If you haven’t heard, the feds just released a new online tool that allows users to search its database and view trends on workplace injuries occurring in states covered by federal OSHA.
What Is the SIR Database?
The new tool – OSHA’s Severe Injury Report (SIR) database – includes info on all severe workplace injuries reported by employers covered under federal OSHA since 2015.
Under an OSHA reg, employers must report workplace fatalities and all severe workplace injuries. The agency defines a severe work-related injury as “an amputation, in-patient hospitalization, or loss of an eye.”
Workplace fatalities and severe workplace injuries must be reported within eight hours and 24 hours, respectively. These reporting requirements began on Jan. 1, 2015.
After receiving a report, OSHA may conduct a formal investigation or ask for more info, depending on the circumstances.
Since 2015, the feds have been collecting all this data on workplace injuries. But it wasn’t put together in an organized format and made available to the public in a meaningful format — until now.
The Data on Workplace Injuries
Fast-forward nine years. In our data-driven world, any collection of organized information can be very valuable — and this SIR database is no exception.
So what exactly can users learn about severe workplace injuries?
They can search, filter and download the data in the SIR database by eight specific data points:
- Year
- Industry
- State
- Employer name
- Event or exposure
- Source of the injury
- Nature of the injury, and
- Body part that was injured.
OSHA has even created a how-to video to show users all the bells and whistles and provide advice on navigating the various features to find the info they’re interested in.
Currently, data included in the SIR database is from the beginning of 2015 through the end of 2023. But OSHA says the data will be updated periodically.
Importantly, the data represents incidents under federal OSHA jurisdiction only and does not include incidents under state plan jurisdictions.
OSHA said it hopes “providing this dashboard will encourage workers and employers to explore these data, learn about how severe injuries happen in their industry and use OSHA’s resources” to help prevent workplace injuries at their company.
