Question: “Can the decline from 1970 to 2009 be attributed to the environment moving from manufacturing environment to a more office based environment for the workforce?”

Answer: Yes, certainly. The gradual introduction of automation in the manufacturing sector also removed personnel from the workforce, year over year, lowering the statistical pool. Also, the combination of outsourcing overseas and enhanced regulation in the U.S., are considered significant factors contributing to the decline in incident and injury rates.

However, the number of serious injuries and fatality events (SIF) has stabilized on an annual basis.

For more on manufacturing safety, check out:

Manufacturing Safety: Learning from Expensive Lessons in American Industry

An examination of recent OSHA violations at three American manufacturing facilities, with recommendations for improving safety conditions in your organization.

More than 12 million Americans work directly in the manufacturing sector, according to the American Manufacturing Association. While the U.S. manufacturing sector is the most productive in the world—by itself the ninth-largest economy on the globe—it remains today one of the most dangerous industries of employment. And that is a hard truth to escape in any conversation about American manufacturing.