Safety benefits of mandatory OSHA 10 h training

Abstract

Construction is an inherently dangerous industry. Its injury rates for the industry annually rank near the top of all U.S. industries. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is charged with regulating U.S. workplace safety. Towards this end, they provide enforcement and promote training. A standardized 10h training course sanctioned by OSHA is available for construction workers in all states. In 2004, Massachusetts became the first of seven states to legislate mandated OSHA 10h training for construction workers on most public projects. Previous studies have shown that occupational safety training has beneficial effects on knowledge gain and improved behavior but there is weak evidence for improved safety outcomes. The natural experiment created by mandated training provided the opportunity to study the effects of mandated training on these outcomes. This study uses the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2004–2012 State Occupational Injury and Illness data in a random effects multiple regression analysis and BLS 2008–2011 fatality data from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries to examine fatality trends across different strata. The results are highly encouraging but fall short of definitive evidence. The post-mandate fatality trend results compare favorably against other state groupings and the non-fatal injury regression indicated a nearly statistically significant marginal effect for mandated training. However these results are clouded by the short duration of trend data and injury data known to be underreported. Recommendations include more extensive recordkeeping for OSHA 10h training and improved injury surveillance.