Analysing accident trends and safety factors in scrap-based steelmaking plants: a case study from Punjab, India (2017–2022)

This study identifies and analyses the primary elements contributing to accidents in scrap-based steelmaking plants in the Punjab state of India as a typical case study. The collected data for 2017-2022 from different scrap-based steelmaking plants were analysed utilizing Boston square matrix, Pareto chart, Ishikawa diagram and Poisson-distribution-based control chart analysis. The results revealed that fatal accidents contributed to around 13% of total accidents. The least fatal accidents are observed in the summer, around 17% of total accidents compared to the monsoon and winter seasons. The maximum contribution in non-fatal accidents is from lost-time injury, at around 85% of total non-fatal accidents. Moreover, compared to 2017, this study demonstrated a 78 and 45% decrease in non-fatal and fatal accidents in 2022. This decrease may be attributed to the efficacy and influence of regulatory measures, the acquisition of knowledge from past accidents and employee awareness in these scrap-based steelmaking facilities.