Accidents frequency and severity

In 1982, under contract to The Business Round Table, Stanford University s Department of Civil Engineering issued Improving Construction Safety Performance, Technical Report 269. This study was made to provide guidance in reducing accident frequency and severity in the con-stmction industry, as well as reducing the attendant costs. At the Business Round Table, the report is identified as Improving Constmction Safety Performance, Report A-3. ... 

OSHA uses injury and illness rates to assess effectiveness of occupational safety and health efforts. Insurance companies use an experience model to determine good and poor risks for underwriting workers compensation coverage. Accident and injury experience does provide a good indicator about the effectiveness of hazard control initiatives. However, accident frequency and severity rates alone do not always accurately evaluate effectiveness of an accident prevention function. For example, an organization may experience an underreporting of occupational disease cases and hazardous materials exposures (Table 1.21). 

Accident frequency and severity rates are an inadequate means to evaluate the effectiveness of a health and safety plan. Cases of occupational disease are under-reported in these statistics. The emphasis is on injury-producing accidents, not all accidents. Since accidents are a rare event, in small organizations the basis for comparison may be limited. Chance is a factor both in frequency and severity. 

In 1979, Stanford University s Department of Civil Engineering was engaged by The Business Roundtable to make a study of construction safety and costs. As a result, Technical Report No. 260 was issued in August 1981. Its title is Improving Construction Safety Performance The User s Role. This research report was the latest study located by this author. It was conducted to provide guidance on reducing accident frequency and severity in the construction industry and the attendant indirect and direct injury costs. 

Mercer, G.W. 1987. Influences on passenger vehicle casnalty accident frequency and severity Unemployment, driver gender, driver age, drinking driving and restraint device use. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 19, 231—236. 

There are various ways to measure the resuits of work being done to prevent accidents. The effects of having an accident include, for example, injuries, iiinesses, anguish suffering, financial losses, increased insurance costs, poor productivity, absenteeism, production deiays, high labor costs, machinery downtime, and poor community image. Two types of measurements of results are commonly used. The first, and by far the most common, tracks accident frequency and severity rates. The... 

REASONS FOR USING ACCIDENT FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY RATES... 

There are many good reasons for using accident frequency and severity rates. As mentioned earher, these measurements of results are part of any effective safety management program. When accident frequency and severity rates are properly used, they can lead to an increased commitment to preventing accidents. Several of the most obvious benefits of frequency and severity rates are ... 

There are several ways to overcome these Umitations and put accident frequency and severity rates to good use in your organization. 

Reasons for Using Accident Frequency and Severity Rates 53... 

Within any set of identified hazards, health and safety risks will be affected by the nature of site and construction activities that are to be undertaken. Here the accident frequency and severity data suggests that two classes of activity should always be considered ... 

Accident frequency and severity jobs where accidents occur frequently or where they occur infrequently but result in disabling injuries. 

Automotive and architectural laminates of PVB develop maximum impact strength near 20°C, as shown in Figure 2. This balance is obtained by the plasticizer-to-resin ratio and the molecular weight of the resins. It has been adjusted to this optimum temperature based on environmental conditions and automobile population at various ambient temperatures. The frequency and severity of vehicle occupant injuries vs temperature ranges at the accident location have been studied (5), and the results confirm the selection of the maximum performance temperature and decreasing penetration resistance at temperature extremes. 

Withdrawal of antiseizure drugs, whether by accident or by design, can cause increased seizure frequency and severity. The two factors to consider are the effects of the withdrawal itself and the need for continued drug suppression of seizures in the individual patient. In many patients, both factors must be considered. It is important to note, however, that the abrupt discontinuance of antiseizure drugs ordinarily does not cause seizures in nonepileptic patients, provided that the drug levels are not above the usual therapeutic range when the drug is stopped. 

Lost time accidents INAIL frequency and severity indices are given in the report. The number of accidents per million hours worked fell from 17.6 in 1993 to 6.24 in 1997, but since then has risen to 7.2. 

Automobile engineers have been aware of these problems for a long time. They have made a series of design improvements to lessen the potential problems associated with front-end impact. Smooth switches rather than knobs, recessed hardware, and padded dashboards are examples. These changes, coupled with the use of lap and shoulder belts, which help to immobilize occupants of the car, have decreased the frequency and severity of the impact and lowered the death rate for this type of accident. 

The Doe Run Company strives to be one of the safest employers in the world. As such, comprehensive programs focusing on safety and hygiene are in place for the benefit of the employees. The Doe Run safety philosophy is continuously taught and practiced at the Herculaneum smelter. As a result, the frequency and severity of the accidents in the plant have continually decreased in recent years. 

Safety forecasting is the activity a manager carries out to estimate the probability, frequency, and severity of accidents that may occur in a future time span. Safety forecasting is risk assessment. This is usually done by means of physical risk assessment, critical task identification, and task risk assessment. It also entails estimating the effects of risk reduction brought about by a stable safety management system. Hazard and operability studies are part of this function. 

A statistical ratio of incidents, which highlights the frequency and severity. The relationship is depicted in a graphical form of a triangle (see Figure A.l). Sometimes depicted as a loss pyramid, with frequencies on one side and severities on the adjacent side. See also Accident Ratios. 

Some insurance companies have business opportunities that insure employers and others against accidents and incidents involving people, property and the environment. A significant kind of insurance is workers compensation, discussed in Chapter 6. To reduce claims, insurance companies created services to help their clients reduce accidents and incidents leading to claims, this is called loss control. The fimction involves studying the frequency and severity of claims and how they came about. Loss control specialists use the results to advise clients on ways to avoid those events. The professional organization is the Insurance Loss Control Association (ILCA). 

Frequency and severity data from accidents can help identify risks. A review of accident records and classes of accidents can help. Various statistical methods applied to accident data can reveal trends in losses and factors that contribute to accidents and injuries. Analyzing claims, such as worker compensation claims or customer claims against products, will help isolate factors associated with losses. 

Accident Statistics Chapter 8 covered record keeping and some accident statistics. The most common statistics are weekly, monthly or annual accident or incident occurrences. They usually include frequency and severity statistics. These general statistics give an overall picture of an organization s safety performance. An organization may compare its... 

The interface of CAD information with DBMS continues to improve. This provides the capability to extend management of safety information further. For example, there may be a need to associate accident data by department with floor plans. Drawings can show the exact location for each accident. The drawings can add insight into frequency and severity of accidents. In a similar way colors or shading can represent risk types or severity levels on floor plans or site maps. The risks may show the kinds of hazards. 

The AP600 design has been confirmed by the results of transient and accident analysis to meet its safety objectives. Core melt down frequency and severe accident evaluation show that the passive systems are effective in mitigating the consequences of design basis accidents. 

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