The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors recorded the number of accidents involving pressure vessels at an increase of 24% over the course of a year between 1999 to 2000. These statistics include power boilers, steam heating boilers, water heating boilers, and unfired pressure vessels. However, the increased number of accidents was not reflected through to the number of fatalities, as these actually dropped by 33% over this period. By broadening this search, it can be seen that the reporting period of 1992 to 2001 saw a total of 23,338 pressure vessel related accidents which averages at 2,334 accidents per year. The reporting year 2000 saw the highest number of accidents at 2,686 with the lowest at 2,011 in 1998. The number of fatalities as a direct result of boiler and pressure vessel accidents has been recorded as 127 over the past 10 years. During the reported period between 2001 and 2008, the statistics show that the rate of accidents that were directly linked to pressure vessels is not yet on the decline. CLICK HERE for the study.