PMA-OSHA Alliance Making a Difference
October 1, 2007Comments
While the metalforming industry has its share of occupational hazards, employers and employees need not accept these hazards as merely the cost of doing business. With training and education, hazards can be identified and addressed, and in recent years OSHA has worked with the metalforming industry to improve its safety record.
When OSHA signed an alliance agreement with the Precision Metalforming Association in November 2005, we pledged to use our collective expertise to help foster a culture of injury and illness prevention, while sharing best practices and technical knowledge. In particular, we’re addressing ergonomics hazards and press-safety issues such as machine guarding and lockout/tagout.
Compliance with safety and health standards and regulations is not only a legal requirement, it makes good business sense. Employers that invest in safe and healthy workplace environments improve their bottom lines by lowering workers’ compensation premiums, increasing productivity and reducing employee turnover.
U.S. employers incur an annual estimated cost of $1300 per employee from occupational injuries and illnesses. These costs—as well as the devastating impact that serious injuries or illnesses can have on employees and their families—can be avoided by implementing exemplary safety and health management systems.
