According to a recent National Safety Council survey, Americanworkers are most concerned about on-the-job injuries, even thoughthose injuries occur less often than at home.

Four hundred employed American adults were conducted for NSC'sJune National Safety Month observance by Atlanta-based Infosurv, amarket research firm that specializes in employee and customersurveys. American workers recognize safety as a serious issue,NSC's 2006 American Worker Safety Survey said, but theirperceptions about their greatest safety risks do not mirrorreality.

Accidental injury, the leading cause of death for people under40 and the fifth leading cause of death for all ages, was thenumber one reported concern, and more individuals reported thatthey feel safer at home than at work, when in fact the opposite istrue. According to the FBI's annual “Uniform Crime Report,” in2004, 230 Americans died in natural disasters including hurricanes,tornadoes, extreme cold, and severe or tropical storms. However, inthe same year, unintentional injuries claimed more than 110,000lives and disabled roughly 23.2 million people seriously enough tocause permanent or temporary disability. In contrast, 5,000 workersdied and 3.7 million suffered disabling injuries as a result ofaccidents occurring in the workplace.

When asked about what type of workplace injuries they were mostconcerned about, more than 37 percent of respondents said they weremost concerned about falling. According to another recent NSCsurvey, businesses are recognizing the value of keeping theiremployees safe both on and off the job. Among 1,300 businesses ofvarying size that have implemented off-the-job safety programs, 58percent reported reductions in injuries occurring outside ofwork.

More information is available at www.nsc.org.