Abstract:
Significant Workplace Injuries and Diseases in Sri Lanka
Abstract: The growth of the industrial sector has been a valuable element of the economic
development strategies of many countries worldwide. However in industrial operations, there
is a risk of accidents and diseases that can cause extensive harm to people, and incur huge
costs. The victims need to be compensated in accordance with the Workmen’s Compensation
Act. This thesis presents the results of a study conducted to analyze the most significant
accidents and diseases that occur in workplaces by considering the insurance claims made
under the Workmen’s Compensation Act.
The study classifies different types of accidents, and compares and correlates their severity
and frequency. During the analysis, different types of accidents that had taken place in
workplaces were identified along with the most significant accidents among them. The
correlation between the severity and the frequency of workplace accidents was also
established. The frequency and time have a “positive linear relationship” with each other
whereas severity has a “negative linear relationship” with time. The cost per accident
(severity/ frequency) has a “negative linear relationship with time. With the rapid
industrialization of the country, this subject has become an area that needs to be addressed
early to keep up with the phase of development. Efforts made towards reducing the rate of
severity/ frequency could be a good indication that the need to gradually improve workplace
safety has been acknowledged. Therefore, this rate is one of the important parameters that
could be used to monitor the level of safety in a workplace. The ratio (cost/ accident) also
could be used to benchmark a workplace against other workplaces. This study has also
revealed that no compensation has been paid for occupational diseases, which raises a
concern on the effectiveness of our national policy on workplace safety.