The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has published this Serious Injury and Fatality (SIF) guide. The guide establishes criteria for recording occupational injuries and illnesses to aid in continuously improving management systems; identifying and preventing serious injuries, illnesses, and fatalities (SIF); measuring safety performance; evaluating safety programs; and ensuring consistency in international comparisons and benchmarking. The measurement system is intended to be precise, accurate, resistant to manipulation, meaningful for safety evaluations, and suitable for global accountability.
Objectives of the recording occupational injury and illness guide are:
- Establish a standardized and objective framework for recording work-related injuries and illnesses,
- Facilitate use of injury and illness rates as a means of evaluating processes designed to control such injuries and illnesses, an
- Provide a foundation for meaningful comparison of injury and illness rates across industries and countries.
In this guide, the definitions and procedures necessary to maintain records of work-related injuries, illnesses, and incidence rates are outlined.
Key elements of this guide include:
- Establishing work relationship criteria,
- Defining occupational injuries and illnesses,
- Categorizing severity levels of occupational incidents,
- Addressing accountability for contractor relationships, and
- Specifying methods for calculating injury and illness rates.
The following levels and associated criteria have been established to classify incidents.
Level One Incidents (Benchmarkable) — These incidents qualify as an Actual Serious Injury and Fatality (aSIF) case as they have a clear workplace connection and result in life-ending, life-threatening, or life-altering consequences. This level of incident is designed to be benchmarkable, meaning it is structured and standardized to enable meaningful comparisons across organizations, industries, and time periods.
Level Two Incidents (Benchmarkable) — While these incidents do not qualify as aSIF cases, they are classified as “priority injury/illness” because of their clear workplace connection and significant consequences. Data from priority injury/illness incidents should be elevated as key performance indicators (KPIs) to drive continuous improvement in workplace safety programs. Because of the severity of these cases, worker discretion in reporting is typically limited, ensuring transparency and accurate incident management. This level of incident is designed to be benchmarkable, meaning it is structured and standardized to enable meaningful comparisons across organizations, industries, and time periods.
Level Three Incidents (Nonmandatory) — These cases are typically required to be recorded to ensure compliance with relevant federal, state, provincial, or local laws and regulations across various jurisdictions. While reporting these cases is not mandatory under this guide, it is likely to remain compulsory in many jurisdictions.
Level Four Incidents (Nonmandatory) — These cases do not meet the severity of Level One, Level Two, or Level Three incidents and typically include relatively minor injuries and illnesses, such as first aid cases, as well as near-miss incidents.
pSIF — These incidents have not resulted in an aSIF as defined in this guide. However, they are determined to have a clear workplace connection and the likelihood of it resulting in life-ending, life-threatening, or life-altering consequences. Please note that any of the previously defined incident levels (2 through 4) may be classified as a pSIF if the circumstances would likely have resulted in a serious injury or fatality were it not for specific safeguards or countermeasures. The number or rate of pSIF incidents is not designed to be benchmarkable, as comparison across organizations, industries, and time periods tends to negatively impact their reporting when encouraging more reporting is the desired outcome.
Identifying and addressing pSIF events enables organizations to prevent serious incidents proactively by focusing on hazards before they lead to actual harm. Encouraging the identification and reporting of pSIFs is essential to improving workplace safety.
pSIF identification supports the effective assessment of whether safeguards are properly implemented and followed. A key principle in evaluating the potential impact of a pSIF is determining whether safeguards were in place and effectively mitigated the severity and/or likelihood of the event, potentially preventing it from escalating into an aSIF.
SIFRisk — This level does not involve an actual incident. Instead, it captures conditions or constraints created by systems and processes that are likely to have the energy or potential to result in an aSIF. SIFRisk will eventually result in a serious or fatal injury/illness if allowed to continue. Evaluating identified SIF risks is crucial for preventing future SIF incidents.
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