[The severity rate of accidents in a mechanical plant]

The severity rate of industrial accidents is calculated so as to make possible their statistical processing. The application to the case of a mechanical plant is presented in order to estimate the severity of the industrial accident risk. Such risk increases with the age of the accident victims, with great climatic changes, with the passing of non-stop working hours, and is due above all to limb contusions (the upper are the more affected) as a consequence of struck against or by objects, of the falls of objects and persons, of getting caught between objects and of hitting against stationary objects, in increasing order of severity; the decrease in the rate with the passing of week days can be indicative of difficulties in the psyco-physical adjustment to the work place. The severity rate has decreased in the course of the seven years examined for unclear causal reasons which require their own analysis. The improvement in the prevention of industrial accident in this plant can be accomplished through the amelioration of the whole work place from the physical point of view (relief from physical fatigue, control of microclimate and pollution, order and cleanliness in a work place of adequate space and illumination), as well as from the psycological point of view (letting the staff know about the risks and the means to avoid them, concern with social relations).