The accident rate for specialized carriers is going down, according to the 1999 Safety Survey of 1998 Incidents. The data, based on input from members of the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Assn., shows that 56% of respondents reported no accidents in 1998, up from 50.3% in 1997.

Only 7.9% of responding companies reported an accident incident rate of over 1.0 -- half the rate of previous years. The accident incident rate is an indication of injuries that prevent an injured worker from returning to work on the next regular shift or subsequent scheduled shift.
The survey was funded by the SC&R Foundation and conducted by Association Research Inc., an independent research firm. Results were drawn from a survey of 184 SC&RA members. Just over 15% were millwrighting operations, 16.3% were primarily crane operations, 22.3% were primarily transportation companies, and 16.3% were both crane and transportation companies.
Along with accident incident rates, the report includes analyses of injuries by job title of injured persons, type of injury, body part injured, and equipment in use.
The 1999 Safety Survey of 1998 Incidents can be ordered by calling the SC&RA Foundation at (703) 698-0297 or via the Internet at www.scranet.org. Price is $95 for members and $195 for nonmembers.