Which is more likely: that you’re killed in a job-related incident or that you become President of the U.S.?
For the record: You have a higher chance of dying on the job.
A new online safety app created by two departments at the University of Tennessee contains a page that shows the relative chances of being injured on the job compared to other life events, such as being struck by lightning or dating a super-model.
This project from UT is a submission to OSHA’s Worker Safety and Health App Challenge.
OSHA’s challenge to app developers is to use publicly available government information to educate young workers under 25 on the safety and health risks in real work scenarios.
In 2009, 359 workers between the ages of 13 and 24 died from work-related injuries. There were also over 800,000 non-fatal work-related injuries to people in the age group. The rate of emergency room treated occupational injuries is double for workers under the age of 25 compared to those 25 and older.
Deadline for submissions: Jan. 8. There’s a total of $30,000 in prizes. The grand prize itself is $15,000.
Growing number of safety apps
UT calls its app submission Working Safely Is No Accident.
The interactive exercise on the app allows users to evaluate the probability of various things happening. It’s meant to show how probabilities are influenced by many factors and how following the right safety guidelines can reduce the chance of a workplace injury.
UT’s app also includes 29 tips for avoiding common hazards and links to several OSHA and other federal safety web resources on youth work rules. Young workers can also find the rules which apply to them by clicking on links for their age.
OSHA developed its own heat safety app, and there are others available, some for free, for various types of smart phones. And the federal government has more than 200 apps for various business topics including labor stats.
Getting back to our original question: Are you more likely to be killed on the job or become President of the United States? We’re all told as young kids that it’s possible for anyone to become President. So statistically, we should also be telling young people that it’s also possible for anyone to be killed on the job.
Take a look at UT’s app submission. What do you think? Are these sort of apps helpful? Let us know in the comments below.
