Nursing homes could face increased scrutiny as a result of above average injury and illness rates among employees.
As part of the Site-Specific Targeting Program, 9,414 establishments were sent warning letters that their high injury and illness rates could prompt an investigation from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
With a total of 1,005 businesses, nursing homes were the category with the most listed establishments, including convalescent homes and other residential medical care facilities, notes OSHA.
To be on the list, an establishment must have had a “days away [from work], restricted, or transferred” (DART) rate that exceeded its industry average,” according to the letters signed by David Michaels, the assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health.
Just because a nursing home received a warning letter doesn’t mean it will actually be inspected. The letters—mailed only to employers covered by federal OSHA—informed employers that up to 2,500 workplaces could be inspected as a result of their inclusion on the list.
Manufacturers were mailed 4,899 letters, and wholesale trade establishments received 1,352 letters, according to OSHA’s list.
While nursing homes had the most listed businesses, other groups with large numbers of recipients included home improvement stores (562), fabricated structural metal manufacturing (262), general warehousing and storage (163).
Written by Jason Oliva
