Wyoming's Industry Partnerships to Improve Occupational Health and Safety

BACKGROUND:  Wyoming has historically high rates of occupational fatalities and injuries. The state has been among the 5 highest states in the United States for occupational mortality and also ranks high in occupational morbidity measures. Leading industries in Wyoming---agriculture, oil and gas extraction, mining,  construction, and transportation----are high risk for injuries and mortality. Because of concerns over workplace safety, the state's political leadership increased efforts to address this problem. The Legislature and Governor have increased staffing for the state's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), hired an occupational epidemiologist, and taken other measures to place an incentive on workplace safety.

METHODS:  Several years ago the Wyoming Governor assembled a task force to address the persistently high rates of occupational mortality in Wyoming.  Recommendations of the task force were to hire an occupational epidemiologist and to examine ways to improve Wyoming's track record. Since that time the Wyoming Legislature and the Governor have taken several steps to improve worker safety and to place incentives on safe working environments. Several legislative initiatives were passed including: the addition of seven new OSHA inspectors; worker's compensation premium discounts for employers who participate in state safety programs; and a work place safety training fund for employers. The Governor has formed several industry safety coalitions and an awards program.

RESULTS:  The Wyoming Governor has directed the creation of several industry partnerships for worker safety: the Wyoming Oil and Gas Association Industry Safety Alliance (WOGISA), the Wyoming Refinery Safety Alliance (WRSA), the Wyoming Transportation Safety Coalition (WTSC), and a newly formed Wyoming Construction Safety Alliance (WCSA). These organizations address industry-specific needs for workplace safety. The WOGISA sponsors trainings on fall protection, fire safety, winter driving, and hazard recognition. They promote stop-work-authority when workers spot unsafe working conditions. The WRSA has prioritized employee training and partnered with a community college to develop a curriculum for new refinery workers. The WCSA has just been formed with industry partners. The state OSHA has hired and trained seven new inspectors providing for compliance inspections and voluntary OSHA safety reviews as well as overseeing an employer safety training fund. The Worker's Compensation Program premium safety discount program is operational.

CONCLUSIONS:  While it is too early to draw definitive conclusions on the effectiveness of these efforts, it appears workplace fatalities are down. The occupational epidemiologist provides both fatality and worker's compensation statistics to partner industries. Additional efforts need to be placed on industries with high rates of injuries including agriculture, construction and healthcare. Communication and cooperation between industries and the state OSHA program have improved.