You know how the SATs recently added another section and now it's scored on a scale of 2400 instead of 1600? Subsequently, anyone who took the SATs under the old system seems dumber by comparison.

OSHA is applying that logic to occupational health statistics. According the BNA news service (subscription):

Although national statistics show that the number and rate of occupational injuries and illnesses has sharply declined, 83 percent of the decline is attributable to changes made by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to recordkeeping rules, a study in the July issue of Occupational and Environmental Medicine suggests.

Apparently, two major changes OSHA made to its recordkeeping system have dramatically altered the nature of the information.

Occupational health statistics can serve as a vital basis for decision-making and ultimately the need for regulatory action. OSHA and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) have been pawning off faulty data when accurate statistics could have led to safer workplaces.

The journal study includes recommendations for OSHA and BLS to clean up their act. The agencies would be wise to adopt them.