Off-the-job safety stressed

A survey conducted by the National Safety Council found that Americans feel safer at home than at work, but the opposite is actually true.

The June survey of more than 400 workers found that 31 percent believe they are safer at home, 62 percent feel equally safe at home and work, and only 5 percent feel they are safer at work. But statistics show that in 2004 about 5,000 died and 3.7 million suffered injuries at work, while 44,100 died and 6.8 million were injured off-the-job.

“Home is not the safe haven we think it is,” said Alan C. McMillan, president/CEO of the NSC. “With more than half of all accidental deaths occurring in homes and communities, we have a greater challenge protecting the public from injuries while off the job than in America’s workplaces.

Many companies have instituted off-the-job safety programs and recorded reduced injuries as a result. “Ultimately, employers should strive to establish a corporate culture of safety that transcends the workplace to include the safety and health of their employees in all aspects of their lives,” McMillan said.