Safety in our Business

Saw this in AAIA’s Capital Report and thought it might interest you…Injury and Death Rates for Mechanics Exceed National Average. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) has released an article in Compensation and Working Conditions Online that concludes automotive technicians are more likely to be killed or injured on the job than the average U.S. worker. The article reports that from 2003 to 2005, 147 technicians were fatally injured at work – a death rate of 5.3 per 100,000 workers. The fatality rate for all occupations is 4.0 per 100,000 workers. Additionally, there were 15,560 nonfatal injuries and illnesses to technicians in 2005, down roughly 10 percent from 2003. There were around 954,000 U.S. technicians during this time.
Most of the injuries and illnesses reported during 2005 were due to contact with an object or equipment or overexertion. Assaults and violent acts accounted for 30 percent of workplace fatalities in 2003-2005. Homicides accounted for 44 percent of assaults and violent acts, while self-inflicted wounds made up the remaining 56 percent. The national average for fatalities due to assaults and violent acts is 15 percent. For the full analysis, visit www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/print/sh20070521ar01p1.htm .