Statistics of occupational accidents

1 Dr. Ahmed-Refat AG Refat SBCM 2014

Statistics

of Occupational Injuries

Dr. Ahmed-Refat AG Refat

19/10/2014


FACTS ON safety and health at work

( ILO -2014)


Every 15 seconds,

a worker dies from a work-related accident or disease.

Every 15 seconds,

160 workers have a work-related accident.

Workplaces claim more than 2.3 million deaths per year,

out of which 350,000 are fatal accidents

and close to 2 million are work-related diseases.


In addition, 313 million accidents occur on the job annually.

The human cost of this daily adversity is vast and the economic burden of poor

occupational safety and health practices is estimated at 4 per cent of global Gross Domestic Product each year.

Source:

http://ilo.org/global/topics/safety-and-health-at-work/lang--en/index.htm


Statistics

of Occupational Injuries " Indicators of safety and health at work"

Indicators of safety and health at work provide the

framework for assessing the extent to which workers

are protected from work-related hazards and risks.


Types of OHS Indicators Indicators of outcome: number of occupational

injuries and diseases, number of workers involved and work days lost;

Indicators of capacity and capability: number of

inspectors or health professionals dealing with occupational safety and health;

Indicators of activities: number of trainee days,

number of inspections;


Current international statistical guidelines on occupational injuries are found in the “Resolution concerning statistics of

occupational injuries (resulting from occupational accidents), adopted by the Sixteenth International Conference of Labour

Statisticians in 1998.

Available at:

http://ilo.org/global/statistics-and-databases/statistics-overview-and-topics/safety-and-health/lang--

en/index.htm

http://ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---stat/documents/normativeinstrument/wcms_087528.pdf

http://ilo.org/global/statistics-and-databases/standards-and-guidelines/resolutions-adopted-by-international-conferences-of-labour-statisticians/WCMS_087528/lang--en/index.htm

http://ilo.org/global/statistics-and-databases/standards-and-guidelines/resolutions-adopted-by-international-conferences-of-labour-statisticians/WCMS_087528/lang--en/index.htm

http://ilo.org/global/statistics-and-databases/statistics-overview-and-topics/safety-and-health/lang--en/index.htm

http://ilo.org/global/statistics-and-databases/statistics-overview-and-topics/safety-and-health/lang--en/index.htm




History of Statistics of Occupational Injuries

The subject of industrial accident statistics was placed

on the agenda of the First International Conference of

Labour Statisticians (I.C.L.S) in 1923, which adopted a

resolution.


History …….Cont-

The resolution was later revised by the sixth I.C.L.S in

1947, to improve international comparability, and made

detailed recommendations on the methods to be followed in

calculating frequency and severity rates.

Some years later, the Eighth I.C.L.S considered the

standardization of statistics of occupational diseases, and

adopted a resolution indicating in particular the sources of

data to be used, the disease to be recorded and the

classifications to be established.


The Tenth I.C.L.S adopted a revised resolution that

superseded existing guidelines, and introduced the term

“employment injuries” which covers industrial accidents,

commuting accidents and occupational diseases. It

defined the notions of fatalities, permanent disablement and

temporary disablement and suggested four classifications of

accidents, by type of accident, physical agency, the nature

of the injury and the bodily location of the injury.


Since 1941, the ILO has collected statistics on occupational

injuries for publication in the Yearbook of Labour Statistics,

requesting countries to provide data in accordance with the

most recent international recommendations on the subject.

Statistics on occupational diseases are not collected by ILO.


Statistics of Occupational injuries

The unit of observation should be the

case of occupational injury, i.e. the case of one worker incurring an occupational

injury as a result of one occupational accident.

If a person is injured in more than one occupational accident

during the reference period, each case of injury to that person should be counted separately.


Recurrent absences due to an injury resulting from a single occupational accident should be treated as the

continuation of the same case of occupational injury,not as new cases.

Where more than one person is injured in a single accident,

each case of occupational injury should be counted separately.

Fatal occupational injury

For measurement purposes, a fatal occupational injury is an occupational injury leading to death within one year of the

day of the occupational accident.


Uses of injury statistics (a) to identify the occupations where injuries occur, along with their extent, and severity, as a basis for planning, setting priorities for preventive measures; (b) to detect changes in the pattern and occurrence of occupational injuries, so as to monitor improvements in safety and reveal any new areas of risk; (c) to inform workers and workers’ organizations of the risks associated with their work and workplaces, so that they can take an active part in their own safety;


Uses of injury statistics-cont. (d) to evaluate the effectiveness of preventive measures; (e) to estimate the consequences of occupational injuries, (f) to assist in developing training material and programmes for accident prevention; (g) to identifying possible areas for future research


Terms and definitions

(a) occupational accident: an unexpected and unplanned occurrence, including acts of

violence, arising out of or in connection with work which

results in one or more workers incurring a personal

injury,disease or death; as occupational accidents are to be

considered travel, transport or road traffic accidents in which

workers are injured and which arise out of or in the course of

work, i.e. while engaged in an economic activity, or at work,

or carrying on the business of the employer;


(b) commuting accident:

an accident occurring on the habitual route, in either

direction, between the place of work

or work-related training and:

(i) the worker’s principal or secondary residence;

(ii) the place where the worker usually takes his / her meals;

(iii) the place where he or she usually receives his or her

remuneration; which results in death or personal injury;


(c) occupational injury: any personal injury, disease or death resulting from an

occupational accident; an occupational injury is

therefore distinct from an occupational disease, which is

a disease contracted as a result of an exposure over a

period of time to risk factors arising from work

activity;

(d) case of occupational injury:

the case of one worker incurring an occupational injury

as a result of one occupational accident;


(e) incapacity for work:

inability of the victim, due to an occupational injury, to

perform the normal duties of work in the job or post

occupied at the time of the occupational accident.


Commonly Used Injury Rates

According to ILO

Injury Frequency Rate


Injury Incidence Rate


Injury Severity Rate


Days Lost per new occupational Injury


Injury rates as set in the American National Standards institute

(ANSI) Z16.4 Code

The Injury Frequency Rate

The Injury Severity Rate


Total Injury-Ilness Incidence Rate

The 200,000 hours represents the number of workhours spent by 100 workers in a year:

Healthcare

Statistics of occupational accidents