Highway accidents and homicides top the list of fatal work injuries in 1994, accounting for 20 percent and 16 percent of fatalities, respectively, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. A total of 6,588 workers died of occupational injuries last year, four percent more than in 1993. The number-an average of 18 fatalities per day-largely reflects an increase in highway and commercial airline accidents, the BLS reports.
OSHA reform legislation should require the agency to recognize institutions qualified to train and certify professionals to conduct third-party health and safety audits, the American Industrial Hygiene Association suggested to the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protection in late July. Reform legislation introduced by Rep. Cass Ballenger (R-N.C.), H.R. 1834, that would allow for third-party workplace health and safety audits, should be more definitive about which certifying entities are acceptable, the AIHA testified.