SUUVA / CWA » Articles » RATE OF ON-SITE INJURIES HIGHER FOR PUBLIC SECTOR WORKERS-THE CAVALIER DAILY, NOVEMBER 16, 2007

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RATE OF ON-SITE INJURIES HIGHER FOR PUBLIC SECTOR WORKERS-THE CAVALIER DAILY, NOVEMBER 16, 2007

Posted: Friday November 16, 2007

Rate of on-site injury higher for public sector workers

Virginia Department of Labor and Industry notes greater rate of job injuries, illnesses among state employees than in private sector

Emily Poe, Cavalier Daily Senior Writer

The private sector experienced a lower rate of workplace-related injuries and illnesses than the local government in 2006, according to the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry’s annual report. Of every 100 full-time state and local government workers, 5.1 reported an injury or illness, compared to 3.5 of every 100 workers in the private sector.

The report, released last week, is composed of data taken from a stratified random sample of employers throughout the Commonwealth. Jennifer Wester, director of cooperative programs for Virginia’s Department of Labor and Industry, said the majority of data for the report is gathered from employers’ Form 300, a document legally required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

“Basically, employers are taking what they have [from the 300 forms] and transferring it to us,” Wester said. “[Then] we collect it, enter it in our database, correct errors and sometimes verify [information] from employers when necessary.”

Wester noted that there has been an “overall downward trend” in the number of occupational injuries in the state since the report was first released in the early 1970s. The University, although part of the government sector, has actually seen a decrease in the number of workplace-related injuries in recent years and has even been rewarded for its preventive measures.

“U.Va. has won the safety star award, presented by The Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission, three years running,” said Safety Coordinator Barbara Schroeder, who works for the University Office of Environmental Health and Safety.

In order to prevent injuries, departments are taking proactive measures such as purchasing slip-resistant shoes for janitorial staff and steel-toed shoes for Facilities Management employees.

Schroeder noted that Facilities Management has “really taken a charge” in the prevention of on-the-job injuries.

Facilities Management and a few other departments have even hired their own safety coordinators.

“We want employees to go home to their families and be as healthy as they can,” Schroeder said.