Twenty years ago, North Carolina witnessed its worst industrial accident during a fire at a chicken plant in Hamlet, NC. OSHA officials had never inspected the plant. Twenty five people were killed as a result of the fire, primarily because doors at the plant had been locked to prevent theft. OSHA officials found over 80 violations after the accident.
As a result of the infamous Hamlet accident, OSHA increased the number of state inspectors and vowed to increase employer inspections to further workplace safety. Although the program may have had some success initially, statistics indicate that OSHA's progress has declined over the past the decade.
OSHA inspections and citations have decreased dramatically, reaching North Carolina's lowest level since the Hamlet fire. Meanwhile, workplace fatalities have increased more than 40 percent over the past year. 2010 monetary penalties for workplace violations did increase substantially compared to recent years. However, the average fine for a serious violation was only $884, a small number in comparison to the national average.
One major challenge is that the reporting of workplace injuries is based on an honor system, meaning it is the employers' duty to report the injuries to the state (absent a fatality). As such, many injuries go unreported, thus skewing the statistics on workplace safety.
One of the predominant reasons OSHA citations have decreased while workplace injuries have increased is that OSHA has failed to increase the number of inspectors while North Carolina's population and workforce have increased dramatically over the last decade. In fact, according to the International Labor Organization's recommendations, North Carolina should have nearly three times the number of inspectors currently employed.
The trend of increasing population and workforce, countered with decreasing inspections and citations raises substantial concerns regarding workplace safety. Promises have been made to correct these problems, but little has been done as evident by the aforementioned statistics and the fact that major accidents still occur. This issue presents a major problem for workplace safety and anxiety for employees. There is little incentive for employers to correct these problems as they focus on the bottom economic line. The recent legislative history of our state serves as a reminder that corporate America is focused on profits, not protecting is key asset (its workforce). However, there are other recourses for workplace accidents. If you are injured while at work, an experienced Charlotte attorney is able to discuss any claims you may have against your employer.
CharlotteObserver.com, 20 years after Hamlet, N.C.'s worker safety push weakens, 9/04/11
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