State Reports on Occupational Health and Safety - Knowledge at Work

Businesses are coming to the growing realization that health and safety management can have a huge impact on organizational productivity, worker well-being, morale, risk management, and operational costs. At the same time, the demographics of the workforce are undergoing a dramatic shift. The population is aging, more diverse, and becoming less healthy. Not only that, there are vast disparities among geographic areas in the United States. Each region has its specific health and safety challenges. Given these trends, it is not surprising that companies are increasingly seeking new ways to understand the risk in the communities they operate.

Unfortunately, most of the available data is difficult to find and even more challenging to decipher. That is until now. To aid businesses with unraveling this maze, UL’s Integrated Health and Safety Institute (IHSI) compiled data on community health and worker safety issues by state, compared to national averages. The study also looked at direct and indirect impacts (such as healthcare costs, days absent, and lost productivity) for a hypothetical company in each state. Finally, the study includes trends in the cost of employer-provided insurance as a percentage of total compensation. These insights should help companies identify and understand potential issues that, if managed through an integrated health and safety framework, could prevent and/or reduce injuries and illnesses in the workplace.