INTERRATER ANALYSIS OF A CLASSIFICATION SCHEME OF OCCUPATIONAL FATALITIES BY ELECTROCUTION

This study describes the circumstances surrounding occupational fatali ties by electrocution from 1981 to 1988 in the province of Quebec. Inf ormation was gathered through the Quebec Worker's Compensation Board, which is responsible for investigating occupational accident fatalitie s. Haddon's method of classifying information on accidents was adapted to the phenomenon of electrocutions. First, a model for analyzing the transfer of electricity to the victim was developed from the patterns observed in the data. The adaptability of the method was tested with an inter-rater reliability analysis. The analysis showed consistency b etween observers for five variables. The source of information was not as factual as was originally hypothesized. The one weakness in the an alysis was the interpretation of hypothetical information contained in the investigation reports. In organizing the information, researchers differentiated between factual contents and hypothetical information, with factual information being the most useful in applying Haddon's m ethod to electrocution. This method makes it possible to plan measures to prevent occupational fatalities by electrocution.