A new AFL-CIO report says OSHA’s compliance staff can only inspect workplaces once every 131 years on average. According to the report, Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect, OSHA is underfunded, understaffed, and penalties are too low to deter violations. As a result, after several years of decline, the fatality and job injury and illness rate has leveled out. “If we are to make progress in reducing job injuries and deaths, we will need more concerted efforts and additional resources,” the report states.

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The report, Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect, found that an average of 13 workers die each day and another 137 per day (or 50,000 each year) succumb to occupational diseases. The AFL-CIO believes the official number of workers experiencing illnesses and injuries may be two to three times greater than the 4 million reported. And it’s not just about worker well-being; injured and sick employees hurt the bottom line, too. The report estimates the cost of workplace injuries and illnesses to be between $250 and $300 billion per year.

OSHA penalties are said to be too low to be taken seriously. According to the report, the average penalty is just over $2,000 for a serious federal violation and about $975 for a state violation. For violations involving fatalities, the median total penalty in 2011 was $5,175 for federal OSHA and $4,200 for state agencies.

The report calls for additional measures to help keep workers safe, including the passage of the Protecting America’s Workers Act (PAWA), currently in congressional committee. Among other measures, PAWA would extend protection to more workers, strengthen whistleblower protections, allow for more criminal enforcement of certain OSHA violations, and allow federal OSHA to step in more quickly when state safety agencies fall short.

AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka said it is unacceptable that so many workers are dying on the job. Elected leaders, business groups, and employers have failed to provide needed protection for working men and women, he says.