Investigation of Causative Factors Associated with Summertime Workplace Fatalities
Summary of Major Findings
Table 7 - Summary of major findings
Seasonal trends of workplace fatalities
| Major Research Findings | Note |
|---|---|
| More work-related fatal incidents tend to occur in the summer months (December-February), followed by autumn (March-May) | Strong independent evidence support. |
| The 'Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing' industry is more vulnerable to the summertime workplace fatalities than other industries. | Strong independent evidence support. |
| Within the agriculture sector, January has the highest workplace fatality rate, followed by April and October. | |
| Within the agriculture industry, 'Forestry and logging' is the sub-sector with the highest summertime fatality rate, followed by 'Horticulture & fruit growing'. | |
| The mid north region and the southern region have been found to be most affected by the summer season with regard to the occurrence of work-related fatal incidents. | |
| In the northern part of New Zealand (northern and mid north regions), work-related fatal incidents involving employees tend to occur more in the summer; and in the southern part of the country (central and southern regions), work-related fatal incidents appear to occur more in the autumn. | |
| Workers aged between 55 and 64 years have the highest incident of summertime workplace fatalities. This trend is applicable to all industries, but in particular to the 'Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing' industry. | Strong independent evidence support. |
| Workers between 35 and 44 years of age are more likely to have work-related fatal incidents in the autumn. This trend is applicable to all industries, and in particular to the agriculture industry. | |
| Older workers (aged 65 and above) tend to have a higher fatality rate in the agriculture industry than any other age groups during the harvest season in autumn. | |
| There are two peak times when work-related fatal incidents are most likely to occur, one is late morning (between 10:30am and 12:30pm), and the other is mid afternoon (2:30 to 3:00pm). This trend is applicable for all industries, and in particular for agriculture. | Strong independent evidence support. |
| When time of day data are examined by season, work related fatal incidents in summer tend to occur in the morning time (from sunrise to noon); and work related fatal incidents in autumn tend to occur more in the afternoon (from noon to sunset). | |
| Most work-related fatal incidents happen during the weekdays (Monday - Friday). | Strong independent evidence support. |
Primary causes of workplace fatalities
| Major Research Findings | Note |
|---|---|
| 52% of work related fatalities involved a vehicle | This is also supported by independent evidence |
| Nearly 50% of the total workplace deaths from 2000 to 2005 were directly due to one of three causes: The first and most frequent cause for work-related death is vehicle rollover (accounting for 23% of total workplace fatalities investigated).The second cause of workplace fatalities is fall from height (accounting for 9.7% of total workplace fatalities investigated).The third cause of workplace fatalities is fatal crush injuries (by vehicle or by machineries) (accounting for 17% of total workplace fatalities investigated). | Strong independent evidence support. |
Direct contributing factors to workplace fatalities
| Major Research Findings | Note |
|---|---|
| Seven factors have been identified from the workplace fatality investigation reports as directly contributing to a high proportion of the fatalities that occurred during 2000 to 2005. They are:Human error (associated with at least 43.14% of total work-related fatalities investigated).Procedural violation (associated with at least 27.76%). Note: Either human error or procedural violation may have contributed to an additional 16.05%Poor/inadequate equipment/workplace design (22.07%).Poor safety culture (11.71%).Unsafe supervision (10.03%).Lack of PPE (personal protective equipment) (8.70%).Lack of experience (7.69%). | Multiple factor involvement counted. |
Other workplace factors likely to contribute to increased risk of work related fatalities
| Major Research Findings | Note |
|---|---|
| Hours worked per day.(Applicable for all industries, and in particular for 'Dairy & cattle farming' within the agriculture industry). | Strong independent evidence support. |
| Lack of recovery from fatigue.(Applicable for all industries, and in particular for 'Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing', and for 'Construction'. | Strong independent evidence support. |
| Tight timescales/deadlines.(Applicable for 'Horticulture & fruit growing' sector within the 'Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing' industry. | Strong independent evidence support. |
| Staffing levels.(Applicable for all industries, and particularly for 'Horticulture & fruit growing' sector within the agriculture industry. | Moderate independent evidence support. |
| Amount of casual labour.(Applicable for all industries, and particularly for 'Horticulture & fruit growing' sector within the agriculture industry. | Moderate independent evidence support. |
| The following environmental factors are likely to contribute to increased risk of work related fatalities | |
| Rain / wet days.(Applicable for all industries, and particularly for the agriculture industry). | Moderate independent evidence support. |
| High temperatures.(Applicable for all industries, and particularly for 'Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing', 'Cultural, recreational & other services', and 'Manufacturing'). | Moderate independent evidence support. |
| Longer hours of sunshine. (Applicable for 'Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing', 'Cultural, recreational & other services', 'Manufacturing', and 'Transport & storage'). | Moderate independent evidence support. |
| The following sociological factors are likely to contribute to increased risk of work related fatalities | |
| Increased consumption of alcohol.(Applicable for all industries, and in particular for 'Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing'). | Strong independent evidence support. |
| More tourists (and temporary workers).(Applicable for 'Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing', 'Construction', 'Cultural, recreational & other services', and 'Transport & storage' | Moderate independent evidence support. |
| School holidays and public holidays.(Applicable for 'Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing', and 'Manufacturing'. | Moderate independent evidence support. |
| Daylight saving. |
The following individual factors are also likely to contribute to increase risk of work related fatalities
| Major Research Findings | Note |
|---|---|
| Gender (male workers, employees, and self-employed).(Applicable for all industries). | Strong independent evidence support. |
| From the age, gender, industry, season, and time of day data combined it may be postulated that:Male workers working in the agriculture industry, aged between 55 and 64, are most likely to have a fatal incident in their workplace during the summertime between sunrise and noon.Male workers working in the agriculture industry, aged between 35 and 44, are most likely to have a work-related fatal incident during the autumn between noon and sunset. | |
| Return to work after a long holiday.(Applicable for all industries). | Moderate independent evidence support. |