Accidents and their Effects

Major Topics
 Cost of accidents
 Work accident costs and rates
 Time lost because of work injuries
 Deaths in work accidents
 Parts of the body injured on the job
 Death rates by industry
 Estimating the cost of accidents
Leading Causes of Death in the United
States
 Accidents are the fourth leading cause of death in
this country after heart disease, cancer and strokes.
 This ranking is based on all types of accidents
including motor vehicle accidents, drowning, fires,
falls, natural disasters, and work-related accidents.
 The modern view is that accidents are too costly
and that accident prevention makes sense
economically.
Overall Cost of an Accident
 The overall cost of accidents in the United States is approximately $150
billion in a typical year.
 These costs include such factors as lost wages, medical expenses,
insurance administration, fire-related losses, property damage and
indirect costs.
 breaks down the cost of accidents by accident type – motor vehicle
accidents cost the most, followed by workplace accidents.
 breaks down the cost of accidents by cost categories – wages lost cost
the most, followed by medical expenses.
 Every dollar that is spent responding to accidents is a dollar that could
have been reinvested in modernization, research and development,
facilities upgrades,and other competitiveness enhancing activities.
Five Leading Causes of Accidental Deaths
 The five leading causes of deaths per year in the
United States are:
 motor vehicle accidents (47,000)
 falls (13,000)
 poisoning (7,000)
 drowning (5,000)
 and fire-related injuries (4,000).
Leading Cause of Death of People between
25 and 44
 Although there are more deaths each year from
heart disease, cancer and strokes, among people 37
years and younger accidents are the number one
cause of death.
 Workplace accidents cost employers millions every
year.
 Arco Chemical Company was ordered to pay $3.48
million in fines as a result of failing to protect
workers from an explosion at its petrochemical
plant in Channelview, Texas.
Today’s rate of accidental work death
compared to 1900s
 As the amount of attention given to workplace safety
and health has increased, the accident rate has
decreased.
 Between 1912 and 1998 accidental work deaths per
100,000 population was reduced by 81%, from 21 to 4.
 In 1998 there were approximately 10,000 work deaths,
costing $48.5 billion.
Five leading cause of Work Deaths
 In a typical year there are 10,400 work deaths in the
United States.
 The five leading causes of work deaths are:
 motor vehicles (37.2%)
 falls (12.5%)
 electric current (3.7%)
 drowning (3.2%)
 and fire related (3.1%)
Five Leading Causes of Work Injuries
 The most common causes of work injuries are:
 Overexertion
 Impact accidents (power tools)
 Falls
 Bodily reaction (to chemicals)
 Compression (something falling on you)
Death Rates by Industry Type
 When death rates are computed by industry each year
per 100,000 workers the rankings are:
 1. Mining/quarrying
 2. Agriculture
 3. Construction
 4. Transportation/public utilities
 5. Government
Ranking of Body Parts According to
Frequency of Injury
 In order to develop and maintain an effective safety and health
program it is necessary to know the most common causes of death and
injury, and the parts of the body most frequently injured.
 Disabling work injuries in 1998 was approximately 1.75 million. 10,400
were fatal and 60,000 resulted in some permanent impairment.
 Most frequent injured parts of body:
 1. Back
 2. Legs and Fingers
 3. Arms and multiple parts of body
 4. Trunk
 5. Hands
 6. Eyes, head, and feet
 7. Neck, toes and body system.
Chemical Burns in the Workplace
 The greatest incidence of chemical burn injuries
occur in manufacturing, services, trade and
construction.
 Chemicals that most frequently cause chemical
burns are acids and alkalis; soaps, detergents, and
cleaning compounds; solvents and degreasers;
calcium hydroxide (used in cement and plaster);
potassium hydroxide (used in drain cleaners); and
sulfuric acid( battery acid).
 Almost 46% of all chemical burn injuries occur
while workers are cleaning equipment, tools and
vehicles.
Heat Burn Injuries in the Workplace
 Almost 40% of all such injuries occur in
manufacturing each year.
 The most common causes are flame (includes smoke
inhalation injuries), molten metal, petroleum
asphalts, steam, and water.
 The most common activities associated with heat burn
injuries are welding, cutting with a torch, and
handling tar or asphalt.
RSI (Repetitive Strain/Soft Tissue Injuries) and
Carpel Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)
 RSI is a broad and generic term that encompasses a
variety of injuries resulting from cumulative
trauma to the soft tissue of the body; generally of
the hands, arms, neck, and shoulders.
 CTS is the most widely known RSI. Carpel tunnel
is the area of the wrist through which the median
nerve passes. Symptoms of CTS include
numbness, a tingling sensation, and pain in the
fingers, hand, or wrist.
Homework
 1. When the overall cost of an accident is calculated, what elements
make up the cost?
 2. What are the 5 leading causes of accident deaths in the United
States?
 3. What are the five leading causes of work injuries by type of accident?
 4. When death rates are classified by industry type, what are the three
leading industry types?
 5. Rank the following body parts according to the frequency of injury
from highest to lowest: neck, fingers, trunk, back, and eyes.
 6. Explain the difference between RSI and carpal tunnel syndrome.