OSHA Reduces Reports of Workplace Fatalities

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: The Wall Street Journal.

OSHA Reduces Reports of Workplace Fatalities

Move comes as agency cuts back on the amount of information on accidents made available to the public

By Alexandra Berzon

Aug. 27, 2017 12:41 p.m. ET

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is reducing its reporting of fatalities in the U.S., part of a series of moves by the agency that are cutting back the amount of information about workplace accidents made available to the public.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which had long complained about the practice, asked OSHA to roll back some of the information in the fatality reporting and other initiatives when the Trump...
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Read more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/osha-reduces-reports-of-workplace-fatalities-1503852073

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Sorry, kids. The Wall Street Journal. has closed the Twitter loophole. This article is behind a paywall.

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From earlier: OSHA is cutting back on its reporting of workplace fatalities in the U.S. https://www.wsj.com/articles/osha-reduces-reports-of-workplace-fatalities-1503852073 via @WSJ

Link to tweet

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OSHA Cuts Back Fatality Reporting at Urging of Chamber of Commerce

http://jordanbarab.com/confinedspace/2017/08/28/osha-cuts-back-fatality-reporting/

August 28, 2017

Whos running OSHA now? Alexandra Berzon of the Wall St. Journal (1) reports that OSHA cut back its reporting of workplace fatalities (2) at the urging of the Chamber of Commerce. (Click here if WSJ link doesnt work.) (3)

Under the Obama administration, they saw this as a way to scare employers straight, said Marc Freedman, executive director of labor law policy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The idea was that companies would work harder on compliance if they knew the details of any accidental deaths at their facilities would be made public. The Chamber disagreed with that approach and thought that it unfairly maligned some employers. (4)

The Trump administration eliminated press releases covering large enforcement cases, except for a few of the largest cases, and is also considering weakening a new OSHA regulation that requires employers to send injury and illness statistics to OSHA, some of which would later be published on OSHAs website. That regulation also prohibits employers from retaliating against employees for reporting injuries and illnesses, a provision that the Chamber also opposes. ... The Obama administration has started to publicize workplace fatalities on the home page of the OSHA website in order to humanize the fatality numbers and ensure that Americans understand the impact of workplace death.
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Last week, OSHA removed a scrolling list of workplace fatalities from its home page, and buried it on its data page — without the names of the workers killed, and only for those deaths where citations were issued. The data was replaced on the home page with a box featuring “OSHA Working With Employers” featuring “just a few examples of our cooperative programs that work with and recognize employers who create safe workplaces.” Also removed from the home page was a video (5) explaining that workers have the right to request an inspection and that it is illegal for employers to retaliate against workers for requesting an inspection. Among the several excuses OSHA used for the change was that it would protect the privacy of families (even though many are reported in the media), and that that by reporting after a citation is issued would somehow allow stakeholders to “better understand how workers are fatally injured on the job so they can prevent further tragedies.”

(1) https://www.wsj.com/articles/osha-reduces-reports-of-workplace-fatalities-1503852073

(2) http://jordanbarab.com/confinedspace/2017/08/25/osha-hides-workplace-fatalities/

(3) http://www.cetusnews.com/news/OSHA-Reduces-Reports-of-Workplace-Fatalities.HJIk1nueF-.html

(4) https://www.wsj.com/articles/osha-seeks-to-make-big-companies8217-workerinjury-records-public-1383788002

(5)

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OSHA Covers Up Workplace Fatalities

https://www.democraticunderground.com/111681092

[Angry Dragon]

1. corps are mostly evil

[BigmanPigman]

2. Another victory for 45...one more Obama policy destroyed.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. Weekly Toll: OSHA Wont Tell You Who Died In The Workplace. We Will

Weekly Toll: OSHA Won’t Tell You Who Died In The Workplace. We Will