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Campus Health and Safety
Accident/Incident Statistics 2015
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Accident/Incident Statistics 2015
Number of Work/Study-Related Injuries
 
A total of 36 work/study-related injury cases were recorded in 2015. Among the cases:
  • 21 cases involved staff members
  • 12 cases involved students
  • 3 cases involved contractors
A comparison of accident numbers over the past 10 years is shown in Table 1 below.
 
Table 1. Comparison of Staff & Student Work/Study-Related Accident Numbers
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Staff Accident Number 25 18 22 27 35 19 22 27 19 21
Student Accident Number 8 8 8 4 8 6 4 5 13 12


Lost Workdays

A total of 82.5 lost workdays of all the staff injury cases were recorded by the end of 2015. The comparison of lost workdays over the past 10 years is shown in Table 2 below. 
 
The severity of individual cases is analysed and represented by the number of lost workdays as shown in Table 3. In all the 21 staff work-related injury cases, 4 cases did not incur any lost workdays, 8 cases incurred 3 or fewer lost workdays and 9 cases incurred more than 3 lost workdays. The largest number of lost workdays in one single case was 13 days.
 
Table 2. Comparison of Lost Workdays
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Total Number of Lost Workdays 430 86 140 473 382 143.5 432 272 389 82.5
Average Lost Workday Per Accident 17.2 4.8 6.4 17.5 10.9 7.6 19.6 10.1 20.5  3.9 

Table 3. HKUST Staff Work Accidents in 2015 by Unit
Department No. of Accidents
  Total LWD=0 0 LWD>3
CHEM 2 1   1
CIVL 1 1    
DAO 1   1  
DHSS 1   1  
FMO 6   2 4
HSEO 1 1    
LIFS 3 1 2  
SAO 3   1 2
SHRLO 3   1 2
Total 21 4 8 9

 LWD = Lost Workday(s) 

 
Cause of Work/Study-Related Injuries
 
Figure 1 summarizes the causes for all work/study-related injuries in 2015.  
 
Both "Animal Handling" and "Machinery/Equipment" were the top causes for work/study-related injuries (5 cases each) in 2015. All five cases in "Animal Handling" were bites by mice, and 4 of them involved students.
 
 
Locations of Accidents
 
Among the 33 staff and students injury cases: 
  • 16 occurred in laboratories
  • 3 occurred in student quarters
  • 2 occurred in staff quarters
  • 1 occurred in office areas
  • 2 occurred in indoor common areas
  • 5 occurred in outdoor common areas
  • 1 occurred in plant room
  • 2 occurred in sport facilities
  • 1 occurred off campus
     
Common Root Causes of Accidents
 
Besides classifying causes of injuries in terms of physical sources and energies involved, investigation of the injury cases also revealed some common underlying root causes.  These root causes are summarized in Figure 2 below. 
 
 
 
Non-injury Incidents
 
A total of 4 non-injury work/study-related incidents were reported in 2015.  These incidents are summarized below by their nature:
  • Flooding in laboratory areas – 2 cases
  • Smoke and smell due to overheating a glass bottle in laboratory – 1 case
  • Smoke and smell due to defect of an equipment in NFF – 1 case
     
Summary of Significant Findings
  1. There were 32 cases of staff and students accidents in 2015, same as that of the previous year. The number of staff injury cases had increased by 2 cases, while the number of student injury cases had decreased by 1 case.
     
  2.  The number of lost workdays in 2015 was 82.5 days, which was the lowest in the past 10 years. 
     
  3. "Animal Handling" and "Equipment & Machinery" became the top causes for injuries in 2015, each having 5 cases. All five cases in "Animal Handling" involved people who were bitten by mouse when they were performing experiments with mice, and 4 of them were students. 
     
  4. About 40% (13 cases) of all accidents were attributed to "Inadequate Knowledge or Skill" of the people involved, most of them were students. 
     
  5. Number of accidents occurred in laboratories remained as the highest (16 cases or 48%), same as in 2014. All the 12 cases of student accidents occurred in laboratories.