Validity and consistency assessment of accident analysis methods in the petroleum industry.

Background. Accident analysis is the main aspect of accident investigation. It includes the method of connecting different causes in a procedural way. Therefore, it is important to use valid and reliable methods for the investigation of different causal factors of accidents, especially the noteworthy ones. Objective. This study aimed to prominently assess the accuracy (sensitivity index [SI]) and consistency of the six most commonly used accident analysis methods in the petroleum industry. Methods. In order to evaluate the methods of accident analysis, two real case studies (process safety and personal accident) from the petroleum industry were analyzed by 10 assessors. The accuracy and consistency of these methods were then evaluated. The assessors were trained in the workshop of accident analysis methods. Results. The systematic cause analysis technique and bowtie methods gained the greatest SI scores for both personal and process safety accidents, respectively. The best average results of the consistency in a single method (based on 10 independent assessors) were in the region of 70%. Conclusion. This study confirmed that the application of methods with pre-defined causes and a logic tree could enhance the sensitivity and consistency of accident analysis.

Development of methodology to document and code farm-related injuries and fatalities involving manure storage, handling and transport - with summary of 2017 incidents.

As part of ongoing surveillance of fatalities and injuries involving agricultural confined spaces by Purdue University's Agricultural Safety and Health Program, nearly 300 cases involving manure storage, handling, and transport equipment and facilities have been documented over the past 30 years. With the exception of a summary of 77 fatalities published by Beaver and Field1, these cases have not been previously analysed or published due to a lack of resources and the limitations of the Purdue Agricultural Confined Spaces Incident Database (PACSID) which was designed primarily for analysis of grain-related cases. These limitations included differences in terminology used to code case information in the PACSID and dissimilar causative and contributing factors. To develop a consistent and more useful approach to process and analyze data, 28 U.S. manure-related incidents involving 39 victims documented as having occurred in 2017 were examined for type of incident, victim characteristics, primary contributing factors, and nature of injuries. A review of literature was conducted to identify previously reported contributing factors, and a coding rubric was developed and reviewed by a panel of experts. It was determined that the rubric provided a consistent way to code and analyze descriptive information available on each case. A pilot analysis was completed of the 39 cases using the new tool, and results were summarized. The final methodology will be used to analyze all historically documented incidents, as well as future incidents. Findings presented include a review of relevant literature, discussion of the methods used in case documentation, classifications developed from sample data, and a summary of incidents in 2017. Anticipated outcomes include: 1) consistent strategy to document, code, and summarize manure-related incidents; 2) means of classification of key contributing factors; 3) identification of new or emerging trends; and 4) completion of previously documented incidents.

Using multiple coding schemes for classification and coding of agricultural injury.

BACKGROUND: Agricultural safety and health researchers have used a variety of classification and coding schemes to identify and categorize injury, illness, and disease associated with agricultural hazards. This paper demonstrates how the Farm and Agricultural Injury Classification (FAIC) and Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) coding schemes can be used in tandem for all agricultural injuries. METHODS: Specific cases from the AgInjuryNews.org database were selected to illustrate how the FAIC and OIICS codes can be applied to agricultural injury, and to illustrate limitations that still exist with each coding scheme. RESULTS: Using the FAIC and OIICS together provided a clearer picture of an injury incident by combining more explicit occupational and non-occupational exposures with incident type details in a single table. CONCLUSIONS: Both FAIC and OIICS coding schemes depend on sufficient information being available from injury reports. This paper concluded with suggestions for improving coding of agricultural injury.

An Interactive Model among Potential Human Risk Factors: 331 Cases of Coal Mine Roof Accidents in China.

In order to explore optimal strategies for managing potential human risk factors, this paper developed an interactive model among potential human risk factors based on the development processes of accidents. This model was divided into four stages, i.e., risk latency stage, risk accumulation stage, risk explosion stage and risk residue stage. Based on this model, this paper analyzed risk management procedures and relevant personal's responsibility in each stage, and then probed into the interactive mechanism among human risk factors in three aspects, i.e., knowledge, information and communication. The validity and feasibility of the model was validated by analyzing a coal mine roof accident in China. In addition, the contribution of different functional levels' personnel in risk evolution was discussed. It showed that this model can effectively reveal the interactive mechanism of potential human risk factors, and can thus give significant insights into the development of risk management theories and practices. It also proves that the contribution of different functional levels' personnel in the model is different. This can further help practitioners design enhanced Behavioral-Based Safety (BBS) intervention approaches which can have a more sustainable and persistent impact on corporate personnel's safety behavior. Specific recommendations and suggestions are provided fundamentally for future BBS practices in the coal mine industry.

[The inadequacy of official classification of work accidents in Brazil]. / A inadequação da classificação oficial dos acidentes de trabalho no Brasil.

Traditionally, work accidents in Brazil have been categorized in government documents and legal and academic texts as typical work accidents and commuting accidents. Given the increase in urban violence and the increasingly precarious work conditions in recent decades, this article addresses the conceptual inadequacy of this classification and its implications for the underestimation of work accidents in the country. An alternative classification is presented as an example and a contribution to the discussion on the improvement of statistics on work-related injuries in Brazil.

Tradicionalmente, os acidentes do trabalho no Brasil vêm sendo categorizados em documentos governamentais, bem como em textos jurídicos e acadêmicos, como típicos e de trajeto. Face ao aumento da violência urbana e à precarização do trabalho em décadas recentes, discute-se a inadequação conceitual dessa classificação e sua implicação no subdimensionamento dos acidentes do trabalho no país. É apresentada uma classificação alternativa, como ilustração e contribuição à discussão sobre o aprimoramento das estatísticas das lesões associadas ao trabalho no país.

Tradicionalmente, los accidentes de trabajo en Brasil están siendo categorizados en documentos gubernamentales, así como en textos jurídicos y académicos, como típicos y de desplazamiento. Ante el aumento de la violencia urbana y la precarización del trabajo en las décadas recientes, se discute la inadecuación conceptual de esa clasificación y su implicación en el subdimensionamiento de los accidentes de trabajo en el país. Se presenta una clasificación alternativa, como ilustración y contribución a la discusión sobre el perfeccionamiento de las estadísticas de las lesiones asociadas al trabajo en el país.

Classification scheme and prevention measures for caught-in-between occupational fatalities.

The current study analyzed 312 caught-in-between fatalities caused by machinery and vehicles. A comprehensive and mutually exclusive coding scheme was developed to analyze and code each caught-in-between fatality in terms of age, gender, experience of the victim, type of industry, source of injury, and causes for these accidents. Boolean algebra analysis was applied on these 312 caught-in-between fatalities to derive minimal cut set (MCS) causes associated with each source of injury. Eventually, contributing factors and common accident patterns associated with (1) special process machinery including textile, printing, packaging machinery, (2) metal, woodworking, and special material machinery, (3) conveyor, (4) vehicle, (5) crane, (6) construction machinery, and (7) elevator can be divided into three major groups through Boolean algebra and MCS analysis. The MCS causes associated with conveyor share the same primary causes as those of the special process machinery including textile, printing, packaging and metal, woodworking, and special material machinery. These fatalities can be eliminated by focusing on the prevention measures associated with lack of safeguards, working on a running machine or process, unintentional activation, unsafe posture or position, unsafe clothing, and defective safeguards. Other precise and effective intervention can be developed based on the identified groups of accident causes associated with each source of injury.

Surveillance of traffic incident management-related occupational fatalities in Kentucky, 2005-2016.

OBJECTIVE: Traffic incidents occurring on roadways require the coordinated effort of multiple responder and recovery entities, including communications, law enforcement, fire and rescue, emergency medical services, hazardous materials, transportation agencies, and towing and recovery. The objectives of this study were to (1) identify and characterize transportation incident management (TIM)-related occupational fatalities; (2) assess concordance of surveillance data sources in identifying TIM occupations, driver vs. pedestrian status, and occupational fatality incident location; and (3) determine and compare U.S. occupational fatality rates for TIM industries. METHODS: The Kentucky Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) program analyzed 2005-2016 TIM occupational fatality data using multiple data sources: death certificate data, Collision Report Analysis for Safer Highways (CRASH) data, and media reports, among others. Literal text analysis was performed on FACE data, and a multiple linear regression model and SAS proc sgpanel were used to estimate and visualize the U.S. TIM occupational mortality trend lines and confidence bounds. RESULTS: There were 29 TIM fatalities from 2005 to 2015 in Kentucky; 41% of decedents were in the police protection occupation, and 21% each were in the fire protection and motor vehicle towing industries. Over one half of the TIM decedents were performing work activities as pedestrians when they died. Media reports identified the majority of the occupational fatalities as TIM related (28 of 29 TIM-related deaths); the use of death certificates as the sole surveillance data source only identified 17 of the 29 deaths as TIM related, and the use of CRASH data only identified 4 of the 29 deaths as TIM related. Injury scenario text analysis showed that law enforcement vehicle pursuit, towing and recovery vehicle loading, and disabled vehicle response were particular high-risk activities that led to TIM deaths. Using U.S. data, the motor vehicle towing industry had a significantly higher risk for occupational mortality compared to the fire protection and police protection industries. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple data sources are needed to comprehensively identify TIM fatalities and to examine the circumstances surrounding TIM fatalities, because no one data source in itself was adequate and undercounted the total number of TIM fatalities. The motor vehicle towing industry, in particular, is at elevated risk for occupational mortality, and targeted mandatory TIM training for the motor vehicle towing industry should be considered. In addition, enhanced law enforcement roadside safety training during vehicle pursuit and apprehension of suspects is recommended.

A inadequação da classificação oficial dos acidentes de trabalho no Brasil / The inadequacy of official classification of work accidents in Brazil / La inadecuación de la clasificación oficial de los accidentes de trabajo en Brasil

Tradicionalmente, os acidentes do trabalho no Brasil vêm sendo categorizados em documentos governamentais, bem como em textos jurídicos e acadêmicos, como típicos e de trajeto. Face ao aumento da violência urbana e à precarização do trabalho em décadas recentes, discute-se a inadequação conceitual dessa classificação e sua implicação no subdimensionamento dos acidentes do trabalho no país. É apresentada uma classificação alternativa, como ilustração e contribuição à discussão sobre o aprimoramento das estatísticas das lesões associadas ao trabalho no país.

Traditionally, work accidents in Brazil have been categorized in government documents and legal and academic texts as typical work accidents and commuting accidents. Given the increase in urban violence and the increasingly precarious work conditions in recent decades, this article addresses the conceptual inadequacy of this classification and its implications for the underestimation of work accidents in the country. An alternative classification is presented as an example and a contribution to the discussion on the improvement of statistics on work-related injuries in Brazil.

Tradicionalmente, los accidentes de trabajo en Brasil están siendo categorizados en documentos gubernamentales, así como en textos jurídicos y académicos, como típicos y de desplazamiento. Ante el aumento de la violencia urbana y la precarización del trabajo en las décadas recientes, se discute la inadecuación conceptual de esa clasificación y su implicación en el subdimensionamiento de los accidentes de trabajo en el país. Se presenta una clasificación alternativa, como ilustración y contribución a la discusión sobre el perfeccionamiento de las estadísticas de las lesiones asociadas al trabajo en el país.

Construction accident narrative classification: An evaluation of text mining techniques.

Learning from past accidents is fundamental to accident prevention. Thus, accident and near miss reporting are encouraged by organizations and regulators. However, for organizations managing large safety databases, the time taken to accurately classify accident and near miss narratives will be very significant. This study aims to evaluate the utility of various text mining classification techniques in classifying 1000 publicly available construction accident narratives obtained from the US OSHA website. The study evaluated six machine learning algorithms, including support vector machine (SVM), linear regression (LR), random forest (RF), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), decision tree (DT) and Naive Bayes (NB), and found that SVM produced the best performance in classifying the test set of 251 cases. Further experimentation with tokenization of the processed text and non-linear SVM were also conducted. In addition, a grid search was conducted on the hyperparameters of the SVM models. It was found that the best performing classifiers were linear SVM with unigram tokenization and radial basis function (RBF) SVM with uni-gram tokenization. In view of its relative simplicity, the linear SVM is recommended. Across the 11 labels of accident causes or types, the precision of the linear SVM ranged from 0.5 to 1, recall ranged from 0.36 to 0.9 and F1 score was between 0.45 and 0.92. The reasons for misclassification were discussed and suggestions on ways to improve the performance were provided.

Toward a taxonomy of the unintentional discharge of firearms in law enforcement.

An unintentional discharge (UD) is an activation of the trigger mechanism that results in an unplanned discharge that is outside of the firearm's prescribed use. UDs can result in injury or death, yet have been understudied in scientific literature. Pre-existing (1974-2015) UD reports (N = 137) from seven law enforcement agencies in the United States of America were analyzed by context, officer behavior, type of firearm, and injuries. Over 50% of UDs occurred in contexts with low threat potential while engaged in routine firearm tasks. The remaining UDs occurred in contexts with elevated to high threat potential during muscle co-activation, unfamiliar firearm tasks, contact with inanimate objects, and a medical condition. An antecedent-behavior-consequence (A-B-C) taxonomy as well as a standardized reporting form, based on the current findings and the existing literature, are offered as tools for identifying the conditions under which UDs may be likely to occur.

Trabalho como condicionante de saúde: agravos relacionados ao trabalho notificados no RS, 2016 / Work as a health condition: work-related disorders reported in Rio Grande do Sul, 2016

Análise do perfil dos agravos relacionados ao trabalho notificados no Rio Grande do Sul, no Sistema de Informações em Saúde do Trabalhador (SIST) e no Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN), em 2016. Foram analisados: sexo, faixa etária, escolaridade, vínculo empregatício, zona de ocorrência, tipo de agravo. (AU)

Developing techniques for cause-responsibility analysis of occupational accidents.

The aim of this study was to specify the causes of occupational accidents, determine social responsibility and the role of groups involved in work-related accidents. This study develops occupational accidents causes tree, occupational accidents responsibility tree, and occupational accidents component-responsibility analysis worksheet; based on these methods, it develops cause-responsibility analysis (CRA) techniques, and for testing them, analyzes 100 fatal/disabling occupational accidents in the construction setting that were randomly selected from all the work-related accidents in Tehran, Iran, over a 5-year period (2010-2014). The main result of this study involves two techniques for CRA: occupational accidents tree analysis (OATA) and occupational accidents components analysis (OACA), used in parallel for determination of responsible groups and responsibilities rate. From the results, we find that the management group of construction projects has 74.65% responsibility of work-related accidents. The developed techniques are purposeful for occupational accidents investigation/analysis, especially for the determination of detailed list of tasks, responsibilities, and their rates. Therefore, it is useful for preventing work-related accidents by focusing on the responsible group's duties.

[Mortality from work-related accidents among agricultural workers in Brazil, 2000-2010]. / Mortalidade por acidentes de trabalho entre trabalhadores da agropecuária no Brasil, 2000-2010.

This study estimated annual mortality from work-related injuries in agriculture in Brazil, 2000-2010. The Mortality Information System (SIM) was used to identify cases. Missing data for occupation and work-related injuries were retrieved through other available individual records and incorporated into total cases. Population data were obtained from the official censuses. A total of 8,923 deaths from work-related injuries were identified, of which 44.8% were located by data retrieval. In the year 2000, estimated crude mortality from work-related injuries was 6.4/100,000 workers, increasing to 8.1/100,000 in 2003 and declining to 7.3/100,000 in 2010. The leading circumstances of deaths in men involved "riding animals or using animal-drawn vehicles", whereas pesticide poisoning was the leading cause in women. Overall mortality from work-related injuries in agriculture was low when compared to that of other countries, suggesting residual under-recording despite data retrieval and thus calling for quality improvement in records. Gender-sensitive preventive measures are necessary.

Harnessing information from injury narratives in the 'big data' era: understanding and applying machine learning for injury surveillance.

OBJECTIVE: Vast amounts of injury narratives are collected daily and are available electronically in real time and have great potential for use in injury surveillance and evaluation. Machine learning algorithms have been developed to assist in identifying cases and classifying mechanisms leading to injury in a much timelier manner than is possible when relying on manual coding of narratives. The aim of this paper is to describe the background, growth, value, challenges and future directions of machine learning as applied to injury surveillance. METHODS: This paper reviews key aspects of machine learning using injury narratives, providing a case study to demonstrate an application to an established human-machine learning approach. RESULTS: The range of applications and utility of narrative text has increased greatly with advancements in computing techniques over time. Practical and feasible methods exist for semiautomatic classification of injury narratives which are accurate, efficient and meaningful. The human-machine learning approach described in the case study achieved high sensitivity and PPV and reduced the need for human coding to less than a third of cases in one large occupational injury database. CONCLUSIONS: The last 20 years have seen a dramatic change in the potential for technological advancements in injury surveillance. Machine learning of 'big injury narrative data' opens up many possibilities for expanded sources of data which can provide more comprehensive, ongoing and timely surveillance to inform future injury prevention policy and practice.

Mortalidade por acidentes de trabalho entre trabalhadores da agropecuária no Brasil, 2000-2010 / Mortality from work-related accidents among agricultural workers in Brazil, 2000-2010 / Mortalidad por accidentes de trabajo entre trabajadores del sector agropecuario en Brasil, 2000-2010

Resumo: Estima-se a mortalidade anual por acidentes de trabalho na agropecuária, 2000-2010, no Brasil. Empregou-se o Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade (SIM), para identificar os casos. Dados faltantes para ocupação e acidente de trabalho foram recuperados com informações individuais disponíveis, e incorporados casos ao total. Dados da população são dos Censos Demográficos. Foram identificados 8.923 óbitos por acidentes de trabalho, sendo 44,8% destes resultantes da recuperação. Em 2000, a mortalidade bruta por acidentes de trabalho foi estimada em 6,4/100 mil trabalhadores, aumentando para 8,1/100 mil em 2003, quando declinou para 7,3/100 mil em 2010. Entre os homens, "projeções de animais ou veículos de tração animal" foram as circunstâncias mais comuns, mas em mulheres foram as intoxicações por agrotóxicos. A mortalidade geral por acidentes de trabalho na agropecuária foi baixa quando comparada à de outros países, sugerindo sub-registro residual apesar da recuperação, o que requer melhoria da qualidade dos registros. Medidas de prevenção sensíveis a diferenças de gênero são necessárias.

Abstract: This study estimated annual mortality from work-related injuries in agriculture in Brazil, 2000-2010. The Mortality Information System (SIM) was used to identify cases. Missing data for occupation and work-related injuries were retrieved through other available individual records and incorporated into total cases. Population data were obtained from the official censuses. A total of 8,923 deaths from work-related injuries were identified, of which 44.8% were located by data retrieval. In the year 2000, estimated crude mortality from work-related injuries was 6.4/100,000 workers, increasing to 8.1/100,000 in 2003 and declining to 7.3/100,000 in 2010. The leading circumstances of deaths in men involved "riding animals or using animal-drawn vehicles", whereas pesticide poisoning was the leading cause in women. Overall mortality from work-related injuries in agriculture was low when compared to that of other countries, suggesting residual under-recording despite data retrieval and thus calling for quality improvement in records. Gender-sensitive preventive measures are necessary.

Resumen: Se estima la mortalidad anual por accidentes de trabajo en el sector agropecuario, desde el año 2000 al 2010, en Brasil. Se empleó el Sistema de Información sobre Mortalidad (SIM) para identificar los casos. Los datos ausentes sobre ocupación y accidentes de trabajo se recuperaron con la información individual disponible y se incorporaron al total. Los datos de la población son los de los censos demográficos. Se identificaron 8.923 óbitos por accidentes de trabajo, siendo un 44,8% de los mismos resultados del proceso de recuperación. En el 2000, la mortalidad bruta por accidentes de trabajo fue estimada en 6,4/100 mil trabajadores, aumentando en 8,1/100 mil en 2003, cuando descendió hasta 7,3/100 mil en 2010. Entre los hombres, "los accidentes con animales o vehículos de tracción animal" fueron las circunstancias más comunes, pero en mujeres fueron las intoxicaciones por pesticidas. La mortalidad general por accidentes de trabajo en el sector agropecuario fue baja, cuando se compara con la de otros países, sugiriendo un sub-registro residual a pesar de la recuperación, lo que requiere una mejoría de la calidad de los registros. Son necesarias medidas de prevención sensibles a las diferencias de género.

What Occupational Health Needs Arise in Workplaces Following Disasters? A Joint Analysis of Eight Cases of Disaster in Japan.

OBJECTIVE: To identify occupational health needs arising after disasters. METHODS: Using semistructured interviews with expert informants, we jointly analyzed the needs arising in eight disaster cases that threatened the lives or health of workers in Japan. RESULTS: Various types of health issues occurred in a wide range of employees. In total, we identified 100 needs in six phases after disasters and classified them across nine categories of worker characteristics. The proportion of health needs on the list that were applicable in each case varied from 13% to 49%. More needs arose when the companies were responsible for the disaster and when employee lives were lost. We also assessed the list as fairly comprehensive. CONCLUSIONS: The list developed in this study is expected to be effective for anticipating occupational health needs after disasters.

Development of safety incident coding systems through improving coding reliability.

This paper reviews classification theory sources to develop five research questions concerning factors associated with incident coding system development and use and how these factors affect coding reliability. Firstly, a method was developed to enable the comparison of reliability results obtained using different methods. Second, a statistical and qualitative review of reliability studies was conducted to investigate the influence of the identified factors on the reliability of incident coding systems. As a result several factors were found to have a statistically significant effect on reliability. Four recommendations for system development and use are provided to assist researchers in improving the reliability of incident coding systems in high hazard industries.

"Dual causation accident": a third type of work-related accident and its importance for occupational health surveillance / "Acidente de dupla espécie": uma terceira espécie de acidente do trabalho e sua importância para a vigilância em saúde do trabalhador / "Acidente de dupla espécie": uma terceira espécie de acidente do trabalho e sua importância para a vigilância em saúde do trabalhador

The scope of this study is to contribute to the improvement of Occupational Health Surveillance in the Unified Health System (UHS), through the recognition and inclusion of a third type of work-related accident in the current Brazilian legislation classification: the dual causation accident. This classification aims at facilitating the establishment of a causal connection, thus broadening the understanding of the relationship between work process and the production of diseases. It also aims at improving legal rules to protect the health of workers. This approach, besides enabling the identification of sentinel events (starting point of surveillance activities), might contribute not only to a decrease in underreporting of work-related accidents, but also to the uniformity of concepts and the implementation of integrated actions of the National Social Security Institute (NISS), the UHS, the Ministry of Labor (MLE) and the Judiciary for the protection of workers. To propose a third type of occupational accident, a study of occupational accidents and causes of underreporting was conducted, with reference to the Brazilian labor legislation in the context of the National Policy on Occupational Health and the UHS.

O propósito deste trabalho é contribuir com o aprimoramento da Vigilância em Saúde do Trabalhador no SUS, através do reconhecimento e da introdução na atual classificação da legislação brasileira de um terceiro tipo de acidente do trabalho - o acidente de dupla espécie. Esta classificação visa a facilitar o estabelecimento do nexo causal, ampliando, assim, a compreensão das relações entre processo de trabalho e a produção de doenças, bem como o aprimoramento das normas legais em defesa da saúde dos trabalhadores. Essa abordagem, além de possibilitar a identificação de eventos sentinelas - ponto de partida das ações de vigilância -, poderá contribuir não só para diminuição da subnotificação dos acidentes de trabalho, como também, para a uniformização de conceitos e a implantação de ações integradas entre o INSS, o SUS, o MTE e o Judiciário que busquem a proteção dos trabalhadores. Para essa proposição de uma nova classificação, foi realizado um estudo da legislação que trata dos acidentes de trabalho e das causas de subnotificação, tendo como pano de fundo a Política Nacional de Saúde do Trabalhador no contexto do SUS.

"Dual causation accident": a third type of work-related accident and its importance for occupational health surveillance.

The scope of this study is to contribute to the improvement of Occupational Health Surveillance in the Unified Health System (UHS), through the recognition and inclusion of a third type of work-related accident in the current Brazilian legislation classification: the dual causation accident. This classification aims at facilitating the establishment of a causal connection, thus broadening the understanding of the relationship between work process and the production of diseases. It also aims at improving legal rules to protect the health of workers. This approach, besides enabling the identification of sentinel events (starting point of surveillance activities), might contribute not only to a decrease in underreporting of work-related accidents, but also to the uniformity of concepts and the implementation of integrated actions of the National Social Security Institute (NISS), the UHS, the Ministry of Labor (MLE) and the Judiciary for the protection of workers. To propose a third type of occupational accident, a study of occupational accidents and causes of underreporting was conducted, with reference to the Brazilian labor legislation in the context of the National Policy on Occupational Health and the UHS.

Accidents in Malaysian construction industry: statistical data and court cases.

Safety and health issues remain critical to the construction industry due to its working environment and the complexity of working practises. This research attempts to adopt 2 research approaches using statistical data and court cases to address and identify the causes and behavior underlying construction safety and health issues in Malaysia. Factual data on the period of 2000-2009 were retrieved to identify the causes and agents that contributed to health issues. Moreover, court cases were tabulated and analyzed to identify legal patterns of parties involved in construction site accidents. Approaches of this research produced consistent results and highlighted a significant reduction in the rate of accidents per construction project in Malaysia.