ISHN 50th anniversary: Challenges and Opportunities - thought leader essays
Fifty years ago when Industrial Safety & Hygiene News printed its first issue, worker fatalities, injuries and illnesses were more frequent than now. Statistics about worker fatalities, injuries and illnesses were sparse until the passage o the Mine Safety and Health Act of 1969 and the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. In the early 1970s, around 14,000 workers were killed on the job. The number of fatalities fell to 4,821 in 2014, while the rate of reported serious workplace injuries and illnesses has declined from 11 per 100 workers in 1972 to 3.2 per 100 workers in 2014. Although the combined efforts of unions, worker advocates, management, academia, occupational safety and health practitioners, safety equipment manufacturers and others can take credit for these reductions, there is still work to be done.
Exposure to chemical carcinogens, respirable crystalline silica, construction falls, electrocutions, lacerations and workplace violence still persist. Newer hazards like exposure to nanomaterials are emerging and require our attention. Newer ways of working using nonstandard work arrangements like agency work, contract work and gig work may pose health hazards to workers. The close collaboration between human and robotic workers will also pose new hazards.