MPS training accident study

Report: 13
Date: 10 December 2009
By: Director of Human Resources on behalf of The Commissioner

Summary

Frontline Consultants were appointed by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to identify and study the training-related accidents reported, during 2007 and 2008 and make recommendations for improvement. The report will shortly be issued to the MPS Strategic Health and Safety Committee for consultation.

A working group of specialist practitioners will be set up under the MPS Strategic Health and Safety Committee to discuss the issues and identify ways in which the accident injury rate can be reduced.

A. Recommendation

That members receive the report.

B. Supporting information

1. Frontline Consultants were appointed by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to identify and study the training-related accidents reported during 2007 and 2008 and make recommendations for improvement. This report provides an overview of that study.

Study objectives

2. The study objectives were to:

• Identify the training related accidents within the MPS in 2007 and 2008;
• develop an accident database containing the training-related accidents;
• analyse the training-related accidents to identify when the accidents occurred, who was involved, what they were doing at the time of the accident, where and how the accident occurred;
• Identify conclusions and recommendations that allow the MPS to plan and prioritise risk controls to reduce incidence and impact of training-related accidents.

Methodology

3. The study methodology is listed in Appendix 1.

Report status

4. The study is now complete and the time of producing this report the authors were validating the final draft report prior to its release for consultation.

Executive summary

5. Frontline Consultants have indicated that the final report will conclude that:

Accident rate

6. 1,339 training-related accidents were identified in the period of 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2008. This constituted 8% of the 15,994 accidents recorded on MetAIR in that period. Of these, 72 resulted in major injuries, 252 in over 3-day injuries, and 1,010 were minor (not reportable to the Health and Safety Executive).

Accident coding

7. A database containing the accidents was developed, and each was coded to identify what training course the injured person was on, what training was undertaken, what equipment was used, and what injuries were sustained.

Seasonal trend

8. Between 30 and 90 training-related accidents were recorded on MetAIR each month in 2007 and 2008. The largest number of accidents was recorded in November and the fewest in August.

Training type

9. Officer safety training was involved in the largest number of training-related accidents. Public order training was involved in the second largest number of accidents. However, sufficient information was not always available to identify whether level 1 or level 2 public order training was involved in the accidents.

Accident causation

10. Accidents occur most frequently during open hand training, fist suit scenarios and handcuff training provided as part of officer safety training, and shield exercises provided as part of public order training. The largest numbers of accidents resulted from training involving open hand techniques. Those typically resulted from injuring a hand whilst punching a protective pad, protective pads being deflected into the face of the person holding the pad as a result of a strike, the striking hand being deflected off of the protective pad and striking the person holding the pad.

Location

11. The largest number of accidents occurred in borough training venues followed by the MPSTC at Gravesend. Officer safety training is involved in the largest number of training-related accidents at the BOCU/OCU, Peel Centre and TA locations. Of the officer safety training accidents, 371 occurred at the OCU locations, while 145 occurred at the Peel Centre.

Slips/trips

12. The largest number of known accidents actually involved no equipment. ‘Slips, trips and falls on the same level’ and ‘Hit something fixed or stationary’ constituted the largest number of accidents with over 200 during the two-year period. Being ‘Struck by another student’, ‘Hit by a moving, flying or falling object’ and ‘Injured while handling lifting or carrying also accounted for around 70 to 140 accidents each over the two-year period. However, 21% of the training-related accidents are classified as ‘another’ type of accident.

Training equipment

12. Of the specific equipment types, protective pads, fist suits and shields were involved in the largest numbers of accidents.

Type of injury

13. The largest number of accidents involved injuries to people’s knees, backs, ankles, shoulders and wrists; with over 100 of each reported in the two-year period. Of major injury accidents (as defined by the Health and Safety Executive), dislocated shoulders and fractured wrists occur most frequently.

Age

14. The age groups involved in the largest number of accidents are 25-29, 35-39 and 40-44. Males were involved in 1,035 training-related accidents in the two-year period, whilst females were involved in 301. The proportion of accidents assigned to each of the severity categories are similar for major and minor injury accidents, whilst proportionately more over 3-day injury accidents are reported for males.

Analysis breakdown

15. A convenient way of thinking about the causes of accidents is to group them in terms of human, hardware and external factors. The hardware and external factors are likely to be the easiest ones to deal with. However, experience in other industries indicates that improvements in hardware and external factors only address a proportion of the underlying causes. Understanding the human factors is needed in order to address the full range of issues and identify any improvements that can be made. This study provides a focus on where the problem areas are, and how they can be best tackled, and a framework for improvement.

Way forward

16. The report will shortly be issued to the MPS Strategic Health and Safety Committee for consultation. A working group of specialist practitioners will be set up to discuss issues and identify ways in which the accident injury rate can be reduced. For example why large numbers of training-related accidents are occurring during officer safety training undertaken in BOCU/OCU locations (when compared with the number of training-related accidents occurring at the Peel Centre).

Officer safety training initiatives

17. The CO11 Office Safety Unit has closely collated and supported the Safety and Health Risk Management Team and Frontline during this study. In recognition to the draft report’s findings the Officer Safety Unit has amended this year’s development training syllabus to include a ‘safety bulletin’ for all (B)OCU Officer Safety Trainers. Trainers are reminded of their responsibility to ensure that appropriate safety procedures are followed, coupled with clear instruction and supervision. The importance of following the ‘Fist Suit’ guidance and the correct ‘protective pad’ carriage, especially during empty handed training, is also reiterated. The Office Safety Training Unit will be a key stakeholder and participant as this work moves forward under the MPS Strategic Health and Safety Committee.

Consultation

18. This report was produced in consultation with Frontline Consultants and CO11 Officer Safety Training Unit.

C. Race and equality impact

There are no immediate implications on equality and diversity arising from this report.

D. Financial implications

1. There are no immediate financial implications from this report.

2. Costs associated with any additional work arising out of this report will be subject to a business case and submitted for consideration through the MPA/MPS decision making process. Any additional costs will have to be accommodated within the 2010-13 budget as finally approved.

E. Legal implications

The information in this report assists the Authority in the performance of its duties under Health and Safety legislation and of its strategic oversight role as set out in the joint MPA/MPS Corporate Health and Safety Policy.

F. Background papers

• None

G. Contact details

Report author: Nick Kettle, Head of Safety and Health Risk Management

For information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

Appendix 1

MPS Training Accident Study Methodology

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