Michael Gochfeld ^1* Sandra Mohr ²

¹ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
² UMDNJ-School of Public Health

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: gochfeld{at}eohsi.rutgers.edu.

	Abstract

Increased reliance on subcontractors in all economic sectors is a serious occupational health and safety challenge. Short-term cost savings are offset by long-term liability. Hiring subcontractors brings specialized knowledge but also young, inexperienced, inadequately trained workers onto industrial and hazardous waste sites, which leads to increased rates of accidents and, injuries.

Reliable data on subcontractor occupational health and safety programs and performance are sparse. US Department of Energy’s (DOE) has an excellent safety culture on paper, but procurement practices and contract language deliver a mixed message—including some safety disincentives. It’s a biphasic safety outwhere data are consistent with underreporting by some subcontractors and underachievement by others. These observations are relevant to the private and public sectors. Occupational health and safety should be viewed as an asset, not merely a cost.

Key Words: Government, Health Policy, Occupational Health, Surveys