Historical Perspective and Overview

Cost of Accidents  Overall cost of accidents in the U.S. is approximately $150 Billion.  Costs include lost wages, medical expenses, insurance administration, fire related loses, motor vehicle property damage, and indirect costs.

Accident Costs by Accident Types  Motor Vehicle accidents $72  Workplace accidents $48  Home accidents $18  Public accidents $12  (in billions, in a typical year)

Accident Costs by Categories  Wages lost $37  Medical expenses $24  Insurance administration $29  Property damage (motor vehicle) $27  Fire losses $10  Indirect losses $23  (in billions, in a typical year)

Accidental Deaths in the U.S.  Motor vehicle accidents - leading cause of accidental deaths (Approx 47,000).  Falls - (Approx 13,000).  Poisoning - liquids & solids; gasses and vapors (Approx 6,000 & 1,000).  Drowning - work-related & non-work related (Approx 5,000).

Accidental Deaths in the U.S.  Fire-related injures - burns, asphyxiation, falls, and falling objects (Approx 4,000).  Suffocation (ingested object) - typically food (Approx 4,000).  Firearms - recreational activities (Approx 2,000).

Accidental Deaths in the U.S.  Others - medical complications arising out of mistakes made by health care professionals, air transport injures, machinery related, and the impact of falling objects (over 14,000).

Accident Versus Other Causes  Although there are more deaths every year from heart disease, cancer, and strokes than from accidents, these causes tend to be concentrated among people at or near retirement age.  Among people 37 years of age or younger, accidents are the number one cause of death.

Accident Versus Other Causes  Accidents 27,500  Cancer 20,300  Motor vehicle 16,500  Heart disease 16,000  Poison (solid, liquid) 2,700

Accident Versus Other Causes  Drowning 1,500  Falls 1,100  Fire related 900  (ages 25 to 44 years)

Accident Versus Other Causes  Accidents represent a serious detriment to productivity, quality, and competitiveness in today’s workplace.  Yet accidents are the one cause of death and injury that companies can most easily control.

Work Accident Costs & Rates  Workplace accidents cost employers millions every year.  Work accident rates in this century are evidence of the success of the safety movement.  Between 1912 & 1998, accidental work deaths per 100,000 population were reduced by 81%.

Work Accident Costs & Rates  In 1912, an estimated 18,000 to 21,000 workers’ lives were lost.  In 1998, in a workforce, more than triple in size and producing 11 times the goods and services, their were approximately 10,000 work deaths.

Work Injures by Type of Accident  Overexertion  Impact accidents  Falls  Bodily reaction (to chemicals)  Compression  Motor vehicle accidents  Exposure to radiation or caustics  Rubbing or abrasions  Exposure to extreme temperatures

Work Injures by Type of Accident  Overexertion, the result of employees working beyond their physical limits, is the leading cause of work injures (approximately 31%).  Impact accidents involve a worker being struck by or against an object.

Parts of the Body Injured  Back  Legs and fingers  Arms and multiple parts of the body  Trunk  Hands  Eyes, head, and feet  Neck, toes, and body systems

Parts of the Body Injured  The back is the most frequently injured part of the body.  This is why some employers require a back x-ray as part of an employment physical.

Repetitive Strain/Soft-Tissue Injures  Repetitive strain injury (RSI) broad and generic term.  Trauma to the soft tissues of the body, including tendons, tendon sheaths, muscles, ligaments, joints and nerves.  Typically associated with the soft tissues of the hands, arms, neck, and shoulders.

Repetitive Strain/Soft-Tissue Injures  Carpel tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most widely known repetitive strain injury.  The carpel tunnel is the area inside the wrist through which the median nerve passes.  Typically caused by repeated and cumulative stress on the median nerve.

Repetitive Strain/Soft-Tissue Injures  Symptoms of CTS include numbness, a tingling sensation, and pain in the fingers, hand, and/or wrist.  Evidence suggests a higher incidence of CTS among women than men.  CTS is relatively rare among RSI patients.

Cost of Accidents  One method divides the costs into insured and uninsured costs.  Insured costs are revealed by examining the the accounting records.  Uninsured costs can be found by calculating accidents in four classes.

Cost of Accidents  Other cost methods look at broad categories, lost work hours, medical costs, insurance premiums and administration, property damage, fire loses, and indirect costs.  Some professionals use the iceberg analogy - the larger part of the actual cost is hidden beneath the surface.

Global Impact of Accidents & Injures  Many developing countries lack a safety and health infrastructure.  Occupational injures in developing countries are more prevalent in mining, construction, and agriculture.  More than half of the retirements are taken early because of work-related disabilities rather than normal retirement.