Partners in safety include OSHA and insurance agents.

• Author: McKay, Brian
• Position: SPECIAL SECTION: Building Alaska - Occupational Safety and Health Administration

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 12 people will die as a result of occupationally related injuries at work today. Another estimated 137 people will die as a result of occupationally induced illnesses including cancers and respiratory diseases on this same day. This latter number, derived from inferential metrics, is the best estimate produced in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health and is probably underestimated; there is no consistent method to count these fatalities because it is difficult to provide a causal relationship after, in many cases, a profoundly long time between exposure, incubation, and the outcome of illness.

The good news is that occupationally related fatality rates have been declining in the United States for decades now. According to the US Department of Labor, in 1970, we could expect 38 worker deaths per day compared to the 12 we have now. The rates of worker injury and illnesses are also down from 10.9 incidents per 100 workers in 1972 compared to 3.4 per 100 workers in 2011.

Today's US workforce is healthier, more informed, and arguably safer than any other time in US history. However, the rapid development of technology often times outpaces business's ability to "keep up" with the times and plan for the safety of the workforce. Public health agencies, scientists, and sheer experience continue to refine what is known about chemicals and occupational exposures in the environment, further refining protective methods and procedures designed to protect the workforce. The changing exposure limits, new OSHA regulation, and industry standards are almost too much for the business owner to keep up with at times, and that sentiment is heard often and loudly. The good news is, no one has to go it alone. The bad news is that the necessary partners in this endeavor may be the very people businesses are hesitant to deal with, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and insurance agents.

OSHA

OSHA is the federal agency tasked in the enforcement of the federal regulations affectionately known as 29 CFR 1910 (General Industry) and 1926 (Construction). This modest federal agency had a budget of a little over $535 million in 2013 and 2,200 inspectors, according to OSHA's website. While OSHA regulations are "the law of the land," and OSHA is charged with the enforcement of these safety regulations, the federal agency does have the ability to grant this authority to states. Alaska is one of the states that has taken on this responsibility. In order for states to sponsor their own programs, they must be at least as effective as the federal plans and have regulations that are at least as prudent as the federal regulations.

Alaska's OSHA (AKOSH) plan was initially approved on July 31, 1973, with subsequent and final approval on...