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As the reported number of worker fatalities and injuries continues to trend downward, budgetary uncertainty may affect OSHA’s role in helping to create safer workplaces. And after more than 40 years of the agency’s existence, how has that role evolved?

Employment is booming in the oil and gas industry – but fatalities hit an all-time high in 2012. Through efforts such as a nationwide safety stand-down in November, OSHA, NIOSH, and the oil and gas industry are collaborating to address the dangers these workers face.

In addition to its National Emphasis Programs, OSHA creates Local and Regional Emphasis Programs to target hazards found in specific areas of the country. Safety+Health presents an interactive map showing some of the local and regional programs currently in effect.

Arlington, VA – New federal rules on commercial truck driver hours of service have actually increased driver fatigue, according to two-thirds of drivers recently surveyed by the American Transportation Research Institute.

Washington – The rate of nonfatal worker injuries and illnesses declined in 2012 from the previous year, resuming a recent downward trend, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2012 survey of occupational injuries and illnesses, released Nov. 7.

OSHA has proposed an update of its decades-old standards on silica exposure. Read what the proposed requirements are, and what some stakeholders are saying about it.

What prevents workers from speaking up about safety concerns? Two recent studies asked workers why they won’t report injuries and hazards – and examined the role supervisors play.

Emmitsburg, MD – On-duty firefighter deaths totaled 81 in 2012, according to a U.S. Fire Administration report released Sept. 17.

Washington – A greater emphasis on health hazards is one step OSHA says it will take in the coming years as part of the Department of Labor’s strategic plan for 2014-2018.