Organizations push to reduce workplace deaths

Is a world without workplace deaths possible? Safety leaders around the world are asking themselves that question.
The International Labor Organization (ILO), which recently organized the XX World Congress on Safety and Health at Work 2014, is seeking to promote a discussion on this very topic. According to a recent article on Safety.BLR.com, the conference has evolved into a forum for as many as 4,000 occupational safety experts, scientists and politicians from around the world.

“Prevention is possible, it is necessary, and it pays,” ILO Director General Guy Ryder said at the conference.
Of course, advocates for safer workplaces face a significant challenge. The news source added that as many as 2.3 million people die every year around the world as a result of illnesses or injuries suffered while on the job.
But safety rules can turn this around—and they have.
“A hundred years ago in Germany, there were 10,000 deaths a year at work,” Dr. Joachim Breuer, a German insurance executive, said. “Last year the figure was less than 500 for the first time.”
In the U.S., the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) emphasizes the importance of employee training to ensure that all safety regulations are adhered to.
The results are often positive. For example, workplace deaths in Wyoming are on the decline, according to a report by the Casper Star Tribune. Officials in the state said that the number of deaths fell by 32 percent in 2013, which is the most recent data available.
In many industries, online training programs are a useful tool for ensuring that employees are abiding by safety rules. Mastery Technologies offers a variety of inexpensive, easy-to-use online training courses to educate your team.