In-year Riddor analysis - Quarter 2 2009/10

• Quarterly briefing Q2 2009-10: Tables
• Quarterly briefing Q2 2009-10: Additional charts

Major injuries

• Over the 2009/10 year to date (Q1 & Q2) major injuries are down 12% compared with the same period last year. This is a much more rapid change than, for example, between 2006/07 and 2008/09p when major injuries to employees fell by 4%. (Table 1)
• Over the year to date all types of major injury reports have reduced significantly: Struck-by 15%; Handling 13%; Falls 13% and Slip & Trip 9.1%. However, Struck-by injuries show a 7% increase (3% seasonally adjusted) between the first and second quarter. (Table 1)
• All industry sectors, except food, drink and tobacco manufacture show reductions in the number of reported injuries compared to the same period last year. Construction is down by 29%; transport, storage & communication by 18%; Rest of manufacturing (ex recycling) by 21% and the remaining sectors by 3-8%. In contrast food, drink and tobacco manufacture rose by 6%.  Rates fell by less, eg 24% in construction, reflecting falling employment in all sectors except Public Services. (Tables 3 & 5)
  

All non-fatal injuries (major and over-3-day injuries combined)

• Over the year to date (Q1 & Q2) non-fatal injuries are down 15% compared with the same period last year and between 2006/07 and 2008/09p non-fatal injuries fell by 8%. The latest quarterly change shows a seasonally adjusted fall of 9%, though this will probably be less after late returns are received, nevertheless this suggests that numbers of reported injuries are continuing to decline.  (Table 2)
• All of the main accident kinds show reductions over the year to date of 13 18%. (Table 2)

• Over the year to date there have been falls in both the number and rate of non-fatal injury in all industry sectors, compared with the same period last year. Reported injuries in rest of manufacturing (ex recycling) and construction were down by 27%, Transport, storage & communication was down by 20% while others were down by 10 - 13%. Injury rates fell by somewhat less in Construction, manufacturing and transport (22, 20 and 16% respectively). (Tables 4 & 6)
  

Recent trends

• Major and over 3 day injuries have been on a downward trend since 2004/05.  Until recently this seemed to be slowing down, but the downward trend has accelerated again over the last 18 months or so.
• Handling and struck-by injuries show downward movement since 2004/05, although the last two quarters show increases/flattening out of struck-by injuries.  It is harder to determine the trends for slips & trips and falls because of changes to the coding. Combining the two series shows that there has been relatively little change in recent years, although the last two quarters show encouraging reductions. (see note 1).
• All main industries, with the exception of public services show a downward trend in the rate of both major and non-fatal injury since 2004/05. The trend in major injuries in public services is at best flat with some evidence of growth since 2005/06, but with encouraging falls in the last two quarters.

Important Supporting Notes

1.  Slips, trips and falls

From Q1 2008/09, slips and trips down steps and stairs have been recorded as Falls rather than Slips and Trips.  This has led to a discontinuity in both series with the falls series increasing by approximately 50% and the slips series reducing by approximately 10%. The chart below shows the numbers of slips, trips and falls combined. This avoids the discontinuity as the increase in falls cancels out the decrease in slips and trips.

Slips, trips and fall combined chart

2. Seasonal adjustment

Seasonal adjustment is the process of removing known and regular variations associated with the time of the year.  The data are adjusted so that seasonal effects do not mislead the user and to give a clearer indication of underlying trend.  All figures quoted are seasonally adjusted unless specified.

3. Data for public services

There is a discontinuity in the public services series at Q1 2007/08 due to a change in the way council workers are coded.  Between 2003/04 and 2007/08 these workers were generally coded to SIC 75 (public admin) but are now coded to the activity they are engaged in, for example education, social care, refuse collection etc.

Figure 1: Major industries - All kinds, seasonally adjusted

Figure 2: Major industries - All kinds, seasonally adjusted

Figure 3: Major industries - All kinds, seasonally adjusted