One of the biggest unsung success stories of the past few decades has been the widespread improvement in worksite safety in the U.S. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), worker injuries and illnesses have declined by 75% in the past 50 years—down from 10.9 incidents per 100 workers in 1972 to just 2.7 incidents per 100 workers in 2020.
Much of the credit for this improvement lies in the adoption of personal protective equipment (PPE), especially in the transportation, material moving, extraction, and construction occupations that account for nearly half of workplace fatalities today. Safety vests and helmets, fall protection, protective gloves, foot protection, safety eyewear and face protection, and hearing protection are now standard-issue at virtually any worksite.
