InjuriesBoard.ie Publishes Research on Public Liability ("PL") Awards
- 2860 PL AWARDS TOTAL €65MILLION IN 2 YEAR PERIOD
- FEMALES ACCOUNT FOR 7 OF EVERY 10 PL AWARDS IN IRELAND
- SLIPS, TRIPS AND FALLS CAUSE MOST PL ACCIDENTS
The total value of public liability ['PL'] Awards made by InjuriesBoard.ie in the 24 months to December 2008 was €65.4million. Females accounted for 70% of the 2860 PL awards during this period - over twice as many (2.3 times) as males. This is a direct reversal of data for workplace accidents where females account for just 30% of awards (Table 1).
56% of PL accidents took place in privately owned establishments (Table 2) - with almost one in four (24%) occurring in a retail/shopping outlet, one in five (19%) in a pub/nightclub or restaurant and 13% in leisure facilities like sports clubs/gyms and cinemas. Over a quarter of PL awards (27%) were made against Local Authorities and a further 6% involved transport and utility services.
Commenting, Patricia Byron, Chief Executive, InjuriesBoard.ie said: "During these tough economic times, some companies and organisations who admit the public to their facilities may be tempted to cut their investment in health and safety. That kind of approach can backfire, particularly, if you operate in a very competitive and accident-prone sphere such as retail.
"As this review highlights, the factors which give rise to accidents in public places are many and varied. It is timely for public and private sector organisations alike to review the measures they have in place to prevent accidents across retail, hospitality, leisure and public spaces. Accident prevention is always important and ensuring your customers enjoy a safe environment can save money in the long run. Consumers must also take responsibility for accident prevention and be vigilant to the risks they face" Ms Byron said.
In summary, the research indicates:
- Causes: Slips, trips and falls account for the vast majority (67%) of personal injuries in a public place. Other causes included being struck by a falling or flying object (11%), being injured by machinery (5%), burns/scalding (2%) and food poisoning (1%). (Table 3)
- Injury type: A review of the types of injuries sustained indicates that many accident victims sustain at least two injuries. Sprains (40%) are the most common injury, followed by bruising (32%), fractures (29%) and lacerations (25%). (Table 4)
- Age: People of all ages can be the victim of an accident (Table 5), but in general, as people get older the risk rises. Half of all awards went to persons over 45, even though they account for just one third of the population.
- Region: The geographic spread of claimants across the country (Table 6) shows that the highest percentage of awards went to Dublin (37%), followed by Munster at 31%, the Rest of Leinster at 22% and Connaught/Ulster at 10%. On a per head of population basis residents in Dublin are 32% more likely to receive an award than in other regions.
- Award Value: The total value of PL Awards made by InjuriesBoard.ie in the 24 months to December 2008 was €65.4million. The average PL award in the period was €22,865. Over half the awards were for amounts of less than €20,000 - typically sprains, bruises, fractures and lacerations. (Table 7)
- Administration: One in six (17%) of all awards made by InjuriesBoard.ie related to Public Liability. The average processing time of 7 months was four times faster than the prior adversarial system, with a substantially lower administration cost. Since 2004, all personal injury claims in Ireland (excluding medical negligence) must be processed through InjuriesBoard.ie.
Concluding her remarks, Ms Byron said: "To date, more efficient administration by InjuriesBoard.ie is delivering €100m in savings each year, compared with the prior adversarial system. We believe that improved accident prevention measures can deliver substantial additional savings as well as facilitating lower insurance premia for consumers and for business".
Note: Detailed tables and case studies are attached as appendices to this release
Ends. Date: Monday, 15th June 2009
For Reference:
InjuriesBoard.ie
Gerry Naughton
Tel.: 01 4634565 / 086 803 2891
About InjuriesBoard.ie
Appendix 1: Supporting tables
A Review of Public Liability Awards 2007 & 2008 including Case Studies