Presidential Order Extends Federal Safe Workplace Initiative

SHARE has significantly reduced total injuries, illnesses and fatalities

WASHINGTON — President George W. Bush has extended for three years the federal government's initiative to reduce occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities within its ranks.

Originally launched in 2004 and scheduled to run for three years, the U.S. Department of Labor's Safety, Health, and Return-to-Employment (SHARE) initiative has helped the Federal government make great strides in reducing injury and illness case and lost production day rates, and substantially improve timely filing of injury and illness notices.

The federal government is on track to exceed all four of its workplace safety and health goals for the first time since the start of the initiative. If third quarter results hold, the federal government (less the U.S. Postal Service) is on track to end the year with an overall 16.7 percent decrease in the total case rate from the FY 2003 baseline (Goal 1); a 12.4 percent reduction in the lost time case rate (Goal 2); a 44.4 percent increase in timely claim submissions (Goal 3); and 6.6 percent decrease in the rate of lost production days (Goal 4).

In extending the initiative through 2009, President Bush challenged executive branch agencies to "establish more ambitious performance targets" than the minimum goals established under the initiative.

"Fewer federal employees were injured, became ill, or died on the job over the past three years as a result of the SHARE initiative and a greater awareness of workplace safety and health," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Edwin G. Foulke, Jr. "We look to build on these tremendous results, which benefit not just federal employees and their agencies, but all American taxpayers."

"Extending SHARE gives us a chance to make break-through improvements by building on the momentum of the first three years of the initiative. We can make major reductions in injuries, illnesses and days lost from work as a result, and everyone wins if we do," said Shelby Hallmark, director of the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs.

The initiative, first launched in 2004, established four workplace safety and health goals for federal employees:

• Lower total injury and illness case rates,
• Lower case rates for lost time injuries and illnesses,
• Improved timely reporting of injuries and illnesses, and
• Reduced rates of lost production days due to work-related injuries and illnesses.

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Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.