Dangerous occurrences statistics

RIDDOR stands for Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulation 1995, which is sometimes referred to as RIDDOR 95, or just RIDDOR for short. The HSE requires employers to report some work-related accidents or diseases so that they can identify where and how risks arise, investigate serious accidents and publish statistics and data to help reduce accidents at work. 

Under the Notification of Accidents and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1980 (NADOR), since superseded by the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985 (RIDDOR ) the definition of a major injury has changed with the effect of changing the previous classification of accidents used for statistics. 

This chapter explains the main types of accidents and dangerous occurrences that arise from electrical systems. It also provides some statistical information on incidents, mainly those that occur during work activity. 

Working in the chemical industry is safer than most individuals realize. We shall provide a perspective of the risks of working within this industry by comparing that risk with actual statistical dangers encountered with other well-understood occupations, commonplace activities, and life-styles. Later chapters will focus on costly errors in the chemical industry along with practices and procedures to reduce the occurrence and severity of such incidents. Viewed in isolation, case histories alone could easily lead to the inaccurate picture that the chemical industry is dangerous. In fact, the chemical industry has an impressive safety record that is considerably better than most occupations. The news media does not often speak of the safety of the chemical plants because these passive truths lack news-selling sizzle. 

Disease occurrence and mortality statistics in special groups of diseases or age may be an important source of epidemiological information (Dukes 1978 Dunne 1978 Finney 1974 Inmann and Adelstein 1969 Skegg 1978 Speizer et al. 1968). As an example, the mortality of children with asthma in England and Wales increased seven-fold from 1960 to 1966. A close correlation to the use of pressurised aerosols containing sympathomimetics was obtained (Speizer et al. 1968). The subsequent decline in mortality has resulted from a greater awareness by doctors and patients of the dangers of over-use (Inman and Adelstein 1969). 

Powered industrial trucks can be dangerous pieces of equipment if operators are not properly trained, if the machines are not properly maintained and if management fails to enforce safety rules. Statistics show that more than 100 employees are killed each year as a result of powered industrial truck incidents. Some 34,900 suffer serious injuries that include fractures, amputations, and permanent disability. An additional 61,800 experience minor injuries. There are no statistics to identify the daily costs of incidents that cause product damage, property damage, fires, and delayed shipments. In all likelihood many thousands of these potentially serious incidents or events take place each day in the workplace, but they are often considered commonplace occurrences by workers and management. 

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