Occupational Health and Safety Trends for 2021

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 5,333 workplace fatalities in 2019 and a total of 888,200 injuries with days away from work. The reported fatalities increased by 113 compared with 2018, which represents a 2% increase. Sprains, strains, and tears were the most common injuries, representing 295,180 of the total reported. Data on workplace injuries and fatalities has not been published for 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic introduced additional challenges. As a result, companies are giving priority to occupational health and safety (OHS). The adoption of many technologies has been accelerated, for example, video conferencing was used mostly as a social distancing measure, but it offers permanent benefits for companies. Safety leadership saves lives, but it also offers an attractive return on investment. According to the US National Safety Council, companies save $37,000 on average when they prevent a lost-time injury.