Occupational deaths and injuries by the types of street cleaning process

This study aims to obtain an overall picture of occupational injuries by the types of street cleaning process. Three hundred and fifty-four injured persons were analyzed in terms of the company size and details of the injured persons and accidents. Results show that ‘roadway cleaning’ was the most common type of cleaning process for injuries, followed by ‘sidewalk cleaning,’ ‘going/returning to work by bike’ and ‘lifting/carrying.’ The findings also show that most accidents which occur when ‘going/returning to work by bike’ are in the form of traffic accidents, while in other processes they happen most often in the form of slips. Most of the accidents related to ‘lifting/carrying’ affected workers in their 50s or younger while other processes had a large portion of injured persons in their 50s or older. The findings of this study can be used as baseline data for preventative policies.     

Occupational accident rate in olive oil mills

Problem

This paper aims at examining the occupational accident rate in Spain in the olive oil mill industry. These mills produce olive oil by physical or mechanical, but not chemical procedures. Although Spain is the leading olive oil producer in the world with 1,200,000 tons/year and over 25% of the world olive farming area, the occupational accident rate in this sector has been little studied in the relevant scientific literature.

Method

Our study analyses all occupational accidents which occurred during 2004-2009, with or without sick leave, at 90 Andalusian olive oil mills covered by one of the biggest state insurance companies for accidents at work and occupational diseases (within the Spanish Social Security system).

Results and discussion

Slips or trips are the most frequent cause of occupational accidents in this sector, accounting for 14.86% of the cases. In second position, incorrectly coordinated bodily movements account for almost 13.51% of the accidents. Falls from height, 12.2% of the cases, are also statistically noteworthy. As for the seriousness of the injuries, entrapments are particularly important, since in 2.70% of the cases they result in the traumatic amputation of a part of the body. The analysis of accidents without sick leave reveals that a high number of incidents are caused by contact of the skin and eyes with hazardous substances (20% of the cases) and 10% of them involve superficial injuries.

Impact on the industry

This paper provides a clear and updated image of the accident rate in Spanish olive oil mills and can be a useful tool for the design and adequate adjustment of the management systems implemented in these plants to guarantee a satisfactory level of occupational health and safety by means of more efficient planning and monitoring of measures intended to reduce professional risks and improve working conditions.

Recommendations

Given not only the high incidence of falls on the same level and the potential seriousness of falls from different levels, but also the small, round fruit involved, with a high oil content and a hard round stone, it is extremely important to design and implement safe working procedures and specifically train both operatives and managers in charge of the tidiness, cleanliness and regular control of the premises and operations. The analysis of the accidents not requiring sick leave (mostly cases of contact with hazardous substances on the skin or eyes, or superficial injuries) clearly reveals that the use of suitable personal protective equipment and the relevant training are crucial issues.     

Motor vehicle towing: An analysis of injuries in a high-risk yet understudied industry

Objectives: National fatality rates for commercial tow truck operators exceed those of other first responders who also perform traffic incident management services. The objectives of the current study are to (1) characterize causal factors associated with injuries among commercial tow truck operators engaged in roadside assistance through analysis of coded and free text data obtained from U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigation files, and (2) utilize supplemental data sources to analyze environmental factors for injuries in which commercial tow truck operators were struck by roadway traffic. Methods: Searches of OSHA’s online IMIS database were performed to identify investigations of incidents in which tow truck operators were injured while performing roadside assistance duties. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests were submitted to obtain full investigation files for each case. Coded and narrative text analyses were performed to identify causal themes across the identified cases. Results: One-hundred and six cases of tow truck operators being killed or severely injured were identified in IMIS; 41 FOIA requests for related investigation documents were fulfilled. Two major event type themes were identified which accounted for 9 in 10 of the cases identified. These were (1) ‘struck-by’ incidents, which were primarily injuries resulting from contact with roadway traffic, rolling vehicles and equipment or other non-motorized objects; and (2) ‘caught-in or -between’ incidents, which were primarily injuries resulting from being pinned beneath and between vehicles and being caught in moving parts. Conclusions: The towing industry should provide initial and refresher safety training on vehicle loading and unloading, defensive techniques when exposed to traffic on roadways, and proper wheel chocking and braking procedures. States should include tow trucks as a first responder vehicle type in their “Move Over” laws and implement public awareness campaigns to protect all first responders, including tow truck operators.     

Exploring the organisational preconditions for occupational accidents in food industry: A qualitative approach

The continuing high frequency of occupational accidents in the Swedish food industry calls for new approaches to better understand the underlying factors. In the present study, 54 accidents involving hand injuries were investigated from the operators’ perspective, to explore the organisational preconditions. In-depth interviews were conducted with operators and their supervisors, and 24 of these interviews were analysed using the grounded theory method. The core category ‘safety as a process’ was identified encompassing the perception of the process of the accident at operative level and organisational preconditions that increased the risk of occupational accidents. These preconditions were open factors: deficiencies in technical/physical environment and work organisation; and concealed factors: insufficient communication and learning, a high level of responsibility in combination with low control, conflicting goals and a gap between procedures and practice. These preconditions lead to risk acceptance, resignation towards improved safety and normalisation of risk. Through the analysis a five-step hypothesis was empirically generated.     

Occupational accidents with ladders in Spain: Risk factors

Introduction

Occupational accidents suffered by workers in Spain when using ladders were analyzed over a six year period from 2003-2008, during which the total of notified ladder-related accidents amounted to 21,725. Method: Different accident-related factors were identified for the purpose of developing a pattern of those factors that had the greatest influence on the seriousness and the fatality of such accidents. Thus, a series of variables were examined such as age and length of service of the injured worker, firm size, the work sector, the injury suffered, and the part of the body that was injured. Since falls is the most frequent and most serious of ladder related occupational accidents, a special analysis of falls was performed. Results: The findings showed that the seriousness of ladder-related accidents increased with the age of the injured worker. Likewise, accidents at places other than the usual workplace were more serious and registered higher fatalities than those that occurred at the usual place of work. Conclusions: The analysis of falls from ladders established that accidents in smaller-sized firms were of greater seriousness and involved more fatalities than those in larger-sized firms. The investigation also underlined the need for stricter compliance with preliminary safety assessments when working with ladders.     

Accidents in the chemical industry: are they foreseeable?

‘Accidents recur,’ which is what Kletz [Kletz T. (1993). Lessons from disasters, how organisations have no memory and accidents recur. UK: Institution of Chemical Engineers] wrote in 1993. Indeed, despite all measures taken accidents may re-occur, but ‘disruptions’ in a process reoccur much more frequently. If a disruption occurs it may lead to an accident. If the same disruption reoccurs it is certainly suspect and should be considered as a potential precursor. In this paper, we concentrate on these disruptions and we will define them as precursors if they recur. Organizations somehow lack the ability to control such recurring disruptions that may escalate into serious accidents under certain circumstances. The presence of such precursors long before the occurrence of an accident raises doubts about how well organizations control safety.In this paper, the control mechanism inside organizations is examined, by means of several accident investigations. It will be shown that not only accidents recur, but also that disruptions recur in a period preceding the actual accident. The recurrence of these disruptions implies that the corresponding organizational control mechanism must be failing. Often, alternative circumstances prompt the escalation of such precursors and lead to actual accidents. It is demonstrated that the use of detailed accident information is of great importance for companies that are actually willing to prevent accidents through the elimination of disruptions preceding accidents.     

Survey-based analysis on the diffusion of evacuation advisory warnings during regional evacuations for accidents that release toxic vapors: A case study

This paper analyzes the diffusion of evacuation advisory warnings during regional evacuations for accidents that release toxic vapors. Investigations results on the propagation of evacuation advisory warnings in the ‘4.16’ chlorine release and the explosion accident at Chongqing Tianyuan Chemical Factory in China, and a comparison analysis of the evacuation notification process of six typical leakage accidents are presented in this paper. After conducting the evacuation notification investigation on the ‘4.16’ accident, in which 401 valid questionnaires were collected from people who should have evacuated during the accident, the methods and channels of the evacuation notification, the notification efficiency, and the actual response efficiency of the recipients after the issuing of the evacuation advisory warnings were analyzed. A comparison analysis of the evacuation notification process is performed by analyzing six typical leakage accidents, and basic principles of evacuation notification for a regional evacuation for toxic vapor release accidents are proposed.     

Global trend according to estimated number of occupational accidents and fatal work-related diseases at region and country level

Background

Although occupational accidents and work-related diseases have been of interest for a long time, due to lack of proper recording and notification systems the official numbers of occupational accidents and work-related diseases are missing for many countries. Presently, the demand for effectiveness and an interest in the economic aspects of accidents have increased prevention activities at company and country levels.

Methods

Occupational accident data of selected countries and of World Health Organization regional divisions together with the global burden of disease were used in estimating global occupational accidents and fatal work-related diseases. The trend of global occupational accidents and work-related diseases is presented at region and country levels. The years 1998, 2001, and 2003 are compared in the case of occupational accidents and the years 2000 and 2002 in the case of work-related diseases.

Results

The total number of occupational accidents and fatal work-related diseases has increased, but the fatality rates per 100,000 workers have decreased. There were almost 360,000 fatal occupational accidents in 2003 and almost 2 million fatal work-related diseases in 2002. Every day more than 960,000 workers get hurt because of accidents. Each day 5,330 people die because of work-related diseases.

Conclusions

Information on occupational accidents and work-related diseases is needed so that countries may understand better the importance of occupational health and safety at country and company level. Especially companies in developing countries are not familiar with occupational safety and health. Statistical data is essential for accident prevention; it is a starting point for the safety work.     

Investigation of accidents involving powered two wheelers and bicycles – A European in-depth study

Introduction: The number of road fatalities have been falling throughout the European Union (EU) over the past 20 years and most Member States have achieved an overall reduction. Research has mainly focused on protecting car occupants, with car occupant fatalities reducing significantly. However, recently there has been a plateauing in fatalities amongst ‘Vulnerable Road Users’ (VRUs), and in 2016 accidents involving VRUs accounted for nearly half of all EU road deaths. Method: The SaferWheels study collected in-depth data on 500 accidents involving Powered Two-Wheelers (PTWs) and bicycles across six European countries. A standard in-depth accident investigation methodology was used by each team. The Driver Reliability and Error Analysis Method (DREAM) was used to systematically classify accident causation factors. Results: The most common causal factors related to errors in observation by the PTW/bicycle rider or the driver of the other vehicle, typically called ‘looked but failed to see’ accidents. Common scenarios involved the other vehicle turning or crossing in front of the PTW/bicycle. A quarter of serious or fatal injuries to PTW riders occurred in accidents where the rider lost control with no other vehicle involvement. Conclusions: Highly detailed data have been collected for 500 accidents involving PTWs or bicycles in the EU. These data can be further analyzed by researchers on a case-study basis to gain detailed insights on such accidents. Preliminary analysis suggests that ‘looked but failed to see’ remains a common cause, and in many cases the actions of the other vehicle were the critical factor, though PTW rider speed or inexperience played a role in some cases. Practical Applications: The collected data can be analyzed to better understand the characteristics and causes of accidents involving PTWs and bicycles in the EU. The results can be used to develop policies aimed at reducing road deaths and injuries to VRUs.     

Epidemiology of occupational accidents among Iranian insured workers

Work-related accidents are considered as a major health problem worldwide. The aim of present study was to determine the epidemiological pattern of occupational accidents among workers insured by the Iranian Social Security Organization (ISSO) between 2001 and 2005.Subjects consisted of all workers and drivers who had a work-related accident during 2001–2005 and were registered in the Iranian Social Security Organization (ISSO) database according to the inspection reports. An ordinal logistic regression model (proportional odds regression model) was used to assess the concurrent effects of independent variables on accident outcomes.Overall, 86,437 work-related accidents were investigated. The accidents were more frequent in metal workplaces and electrical industries, respectively. More than half of the accidents were due to incautious activities. Workers’ age (age at the time of accident) (OR = 0.99, CI: 0.989–0.994), gender (OR = 1.3, CI: 1.191–1.683), marital status (OR = 1.25, CI: 1.143–1.675) as well as accident setting (OR = 1.88, CI: 1.728–1.975) had significant effect on accident outcomes. Pattern of occupational injuries in Iran was consistent with the global pattern for accident outcomes.     

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.     

A pre/post evaluation of fatigue,stress and vigilance amongst commercially licensed truck drivers performing a prolonged driving task

Purpose. The main purpose of this research study was to evaluate changes in fatigue, stress and vigilance amongst commercially licensed truck drivers involved in a prolonged driving task. The secondary purpose was to determine whether a new ergonomic seat could help reduce both physical and cognitive fatigue during a prolonged driving task. Two different truck seats were evaluated: an industrial standard seat and a new truck seat prototype. Methods. Twenty male truck drivers were recruited to attend two testing sessions, on two separate days, with each session randomized for seat design. During each session, participants performed two 10-min simulated driving tasks. Between simulated sessions, participants drove a long-haul truck for 90 min. Fatigue and stress were quantified using a series of questionnaires whereas vigilance was measured using a standardized computer test. Results. Seat interactions had a significant effect on fatigue patterns. Conclusion. The new ergonomic seat design holds potential in improving road safety and vehicle accidents due to fatigue-related accidents.     

The potential of vehicle and road infrastructure interventions in fatal bicyclist accidents on Swedish roads—What can in-depth studies tell us?

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this article is to describe the characteristics of fatal crashes with bicyclists on Swedish roads in rural and urban areas and to investigate the potential of bicycle helmets and different vehicle and road infrastructure interventions to prevent them. The study has a comprehensive approach to provide road authorities and vehicle manufacturers with recommendations for future priorities.

Methods: The Swedish Transport Administration’s (STA) in-depth database of fatal crashes was used for case-by-case analysis of fatal cycling accidents (2006–2016) on rural (n?=?82) and urban (n?=?102) roads. The database consists of information from the police, medical journals, autopsy reports, accident analyses performed by STA, and witness statements. The potential of helmet use and various vehicle and road infrastructure safety interventions was determined retrospectively for each case by analyzing the chain of events leading to the fatality. The potential of vehicle safety countermeasures was analyzed based on prognoses on their implementation rates in the Swedish vehicle fleet.

Results: The most common accident scenario on rural roads was that the bicyclist was struck while cycling along the side of the road. On urban roads, the majority of accidents occurred in intersections. Most accidents involved a passenger car, but heavy trucks were also common, especially in urban areas. Most accidents occurred in daylight conditions (73%). Almost half (46%) of nonhelmeted bicyclists would have survived with a helmet. It was assessed that nearly 60% of the fatal accidents could be addressed by advanced vehicle safety technologies, especially autonomous emergency braking with the ability to detect bicyclists. With regard to interventions in the road infrastructure, separated paths for bicyclists and bicycle crossings with speed calming measures were found to have the greatest safety potential. Results indicated that 91% of fatally injured bicyclists could potentially be saved with known techniques. However, it will take a long time for such technologies to be widespread.

Conclusions: The majority of fatally injured bicyclists studied could potentially be saved with known techniques. A speedy implementation of important vehicle safety systems is recommended. A fast introduction of effective interventions in the road infrastructure is also necessary, preferably with a plan for prioritization.     

Under-Reporting of Accidents Involving Biological Material by Nursing Professionals at a Brazilian Emergency Hospital

Background. Pathogens can be transmitted to health professionals after contact with biological material. The exact number of infections deriving from these events is still unknown, due to the lack of systematic surveillance data and under-reporting. Methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out, involving 451 nursing professionals from a Brazilian tertiary emergency hospital between April and July 2009. Through an active search, cases of under-reporting of occupational accidents with biological material by the nursing team were identified by means of individual interviews. The Institutional Review Board approved the research project. Results. Over half of the professionals (237) had been victims of one or more accidents (425 in total) involving biological material, and 23.76% of the accidents had not been officially reported using an occupational accident report. Among the under-reported accidents, 53.47% were percutaneous and 67.33% were bloodborne. The main reason for nonreporting was that the accident had been considered low risk. Conclusions. The under-reporting rate (23.76%) was low in comparison with other studies, but most cases of exposure were high risk.     

Knowledge,attitudes and practices of occupational risks in Colombian taxi drivers

Objective. The objective of this study was to learn about the health and safety strategies in a sample of taxi drivers in Bucaramanga, Colombia. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 138 taxi drivers. A survey was used to identify the socio-demographic and working characteristics, knowledge, attitudes and practices according to their occupational risk. Results. Eighty-five percent of the workers labored 9–15?h/day. Of those who suffered accidents, 27% were not affiliated to an occupational risk administrator (p = 0.028). Of the workers who had a work-related accident, 58% considered that the use of a cell phone while driving would not always reduce their attention, 50% always used their seat belt and 7% took active breaks and wore their seat belt (p = 0.01). Conclusions. Within this group of taxi drivers, having or believing to possess knowledge regarding an occupational risk did not ensure that they had a safe attitude or safe working practices.     

GAP—a fault-tree based methodology for analyzing occupational hazards

Occupational accidents are stochastic events. The moment of their occurrence cannot be predicted. However, their rate of occurrence may be reduced, albeit not to zero. Considerable effort has been invested into this objective. This led to decreasing numbers of accidents over the years, a tendency which seems, however, to have come to a standstill since approximately 1998. The potential of presently used methods like check lists or HAZOP-based approaches for evaluating and producing recommendations for reducing occupational hazards has apparently been exhausted. Hence, further improvement of the injury rates is expected only from the use of in-depth analysis methods. Therefore, fault tree analysis is applied to occupational safety. This leads to the formulation of the hazard base model and its representation by means of an occupational hazard tree. This tree serves as an example for the assessment of occupational hazards of work places and activities. The characteristic feature of the occupational hazard tree is the decomposition of the undesired event ‘injury’ into basic events. These are qualified verbally using the expressions ‘certain/permanently’, ‘impossible/never’, ‘probable/frequently’, ‘possible/occasionally’, ‘improbable/rarely’. The procedure is implemented in the program GAP (HazardAnalysisProgram), which enables one to generate and evaluate occupational hazard trees. A global verbal assessment of a workplace or an activity is then obtained. On its basis weaknesses of the occupational safety concept are identified, appropriate countermeasures are devised, they are prioritized and their efficiency is valuated. The procedure was successfully tested by analyzing two accidents and assessing a workplace at a major industrial firm.     

Sleepy driving and risk of obstructive sleep apnea among truck drivers in Saudi Arabia

Objective: Truck drivers represent a group at a particularly higher risk of motor vehicle accidents (MVAs). Sleepy driving and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) among truck drivers are major risk factors for MVAs. No study has assessed the prevalence of sleepy driving and risk of OSA among truck drivers in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess sleepy driving and risk of OSA among these truck drivers.

Methods: This study included 338 male truck drivers working in Saudi Arabia. A validated questionnaire regarding sleepy driving and OSA was used. The questionnaire included sociodemographic assessment, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), the Berlin Questionnaire (BQ), and driving-related items.

Results: The drivers had a mean age of 42.9?±?9.7 years. The majority (94.7%) drove more than 5?h a day. A history of MVAs during the last 6 months was reported by 6.5%. Approximately 95% of the participants reported that they had accidentally fallen asleep at least once while driving over the past 6 months, and 49.7% stated that this had happened more than 5 times during the last 6 months. Based on the BQ score, a high risk of OSA was detected in 29% of the drivers. “Not getting good-quality sleep” (odds ratio [OR]?=?2.89; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08–7.75; P = .014) and driving experience from 6 to 10 years (OR = 3.37; 95% CI, 1.28–8.91; P = .034) were the only independent predictors of MVAs in the past 6 months.

Conclusions: Sleepy driving and a high risk of OSA was prevalent among the study population of male truck drivers in Saudi Arabia. Not getting good-quality sleep and driving experience from 6 to 10 years contributes to the accident risk among these truck drivers.     

On-Scene Injury Severity Prediction (OSISP) Algorithm for Truck Occupants

Objective: The aim of this study is to develop an on-scene injury severity prediction (OSISP) algorithm for truck occupants using only accident characteristics that are feasible to assess at the scene of the accident. The purpose of developing this algorithm is to use it as a basis for a field triage tool used in traffic accidents involving trucks. In addition, the model can be valuable for recognizing important factors for improving triage protocols used in Sweden and possibly in other countries with similar traffic environments and prehospital procedures.

Methods: The scope is adult truck occupants involved in traffic accidents on Swedish public roads registered in the Swedish Traffic Accident Data Acquisition (STRADA) database for calendar years 2003 to 2013. STRADA contains information reported by the police and medical data on injured road users treated at emergency hospitals. Using data from STRADA, 2 OSISP multivariate logistic regression models for deriving the probability of severe injury (defined here as having an Injury Severity Score [ISS] > 15) were implemented for light and heavy trucks; that is, trucks with weight up to 3,500 kg and ??16,500 kg, respectively. A 10-fold cross-validation procedure was used to estimate the performance of the OSISP algorithm in terms of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).

Results: The rate of belt use was low, especially for heavy truck occupants. The OSISP models developed for light and heavy trucks achieved cross-validation AUC of 0.81 and 0.74, respectively. The AUC values obtained when the models were evaluated on all data without cross-validation were 0.87 for both light and heavy trucks. The difference in the AUC values with and without use of cross-validation indicates overfitting of the model, which may be a consequence of relatively small data sets. Belt use stands out as the most valuable predictor in both types of trucks; accident type and age are important predictors for light trucks.

Conclusions: The OSISP models achieve good discriminating capability for light truck occupants and a reasonable performance for heavy truck occupants. The prediction accuracy may be increased by acquiring more data. Belt use was the strongest predictor of severe injury for both light and heavy truck occupants. There is a need for behavior-based safety programs and/or other means to encourage truck occupants to always wear a seat belt.     

Safety metaphors and theories,a review of the occupational safety literature of the US,UK and The Netherlands,till the first part of the 20th century

The 19th century and first half of the 20th century is one of those periods in history of rapid economical, technical and social changes. There is an ongoing mechanization, followed by a movement to rationalize production and to make it cost effective. This has created a heavy burden of occupational deaths amongst workers. In this period occupational safety is developing into a professional field. Engineers are enclosing hazards and fencing heights, shaping up safety technique, and writing very practical publications on occupational safety. These publications, predominantly published in the United States, are leading to quite some safety related metaphors, with the iceberg and the domino’s as the most famous ones. Sociologists, psychologists, and physicians are more concerned with questions related to accident causation, and these specialists are conducting research leading to two different safety theories. Causes of occupational accident are found either in the workers’ capacity to handle hazardous situations, or in external causes, like very long working hours, dangerous machines and the increased pressures of work and speed of production. The Pittsburgh survey, the first extended analysis of occupational accidents in a steel district, strongly advocated the environmental hypothesis, while the so-called ‘individual hypothesis’ is favored by the American Safety First Movement, starting as a private initiative in 1906 by US Steel, and later spreading out over Western European countries. The British Industrial Fatigue Board has given the individual hypothesis its scientific justification. Despite scientific criticism just after World War II on the concept of accident proneness and ‘unsafe acts’, its popularity is not fading. Even nowadays the famous metaphors are still part of the vocational training of safety experts, also in The Netherlands. Apparently professional and scientific developments in occupational safety are belonging to two separate worlds. Before World War II, The Netherlands is not a leading country in occupational safety but a follower, first of France and the German speaking countries. After World War I its focus is directed towards the Anglo-Saxon countries.     

Occupational accidents while walking on stairways

Nagata, H., 1991. Occupational accidents while walking on stairways. Safety Science, 14: 199–211.An analysis of occupational injury data related to falls while walking on stairways, and the causes associated with these stair accidents is described. The study was based on labour casualty reports. A total of 1486 stair accidents including 10 deaths, were collected from occupational accidents occurring within greater Tokyo. From these reports 425 cases were selected to undertake actual surveys including personal interviews, direct observations and field measurements. For the purpose of comparison with stairs where no accidents had been reported, a total of 1043 stairs were selected at random from drawings of various buildings.Nine fatal victims had received head injuries. Nearly half of the non-fatal victims received bruises mostly to the legs and feet. Most accidents occurred while descending stairways in haste. Young female employees wearing high or semi-high heeled footwear were relatively prone to fall on stairs. In winter, more stair accidents tended to occur to some extent. The proportion of female accidents was relatively higher than for males when compared to their population ratios. Employees were especially prone to receive injuries by misstep on straight flights of stairs.