Few groups hate Behavior Based Safety more than the labor unions. To representatives of organized labor, the theory that accidents are the product of unsafe behavior is nothing more than a transparent attempt by management to pin the blame for accidents on workers and avoid the need to invest in engineering and design solutions necessary to eliminate hazards.

Not surprisingly, the union view is rooted in politics. For example, on April 27, the AFL-CIO published its annual report on the state of workplace safety for the year 2007. The union contends that employers underreported injuries and illnesses and that OSHA laws and enforcement were too weak to curb the abuse. Contentions contained in the report, Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect:

• In 2007, employers reported slightly over 4 million work-related illnesses and injuries but, due to underreporting, the real total might have been as high as 12 million;
• The average penalty assessed by OSHA in fatality cases was $11,311;
• Average OSHA penalties in fatality cases were lowest in Utah ($1,106 per case), followed by South Carolina ($1,383) and Louisiana ($1,453); and
• The average OSHA penalty for a serious violation nationwide was $921.

AFL-CIO criticism of lax OSHA enforcement is nothing new, of course. However, the influence of the unions on President Obama’s OSHA policy, including the appointment of former AFL-CIO consultant, Jordan Barab, as acting OSHA director gives the new union report additional significance.

Source: AFL-CIO, “Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect,” http://www.aflcio.org/mediacenter/prsptm/pr04272009.cfm

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