According to the “State of Safety” report by the National Safety Council, Texas is one of 26 states which received either a ‘D’ or an ‘F’ for overall safety. According to the report, in 2015 a total of 10,208 deaths occurred in Texas. Of that figure, 3,722 fatalities occurred on the road, 6,020 fatalities occurred in the home and community, and 460 fatalities occurred in the workplace.
The NSC reviewed state safety based on 1) Road Safety, 2) Home and Community Safety, and 3) Workplace Safety. Each of these three categories were comprised of various safety issues (speeding, home fires, worker health and well-being, etc.) which were graded based upon how well states address and handle the various issues through program and policy (such as seat belt laws or no texting laws) implementation. If a state had indicators that showed attempts were being made to maintain a safe state, it was deemed as “on track”. If a state met some of the NSC indicators, it was categorized as “developing.” If little to no NSC indicators were present the state was categorized as “off track.”
Sadly, Texas did not fare well in the rankings, receiving a C and a rank of 15 in Home and Community Safety, another C and a rank of 29 in Road Safety, and the worst grade of an F and rank of 32 in workplace safety. In the case of Road Safety, Texas was “on track” to curtail incidences of alcohol-impaired driving, and increasing use of seat belts, but was “off track” in handling issues with speeding, child passengers, and other areas. Regarding Home and Community Safety, Texas was “on track” in handling “youth sports-related concussions, and developing in its firearm safety programs,” but was “off track” in preventing drownings, poisonings, and home fires. Finally, in the Workplace Safety category, where Texas received the worst score, the state was “off track” in workers compensation programs and implementing policies which maintain positive worker health and wellbeing, but was “developing” in the area of prevention, preparedness, and enforcement of work safety regulations.
If you or someone you know has been injured in a workplace accident, contact an attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling (713) 222-7211 or toll free at 713-222-7211.