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Accident and Injuries

Summary Points
  • The rate of road traffic casualty collisions in Merthyr Tydfil is slightly below the average for Wales
  • Merthyr Tydfil has proportionately more work-related accident statistics in the manufacturing sector than in the service sector.
  • Merthyr Tydfil has a higher death rate due to injuries in Wales compared to the average for Wales.

Injuries and their consequences produce a heavy burden on society in terms of short and long term disability and death, economic loss and health care costs. Whilst injuries account for only about 3% of total deaths in Wales, a high proportion of deaths occur in the young. The potential years of life lost before age 75 due to injuries account for around 15% of all premature death in Wales.

Road Traffic Injuries

There were more than nine and a half thousand (9,535) road traffic collisions which resulted in at least one injured person recorded on the STATS19 system by the police services in Wales in 2004. The number of collisions is influenced by a number of factors including the road layout and the volume and speed of traffic.

 

The rate of road traffic casualty  casualty collisions in Merthyr Tydfil is slightly below the average for Wales

The Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council 'Road Safety Section' of their web site provides information relating to accident rates in Merthyr Tydfil:

The Merthyr Tydfil Road Safety Strategy covering the period from 2006-2010 sets out the ways in which the Authority intends to contribute towards the reduction of road accident casualties between now and 2010.The strategy is based largely on advice and guidance outlined in the Road Safety Strategy for Wales.

Workplace Injuries

The chart below shows the numbers of injuries to employees by industry type and Local Health Board area. It is important to note that figures for Cardiff are high because there are more people working in the city and not necessarily because the injury rate there is high. It is not possible to calculate population based rates with these data. Service industies accounted for 63% of all injuries to employees in Wales in 2004/5.

Merthyr Tydfil has proportionately more workplace accidents in the manufacturing sector than the service sector.

Death due to Injury

 

Local Health Board (LHB) analysis of mortality [death] registration data for 2002-2004 reveals considerable variation across Wales, as shown in the chart below. Merthyr Tydfil has a higher death rate due to injuries in Wales compared to the average for Wales.

 

 

Useful Links

Road Safety Wales

CAPIC (Collaboration for Accident Prevention and Injury Control)

RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents)

Eradicating Child Poverty in Wales - Measuring Success

Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council Accident Casualty Rates