Before OSHA reports are cleared and posted to its database, each summary undergoes a thorough investigation, revision, and screening process by OSHA, which can delay posting up to 5 years. For those reasons, the National Board has elected to research summaries that are greater than five years old. National Board began with years 2002-2007, and then on an annual basis will add the next year’s data to the National Board Incident Report.
The new National Board Incident Report (which was launched in 2012) provides documented statistics of pressure equipment accidents that have occurred across the United States. The data is collected from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) public website database, “Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries.” OSHA’s resources were chosen due to its decades-long, credible reports of on-the-job accidents. The Incident Report is a look back at accidents that have already occurred. Analysis of accident data can reveal causes and trends in pressure equipment incidents and can provide insight that may be valuable in preventing future accidents. As new data is added each year, Incident Report statistics will provide greater analysis of the kind of pressure equipment accidents that have taken place.
How the Report Is Compiled
National Board extracts a report from OSHA’s database using industry-specific keywords to customize the results. Each customized report generated by OSHA is then reviewed by National Board staff. Only incidents that are identified as applicable to the boiler and pressure vessel industry are added to the Incident Report statistics.
Before OSHA reports are cleared and posted to its database, each summary undergoes a thorough investigation, revision, and screening process by OSHA, which can delay posting up to 5 years. For those reasons, the National Board has elected to research summaries that are greater than five years old. National Board began with years 2002-2007, and then on an annual basis will add the next year’s data to the National Board Incident Report.
2013 Report Information
The 2013 Incident Report includes OSHA summaries that have been updated and cleared by OSHA as of 12/31/2013 for occurrences through 12/31/2008. The 2008 OSHA summaries are the newest set of data National Board has reviewed and added to the Incident Report.
Compared to the initial findings in the 2012 Incident Report (published in the winter 2013 BULLETIN) refreshed data between 2002 and 2007 did not show significant changes. The new data comes from boiler and pressure vessel-related accidents that occurred in 2008. This data reveals that incidents continue to occur for many reasons and cause property damage, injuries, and fatalities. (Click on the following “OSHA Incidents” links to read each detailed report.) Owners, inspectors, installers, operators, and repair organizations must continue to learn, understand, and apply safety rules and regulations to prevent or minimize the number of incidents that occur annually.
CLICK HERE for the full report.