ASSE: Risk-based approach will help bring down fatality rate
The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) says it’s ready to use its network of members and stakeholders to help address fatal occupational injuries that increased for the third straight year according to newly released data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The data showed that there were 5,190 workplace fatalities in the United States in 2016, up 7 percent from 2015. The fatal injury rate per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers rose from 3.4 to 3.6 in the same period.
“We know that more employers need to shift from a compliance-based approach to a risk-based strategy when addressing safety concerns,” said ASSE President Jim Smith, M.S., CSP. When that consistently occurs, we’ll see reductions in the fatal workplace injury rate across the country.”