The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released detailed case data collected by its Injury Tracking Application for calendar year 2023, the agency announced on December 12. The release makes publicly available the establishment-level injury and illness summary data submitted by employers.
OSHA also released a “Work Related Injury & Illness Summary” report, which includes tables of injury/illness case characteristics, top occupational groups reporting injuries and illnesses, and a breakdown of injury and illness case types by industrial sector for 2023.
“Publication of this data is a milestone in our efforts to make data on workplace injuries and illnesses more transparent,” Doug Parker, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, said in an agency statement. “This information is an unprecedented tool for researchers, public health officials, businesses, and workers to understand the nature of workplace injuries and illnesses in this country, whether they are looking at national trends, or the factory where they work every day.”
The agency collected data on more than 890,000 workplace injuries and illnesses at more than 91,000 workplaces during the calendar year 2023.
The data published includes the names of employers, incident locations, descriptions of injuries or illnesses, and objects or substances involved.
To protect worker privacy, the agency used artificial intelligence and human review to redact personal information, including workers’ names, Social Security numbers, phone numbers, birth dates, and addresses.
Cal/OSHA issues $276,425 fine for ‘willful’ heat violations
Parkwood Landscape Maintenance of Van Nuys, Calif., is facing state workplace safety and health penalties totaling $276,425 for willful violations of state heat illness prevention regulations, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) announced on Dec. 12.
California state investigators found that the employer willfully and knowingly didn’t comply with heat protection requirements, making it the agency’s first willful heat violation citation. The Van Nuys District Office of Cal/OSHA initiated an investigation on June 6, after receiving a complaint that employees were laboring outdoors without water or heat illness training provided by the employer.
The employer did not provide employees with heat illness prevention measures such as access to water, shade, and heat illness prevention training, according to Cal/OSHA. The company also did not have written procedures in place for handling working conditions when temperatures were frequently reaching over 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
Employees had to purchase their drinking water, which is a violation of the state’s heat illness prevention standard.
“Employers have a responsibility to protect their workers from the dangers of extreme heat,” Cal/OSHA Chief Debra Lee said in an agency statement. “It is unacceptable for any business to blatantly ignore safety protocols, putting their employees at serious risk. This enforcement action underscores our commitment to holding employers accountable and ensuring safe workplaces across California.”
California has statewide standards for both outdoor and indoor heat illness prevention and an overarching injury and illness prevention program standard. The state also has a special-emphasis program of enforcement, outreach, and training for its heat regulations.
Although there is no federal heat illness prevention standard, OSHA issued an NPRM to develop one. On November 29, OSHA extended its public comment period on the proposal until January 14, 2025.
