Statistical analysis safety performance measurement

What purpose does data analysis and statistics serve with regards to measuring safety performance ... 

A control chart is a statistical device used for the study and control of safety performance in the workplace. The basis of control chart analysis is the knowledge of chance variations in the data (Duncan 1974,375). If a series of safety measurements are plotted and the obtained measurements are truly random, the distribution would approximate the normal bell-shaped curve. Plotting the data on a control chart, one would obtain measurements over time that fall into the ranges depicted in Figure 4.1, with more measures occurring at or near the average more frequently and readings at the extreme ends of the possible measurements infrequently. 

With regard to reactive analysis it is often the case, particularly in relation to fire, that a small number of incidents or accidents may lead to complacency and a belief that all is well, when this may not necessarily be the case. Statistics themselves are likely only to demonstrate a knowledge of outcomes, i.e. twisted ankle during evacuation and not the cause such as poor flooring conditions presenting a slip and trip risk. It is therefore essential for a combined reactive and proactive approach to be taken when considering safety monitoring or performance measurement systems. 

A set of given patient safety or other data is only useful if it is analyzed properly. Certain characteristics of data play a key role in describing the nature of a given set of data, thus allowing people to make better decisions. This section presents a number of statistical measures considered useful to perform patient safety-related analysis. 

The assessment of compositional equivalence, livestock nutritional performance, and safety in rodent feeding studies share many common features. All these studies involve test, control, and reference groups, a specified experimental design that involves randomization and replication, followed by data collection (measurements) and lastly, evaluation (statistics). The study plan for the compositional analysis of maize has been described in detail previously (11) and is summarized in Table 1. The maize test line (event NK603), the control line (a near isogenic parental hybrid), and reference lines (19 conventional, non-transgenic commercial hybrids) obtained from controlled field trials were included in the study. Field sites were located in two different geographic areas, the United States (U.S.) and the European Union (E.U.), over... 

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