When the National Board standardized its reporting process for gathering incident statistics in 1991, it was with the objective of creating a accurate and consistent database that would, over time, yield a bona fide method of identifying and correcting the causes of boiler and pressure vessel accidents.

OVERVIEW
Tragically, a total of 127 persons have lost their lives as the result of boiler and pressure vessel accidents during the past ten years. On average, that is just less than 13 fatalities per year. ...When it comes to number of accidents, there is little positive news. Each year during the 1992 to 2001 reporting period saw at least 2,000 accidents, with a total of 23,338 accidents. That averaged 2,334 accidents per year. The highest number of accidents (2,686) occurred in 2000, while the lowest number (2,011) took place in 1998.

HUMAN ERROR
Of the 23,338 accidents recorded over the past ten years, 83 percent were a direct result of human oversight or lack of knowledge (i.e., LOW-WATER CONDITION, IMPROPER INSTALLATION, IMPROPER REPAIR, or OPERATOR ERROR OR POOR MAINTENANCE). Human oversight and lack of knowledge were also responsible for 69 percent of the injuries and 60 percent of recorded deaths.

As anyone who has followed these Incident Reports knows, LOW-WATER CONDITION and OPERATOR ERROR OR POOR MAINTENANCE have stood atop the list of boiler accident causes for all ten years (includes power boilers, steam-heating boilers and water-heating boilers)."

Mr. Donald E. Tanner, Executive Director of the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors, explained why these statistics are so alarming. "While being able to identify and isolate a problem may not necessarily give us complete comfort, it does provide certainty -- the knowledge of what needs to be corrected....simply put: what we do not know can hurt us. Our lack of understanding or knowledge of the perils of boiler and pressure vessel safety puts everyone at risk. Just ask the 84 people who were reported as sustaining boiler and pressure vessel-related injuries last year... And we must do more to inform the general public -- to insist that everyone who works on and around boilers have the essential knowledge to protect themselves as well as those around them.