AccidentRatioStudies

Thereisagreatdealofdataaboutaccidentsandtheseverityoftheirconsequencesandthishasled
researcherstolookforastatisticallinkbetweendifferentlevelsofseverityandthenumberoftimesthey
occur.Theseareoftenpresentedastrianglesbecausetheshapeseemstoreflectthestatisticallinkthat
foreachincreaseintheclassificationofseverity,therearemuchfeweraccidents.
RIDDOR
LABOURFORCESURVEY
HEINRICH
/\
/\
/\
FATAL/1\
FATAL/1\
FATAL/1\
MAJOR/60\
MAJOR/200\
MAJOR/29\
3DAY+/400\
3DAY+/1600\
3DAY+/300\
Youshouldnotethatthetopnumberinthetriangleisalways1.Thatmeansthefiguresforthevarious
classificationshavebeenadjustedbydividingbythenumberoffatalitiessothatRIDDORcansayfor
everyfatalitythereare60majorinjuriesand400injuriesthatresultinmorethan3daysoffwork.(that
littlesnippethasbeenworthpointsinpastexams)

Whatdothetrianglesshow?

Foreveryfatalitytherearemultiplemajorinjuriesandalargermultipleoflessseriousinjuries.
Sometrianglesshowminorinjuriesandnoinjuryaccidents(nearmisses)andtheseareagain
multiplesofthecategoryimmediatelyabovethem.
Thatnearmissandminoraccidentscanpredictmoreseriousaccidentsandthereforshouldbe
investigated.
Alltheseeventsarefailuresofcontrolandsobyinvestigatingthemwecanlearnfromthemand
preventmoreseriousaccidentsasaresult.

LimitationsofAccidentRatioStudies
LimitationsonSeverity
Noteveryaccidenthasreallygotthepotentialtobeafatalityoramajoraccident,forexamplecuttinga
fingerwithastanleyknifemayresultinafewdaysoffwork(Ihopesointhecateringindustry)butitis
nevergoingtoleadtoafatalitysomanyminoraccidentsarenotreallypredictorsofamoreserious
potentialaccident.

StatisticalSignificance
Youneeddatarepresentativeofalargegroup(e.g.nationalHSEstatistics)forthetrianglestowork,in
anofficeoftenpeopleyouarenotgoingtogettherequiredaveragingoutofstatisticsineach
classificationtomakeanycomparisonmeaningful.

DifferingDefinitions
Differentorganisationshavedifferentdefenitionsoflosttimeaccidents,majoraccidents,minor
accidentssowehavetobecarefulwhencomparingstatisticalrepresentations.