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.

Todays 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.