Workplace Stats

The 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire killed 145 workers.  This horrific tragedy ushered in new regulations for worker safety.  Even with better laws protecting the safety of workers, workplace fires are still a ongoing concern for U.S. industries and companies.

Here are some compelling statistics to contemplate as you reflect on why this type of PPE is so important and should be closely evaluated before purchasing one fabric or style over another:

American Burn Association

• 13% of all burn injuries are work-related.
• Deaths from burn injury increase with advancing age and burn size, as well as the presence of inhalation injury.
• The average length of a hospital stay for a burn injury is slightly greater than one day per %TBSA.

Costs

• Fires cost U.S. businesses more than $328 billion in annual costs.
• OSHA estimates a cost of $1,534 per employee for eight sets of flame-resistant clothing or an annualized cost of roughly $453 per employee.
• The usual litigation costs a company incurs after experiencing an arc flash incident totals between $10 to $15 million on average.

Combustible Dust

• According to OSHA, approximately 900 workers have been injured or killed since 1980 by combustible dust occurrences.
• During the past 25 years, at least 281 major combustible dust incidents were reported. Those incidents killed 119 and injured 718 workers, in addition to destroying many industrial facilities.
• Combustible dust-related fires and explosions are a global problem. In the U.S. alone, 50 dust-related incidents occurred between 2008 and 2012.

Value (in billion $) and percentage shares of the components of the total cost of fire ($328.5 billion) in the U.S. in 2014.

Electrical

• Electrical fires account for 22% of workplace fires.
• 5 to 10 arc flash accidents occur every day in the U.S.
• Companies can expect to pay an average of $1.5M to cover the cost of medical treatment for someone injured by an arc flash.
• The typical employee injured by an arc flash requires an 8 to 12-month leave of absence from work to fully heal and recover.

Oil and Gas

• 16% of all oil and gas fatalities are the result of exposure to fires and explosions, which cause devastating burns.
• Since 2003, there have been more than 1,500 fatal occupational injuries in the oil and gas extraction industries.
• In 2017 alone, there were 23 fatal occupational injuries due to fire or explosions in the construction of or support activities for oil and gas extraction.
• Fires and explosions are the 3rd most fatal workplace injuries within the oil and gas industry.

General

• OSHA reports that there are more than 200 workplace fires per day, with more than 5,000 people injured by workplace fires annually.
• Welding torches were involved in one-third (34%) of hot work structure fires.