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DAVE GRANLUND/POLITICALCARTOONS.COM RICK MCKEE/THE AUGUSTA (GA.) CHRONICLE
Recently, the National Safety Council released its “State of Safety Report,” a “first of its kind look at promising practices in reducing preventable deaths” on a state-bystate level. Unfortunately, the report shows that no state goes far enough to protect its residents from the leading causes of preventable deaths.
No state received an A. Oklahoma was assigned an F overall. Oklahoma scored a C in roadway safety, but got an F in community and an F in workplace safety.
The state labor commissioner took exception to the lack of credit given to the agency’s Public Employees Occupational Safety & Health Program (PEOSH), which provides enforcement of workplace safety standards for public-sector workers. The NSC gave credit only to states that had federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration-approved enforcement of public-sector safety and health laws. The criteria didn’t provide consideration for state programs that weren’t federally approved. The PEOSH program is a state-funded robust safety and health enforcement program and one of the most effective in the nation. In 2015, the most current year for which data is available, the public-sector incidence rate had dropped to 3.8 per 100 workers, which is well below the national average of 5.1.
We take this report in the spirit intended — as a call to action. Already, the Oklahoma Safety Council is working with our partners OSHA, the Oklahoma Department of Labor, the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office and other organizations to be a part of the solution.
In our state, OSHA has six formal cooperative alliances where the Department of Labor and OSHA work together with safety organizations such as MidContinent Exploration and Production Safety Network to improve the working lives of our state’s wage earners. The state Health Department took note of a successful fall prevention program for older adults from an Oregon resource and has trained several hundred instructors statewide. They are now back in their communities offering the courses to senior citizens to reduce the likelihood of falls that often lead to being bedridden or worse, a fatality. The OU Trauma Center has taken a lead here and is on track to become a geriatric center of excellence. We applaud this example.
A major item on our roadways to keep at the forefront is distracted driving. Be it cellphone use or other reasons, not having our full attention devoted to driving is an ongoing issue. We feel a need to be “plugged in” everywhere, and our cars are an easy mark of captivity to do this. How sad it is when we read stories where a driver chose to believe his or her time was more valuable than another’s life.
The highlight of this report includes one undeniable fact: American workers are nine times safer at work than they are away from the job. There is still much to do to address safety issues in our homes, communities, on our roads and in our workplaces. The NSC report should be used to evidence needed action and to address the issues we all face in our goal to end preventable deaths in our lifetime.
Koeneke is executive director of the Oklahoma Safety Council.