Workplace Becoming Safer

Increased emphasis on job safety and health is paying dividends for workers and employers alike.

The rate of job-related illnesses and injuries in private workplaces hit a record low in 1998, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The bureau said there were 5.9 million such cases, or about 6.7 for every 100 workers. That’s down from 7.1 in 1997, which had been the lowest since the agency started keeping track in 1973.

It was the sixth consecutive year of declines in the illness and injury rate.

The overall incidence of illness and injury was highest in goods-producing industries, at 9.3 workers per 100. In service jobs, the rate was 5.6 per 100.

Fewer than half — 2.8 million — of the illnesses and injuries suffered by workers in 1998 resulted in time away from the job, either because workers had to stay home or restrict their duties at work.

These are the ways to get ahead

Workers view strong communication skills and leadership skills as the best tickets to a higher rung on the corporate ladder.

Slightly more than 30 percent of employees surveyed by Personnel Decisions International, a global consulting firm, identified interpersonal and communication skills as the top requirement for achieving career goals. Nearly 26 percent picked leadership skills as most important.

Other prerequisites include: planning and organizational skills (22.6 percent) and business savvy such as business and industry knowledge (16.9 percent.)

In the same survey, workers gave their employers good marks for supporting their development efforts. More than 44 percent said their organizations help them in their current role, as well as achieving their overall career goals. Only 18.2 percent said their employer doesn’t encourage them to develop.

You have to learn how to manage time

Jennifer White, a Kansas City, Mo.-based executive coach and author of “Work Less, Make More,” provides a step-by-step program for “living and working on your own terms.”

Here are five ways that she suggests to go home early this week:

* Monday: Harness the power of three.

Identify your top three activities for the week and focus on accomplishing those three and nothing else.

* Tuesday: Set aside a support day.

Schedule one day to handle all your administrative chores. Don’t schedule any meetings; it will break your momentum.

* Wednesday: Let go of some work.

Make that to-do list and cut the bottom 20 percent. More times than not, some of the activities we perform don’t bring about real results.

* Thursday: Manage your e-mail.

Rather than checking it throughout the day and losing your momentum, schedule one time during the day every day this week to read and respond to e-mail.

* Friday: Learn to say no.

Don’t say yes to any new projects this week. One of the reasons you feel overloaded is you keep saying yes to new projects no matter how busy you already are. Clean off your plate before adding anything new.