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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: 202/219-6091
There is no doubt that American workplaces have become safer since the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was formed in 1971. Too
many workers, however, are still injured on the job and must remain out of work
in order to spend time to properly heal. New Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
data provide surprising insight into who is being injured.
Carpal tunnel syndrome remains the most insidious workplace affliction
-- half of all workers suffering with carpal tunnel syndrome missed 30 days or
more of work. Women outnumbered men by almost three to one in carpal tunnel
cases, but they were just as likely to receive those injuries on an assembly
line as they were at a keyboard. In short, cumulative trauma disorders, which
cost the American economy more than $100 billion annually, continue to take a
severe toll on working women.
Earlier this year BLS reported that nursing homes and other personal
care facilities are the third most-hazardous workplaces in the US. More than
82,000 workers lost time due to injuries and illnesses, and nearly seven out of
eight of those injured were women. Nursing homes ranked first in the frequency
of overexertion injuries with a rate four to five times the national rate --
and nurses aides lifting and moving patients accounts for a large portion of
those injuries.
It is my intention to see that the Department of Labor takes
appropriate steps to eliminate this appalling number of cumulative trauma
injuries from the American workscene. OSHA's job is cut out for the agency, and
I pledge my full support in helping to make all workplaces safer.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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