08/20/2004
CONTACT: Michelle Bolton, 602.263.7690 or Tony Malandra, 415.664.9685
ARIZONA -- The state's top workplace watchdog is teaming up with Arizona's largest small-business group to reduce on-the-job injuries and prevent fatalities. The Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH) and the 10,000-member NFIB/Arizona will sign an agreement on Friday in Phoenix outlining the goals and terms of the alliance.
ADOSH investigates workplace fatalities and accidents to determine if there were any safety or health standards violated that caused or contributed to an employee’s death or injury. According to ADOSH, between Jan. 1, 2001 and Dec. 31, 2002, the last years for which data are available, there were 56 fatalities, an average of 2.3 per month in Arizona. The most common causes were being struck/crushed by an object (57 percent), falls (16 percent) and electrocution (10 percent).
"The top two goals of the alliance are to disseminate the latest, industry-specific health and safety information and to offer compliance assistance resources," said Michelle Bolton, NFIB/Arizona state director. "By teaming up with us, ADOSH gains by sending a signal to worried small-business owners that it is more interested in working with them than it is in fining them for violations. We gain by offering our members the most current research and programs ADOSH provides."
Darin Perkins, director of ADOSH, and Jeff Koch, vice president of member services for NFIB, will join local NFIB-member small-business owners at the signing.
