One of the candidates for the GOP nomination for Oklahoma Labor Commissioner, Cathy Costello is taking issue with claims that the state’s workplace injury rate is below the national average.
In a statement this week, Costello disputed the conclusion that the state’s workplace injury rate of 3.8 compares to the national average of 5. She called it misleading.
“The 3.8 injury rate in Oklahoma only factors in public sector jobs,” explained Costello. “That data does not factor occupational injuries in the private sector where 82% of Oklahomans work. If our next Labor Commissioner comes into office believing Oklahoma is leading the nation in workplace safety—that is dangerous.”
She pointed out that Oklahoma does not compile data on private sector injuries and believes comparing the rates of occupational fatalities in both sectors is the more accurate gauge of overall workplace safety.
“Oklahoma’s occupational fatality rate is more than 60% higher than the national average,” says Costello. “According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we have a fatality rate of 5.6 [per 100,000] compared to the national average of 3.6. It is impossible to see those numbers and draw the conclusion that Oklahoma has mastered the art of workplace safety.”
She said it was also important to understand that more Americans die in the workplace due to violence than from slips, trips and falls.
Voters will decide the Republican nominee in the June 26 primary election.