A recent report released by the National Security Council on “The State of Safety” gave Oklahoma an F overall and for protecting residents in the workplace. The state was also ranked as one of the worst in the nation for worker’s compensation. It was listed as “off track” along with 15 other states who the report did not find had adequate protection for workers.
In fact, the report found Oklahoma to be “off track” in all three areas of measurement for workplace safety. The state was not found to be effective in “prevention, preparedness and enforcement,” which includes training employees and proactively trying to manage emerging issues in the workplace, such as workplace violence. Likewise, Oklahoma was lowly rated for “worker health and wellbeing, ” which includes having state laws that mandate workplace as both smoke and drug-free areas.
As CBS News reports, no state received a grade of A for overall safety, but seven states did rate a B grade: California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, and Washington. Oklahoma was given a grade of F along with ten other states: Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Wyoming. These ratings came not only from workplace safety but also how well states protect their residents in their homes and communities and through road safety.
Experts say that more than 140,000 people in the United States die each year from preventable events. The report provides a plan for states to follow to get the right track in order to help make the roads, communities, and workplaces safer places to work and live.