 2002 -- the last year for which figures are available -- the rate of injury recorded in private industry was five per 100 full-time workers. That is down from 8.3 in 1992.
Besides being the right thing to do, employers say working to reduce the number of accidents can go a long way toward reducing worker's compensation costs and overtime paid to those who fill in for an injured worker. It also helps maintain high productivity levels that go hand-in-hand with having experienced workers on the job.