When it comes to media coverage of safety in the construction industry there’s often a spotlight on when things go wrong. I don’t know if you caught the article on Delaware Online this week regarding young worker safety, but it highlighted some good news for the industry in our state. The headline of Molly McVety’s article read “Delaware ranked as one of the safest states for young workers."  I think the information is important and I wanted to share the below excerpts with you:

“Delaware, Maine and Rhode Island had the fewest number of workplace deaths among young workers, each with three deaths between 2011 and 2022.”

“When combined with the population of each state, Delaware was ranked as the third-safest state for young workers, with an average of 0.49 yearly deaths per 100,000 people.”

• “Young worker fatalities are often rooted in a combination of factors such as inexperience, inadequate training and lack of hazard awareness,” the (Whitley Law Firm) spokesperson said. “It’s also interesting to look at the regional patterns; there were five southern states among the most dangerous, whereas half of the 10 safest states were in the Northeast.”

• “Delaware’s most recent workforce development strategy report, estimated that there are around 1,000 young workers in the construction field in Delaware, and an emphasis has been placed on recruiting more women into the industry around the state.”

This year marks the eighth consecutive year of workers compensation rate decreases. Sometime around 2013, in an effort to drive down Delaware’s exceptionally high workers compensation rates, then-Lt. Governor Matt Denn and I worked on restructuring workers compensation, giving the changes a three-year rollout. In a press release last week, Insurance Commissioner Navaro stated that the voluntary market is expected to decrease average loss costs by 8.4% while the residual market anticipates an average rate reduction of 9.21%. I currently serve as an employer representative on the Delaware Workers Compensation Oversight Panel to ensure the industry has a voice at the table.

I know our members place a high priority on ensuring their workforce has the education and training needed to make them the safest in the industry. Just remember, DCA is here with training and education opportunities to ensure your workers stay safe!