For FAQ see Section 5 below.

1.   Introduction

IOGP Fatality and Permanent Impairment (FPI) injury definitions are designed for use in energy industry reporting. They are deliberately concise and concept based. Examples and an associated Frequently Asked Questions resource will help support specific case decision making. The concepts are provided in plain language to facilitate reliable interpretation and application across a wide scope of potential scenarios, by industry personnel without health qualifications. The permanent impairment injury definition should be determinable from a basic assessment of known injuries assisted by injury reports, medical certificates and/or worker self-reports of current status.

These definitions are aligned to recognized international systems of classification including the

• American Medical Association Guides: The Sixth Edition
• World Health Organization (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF)

2.   Disclaimer

While definitions of permanent impairments in this guidance are aligned with the American Medical Association Guides: Sixth Edition and World Health Organisation (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), determination of a permanent impairment for industry reporting does not imply a “Permanent Impairment” is present for compensation payment calculations, or for legal or regulatory purposes.  FPI criteria and injury severity classifications used for industry reporting are not legally binding.  Quantification of impairment level for compensatory purposes should be undertaken by a certified assessor against local regulatory requirements.

3.   Definitions

3.1    Fatality

A death as a result of a work-related incident. ‘Delayed’ deaths that occur within 180 days post incident are to be included if the death was a direct result of the incident (refer to the Annual IOGP Safety Performance Indicators User Guide for the definition and further guidance on fatality, ‘delayed’ deaths, work related and injury).

3.2    Permanent Impairment (PI)

3.2.1 Definition  

Permanent impairment is defined as the outcome of a work-related injury from which the worker cannot or is not expected to return to their previous (pre-incident) whole person function as a result of an acute, single incident, resulting in any of the following:  

• Permanent loss of body parts  
• Permanent reduction of organ’s physiological function  
• Permanent reduction in skin and musculoskeletal function  
• Permanent reduction in psychological, social, or cognitive function  

For reporting purposes, the classification is to be made within 180 days of the injury.   

“Whole person function” relates to a person’s physiological / psychological status. Impairment is defined as either, or both: 

• Loss of ability to return to the previous work role    
• Loss of ability to perform the activities of daily living (ADL)  

 3.2.2 Application guidance  

• Typically, it will be clear at the time of an incident, or soon after, whether the injury will lead to a permanent impairment classification and can be classified at that point.  
• For injury reporting classification, determine permanent impairment by considering whether the injured party has reached a state of Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI). MMI is achieved when a person has received all available medical intervention and rehabilitation options with no further status improvement deemed likely. MMI is likely to have been achieved within 180 days post incident in the majority of cases.  
• If the PI classification is not clear, the opinion of a medical professional should be obtained to enable the determination to be made within 180 days of the incident.

3.3       Injury work relatedness

An injury case is deemed work related when an acute/single incident (also referred to as a work-related injury resulted from instantaneous event or exposure, as per OSHA definition) in the work environment is the discernible cause of the FPI. Work relatedness of a secondary health outcome that may create permanent impairment requires a clear injury mechanism that explains the secondary outcome. In uncertain cases this will require expert medical opinion to confirm or refute the work incident as the root causative factor. For additional information see the IOGP Safety Performance User Guide. See classification examples.

3.4      FPI criteria

Within the FPI reporting methodology the following definitions are used:

• Actual FPI: An incident that results in a fatality or permanent impairment
• Potential FPI: An incident that results in an injury (first aid and recordable) that could have realistically resulted in a fatality or permanent impairment
• Near Miss FPI: An event that could have realistically resulted in a fatality or permanent impairment where there was no actual injury

Note: IOGP defines a High Potential Event as any incident or near miss that could have realistically resulted in one or more fatalities. An actual, potential or near miss FPI may or may not be a high potential event.

3.5    Permanent Impairment criteria

The Permanent Impairment metric is met by any of the below criteria singularly or in combination. Impairment may occur to physical, psychological or social function if it related to an acute/single incident.

3.5.1.     Permanent loss of body parts

Permanent loss of body parts as a result of an acute/single incident due to mechanical trauma, thermal trauma, radioactivity, vibration, chemical exposure or other. Examples:

• Amputations with loss of bone inclusive of one or more joints (not able to be reattached)
• Loss of eye(s)
• Loss of internal organs e.g. kidney, spleen (may also meet criteria 3.4.2)
• Loss of facial structures, example: nose, ears, leading to disfigurement
• Loss of genitalia or other sexual organs

Successful use of limb prosthesis to improve function does not negate a permanent impairment definition.

On a case-by-case basis, when diagnosis of permanent impairment is unclear, a medical professional opinion should be used to determine permanent impairment.

3.5.2.     Permanent reduction of organ function

Permanent reduction in an organ’s physiological function as a result of an acute/single incident due to a mechanical trauma, thermal trauma, radioactivity, vibration, chemical exposure or other. Examples:

• Eye injury with loss of vision
• Bowel injury requiring permanent stoma
• Spinal injury requiring use of wheelchair
• Brain injury causing epilepsy (recurrent seizures)
• Heart injury with impaired exertion tolerance / measurable loss of function
• Lung injury, including inhalation, with impaired exertion tolerance/measurable loss of function. Loss of smell that creates a safety concern or significant personal impact
• Loss of hearing or persistent tinnitus (ear ringing) post injury after exposure to a blast
• Post injury complex pain disorders with uncontrolled pain and/or disrupted nerve and musculoskeletal function
• Genital or other sexual organ injury leading to loss of function

On a case-by-case basis, when diagnoses of permanent impairment is unclear, a medical professional opinion should be used to determine permanent impairment.

3.5.3.     Permanent reduction in skin and/or musculoskeletal function

Permanent reduction in skin and/or musculoskeletal function as a result of an acute/single incident due to a mechanical trauma, thermal trauma, radioactivity, vibration, chemical exposure or other. Examples:

• Burns: deep burns with scarring or skin grafts that impair body movement or other function. These are usually 2nd or 3rd degree burns and may be caused by thermal or chemical exposure. This includes a reduction of skin integrity, hypersensitivity to touch or skin fragility leading to friction ulceration. Burns that cause significant disfigurement or change to physical appearance resulting in a permanent impairment due to psychological, social or cognitive function would be considered under Section 3.5.4
• Tendon/ligament tear with ongoing pain and/or inadequate joint range of movement for normal work or general function such as cannot reach overhead, cannot squat or kneel.
• Traumatic soft tissue injury to shoulder/knee/elbow with ongoing pain and/or inadequate joint range of movement.
• Fracture with ongoing impairment to mobility.
• Amputation with successful reattachment but reduced function.

On a case-by-case basis, when diagnoses of permanent impairment is unclear, a medical professional opinion should be used to determine permanent impairment.

3.5.4.     Permanent reduction in psychological, social or cognitive function

Permanent reduction in psychological, social or cognitive function as a result of an acute/single incident with psychological trauma including an inability to self-care and/or an inability to maintain previous work, social and community relationships post incident. Examples:

• Brain injury with ongoing impact to emotional regulation, speech, memory, or other cognitive dysfunction
• Post injury psychiatric disorders including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with inability to return to previous work role and/or schedule

On a case-by-case basis, when diagnosis of permanent impairment is unclear, a medical professional opinion should be used to determine permanent impairment.

4.   Classification examples

4.1    Work related fatality

A person is crushed under a heavy metal plate. They are rescued and admitted to hospital for surgical repair of broken bones and ruptured soft tissue organ injuries. After 2 weeks they suffer multiorgan failure and died as a direct result of the severe nature of their injuries. This is a work-related fatality.

4.2    Non work related fatality

A person suffers a fall down stairs at work and breaks their right radius (wrist). They are discharged from hospital after surgery with metal fixation of the wrist and require a plaster cast and home-based care for 6 weeks. 2 weeks after discharge they suffer a heart attack and died. There is no medical link to suggest the injury was an attributable factor to trigger the heart attack. The death was due to an underlying personal condition and is not a work-related fatality even though they passed away within 30 days of an incident.

4.3    Permanent impairment mobility

A person in an office-based role is run over by a company vehicle on a company worksite. Due to spinal injuries, they require a wheelchair permanently. They can return to work and perform their office-based role without modifications but face significant challenges in their ability to self-care and perform the other activities of daily life. The injury caused a permanent impairment.

4.4    Brain injury

A person suffers a head injury from a heavy dropped object and is knocked unconscious. They are evacuated to a hospital and found to have a bleed on the brain and increased intracranial pressure. They require brain surgery to drain the bleeding and are placed in a therapeutic coma to optimize recovery. They are monitored and within one week are alert and able to converse but have no memory of the incident.

1. If they required short-term seizure control medication, rehabilitation and psychological therapy post discharge but have fully recovered from any seizures, mood disturbance, emotional regulation or cognitive function and not require further medication or therapies beyond 180 days. – NOT PI
2. If they were unable to return to a normal work role and schedule within 180 days due to one or more of the following: medication with impairing side effects, seizures, mood disturbance, emotional regulation or cognitive function decline. – PI

4.5    Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

A person was involved in rescuing a co-worker from an explosion / fire scenario and suffered first degree burns to their left arm. It required dressings and had a full recovery to normal skin function in six weeks. During the incident they witnessed their co-worker suffer extensive third degree burns. That co-worker subsequently died. This affected the person psychologically with recurrent flashbacks to the incident scene and created a general anxiety state. They felt unable to return to the workplace and were suffering severe distress. They are referred for specialist psychiatric and psychological evaluation and management and are given a diagnosis of post incident Post-Traumatic Stress disorder (PTSD).

1. If they required PTSD care and return to a normal work schedule and social function within 180 days. – NOT PI
2. If they require ongoing intensive PTSD care OR were unable to return to a normal work role and schedule OR faced ongoing social dysfunction impacts at 180 days. – PI

4.6    Loss of hearing post acoustic trauma

Cumulative work-related noise exposure and hearing loss (medical definition) is not covered in the FPI metric definition as it does not result from an acute/single incident. An acute acoustic trauma during an incident with immediate loss of hearing and/or tinnitus may meet Permanent Impairment definition.

Potential outcomes:

1. A Temporary Threshold Shift (TTS) that recovers with a return to baseline hearing and or normal hearing if no baseline measurement available. – NOT PI
2. A measured loss, partial or complete, of hearing function (medical definition) at 180 days post incident. – PI

Clarification: Subsequent use of hearing aids does not negate a PI definition.

4.7    Injection of foreign material

A person is adjusting the nozzle of a pressurized paint gun and inadvertently sprays lead based paint into their right hand. It penetrates the skin and creates significant soft tissue damage. They required significant surgical intervention, and the wound required a skin graft.

Potential outcomes:

1. If the graft heals well and the person requires hand rehabilitation therapy but was able to return to a normal work schedule and full hand function. – NOT PI
2. If the person requires ongoing therapy or is unable to return to a normal work function due to loss of hand strength or range of movement. – PI

4.8    Joint replacement or reconstruction post injury

A person is in a workplace incident where they fall off a ladder and sustains a pelvic fracture. They inform the employer that their specialist has recommended they have a hip replacement due to a combination of a pre-existing damage to the hip joint and the damage caused during the fall. A hip replacement does not automatically constitute a PI even though it could be considered an amputation. These are complex scenarios, and the two key determinants are:

• Work relatedness – This will be based on professional medical judgement that the primary reason for the joint replacement was the work-related incident and not underlying degeneration. Joint replacement surgery is not a standard expectation of a single event trauma. Joint replacements are traditionally outcomes of chronic wear of the joint over time. Severe injuries may theoretically damage joint structures to such degree that they cannot be repaired, rather need replacement.
• Functional recovery – This injury would not be a PI if the person had a successful return to work and other functional recovery.

Potential outcomes:

1. If it was determined as work related and the hip was reconstructed or replaced and returned to full functionality. – NOT PI
2. If it was determined to be work related and the hip was reconstructed or replaced but did not return to full functionality. – PI

In these scenarios companies are advised to obtain an independent medical professional opinion to determine if there is a causative connection between the injury and the stated need for a joint replacement.

Definition and examples last updated 23 April 2024.

5.   FAQ

1. Why do the permanent impairment definitions refer to 180 days?

This is a flexibility provided to allow injured persons a normal healing time to recover back to full function.

All injuries have expected healing times. The healing time needed will depend on the severity of the injury, (degree of the tissue damage) the characteristics of the tissue(s), injured as well as personal health factors. The healing process of human tissue is generally completed to symptoms free, or achieved a new steady state, at the 180 days (6 month) period, which is why it is used as a default period for expected maximal medical improvement.

2. If a LWDC or RWDC case reaches 180 lost and/or restricted days from the date of injury, is this automatically a PI?

If a person is medically certified as unable to attend the workplace and/or needs modifications to their work tasks or work place, there is a logical link to permanent impairment. Within 180 days a state of maximum medical improvement is likely to have been achieved. This is in alignment with other industry reporting organizations (OSHA, GRI). If, at 180 days the individual has not, or is not likely to, return to their previous whole person function, the opinion of a medical professional should be obtained. If they are not expected to return to their whole person function, the classification should be PI.  

3. If an individual was a professional driver and was unable to come back to driving but could work in another role, would this qualify as a PI?

PI is a deliberate shift away from attendance or not at the workplace, and refers to the person’s own health and return to previous function state.

1. Where a person is temporarily prevented from driving for medical reasons but is able to resume. – NOT PI
2. If a person had an impairment due to a workplace injury that required the removal of their previous medical certification for driving, then this would be considered a permanent impairment. This is due to their ongoing inability to be certified for commercial driving to the standards required for their previous role implies an impact to their whole person function. – PI

4. Is post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) an injury or an illness?

Under FPI definitions PTSD is considered an injury arising from a singular workplace event that created a psychological trauma.

This is consistent with the accepted medical definitions set by the American Psychiatric Association under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition. PTSD is a complex condition and the diagnosis should be made by a specialist psychiatrist or equivalently certified health professional.

5. If PTSD care was in the form of medication past the 180 days but the person was deemed fully functional on the medication, would it still be a PI?

For all complex cases specialist medical opinion on current state of impairment is advised. PI definitions are focused on the functional recovery of a person post incident.

1. If the person is able to resume their previous role within 180 days, as the specialist opinion was that the person was stable and only required a maintenance dose of a medication to support general mental health but has returned to otherwise normal function AND the medications used are not a deemed safety risk to their role and are acceptable under the company’s drug and alcohol policy. – NOT PI
2. If the person is unable to resume their previous role within 180 days, as the specialist opinion was that the person was still not at a state of normal function and still required ongoing medication(s) essential for maintaining whole person function (i.e. person is at high risk of crisis relapse). – PI
3. If the person is unable to resume previous role within 180 days, as the medications required by their specialist impact the safety of them performing their role, and/or are deemed unacceptable under the company drug and alcohol policy, the required medications are the barrier to resuming role – PI

6. If an individual requires long-term medication as a result of a physical injury, is that a PI? (e.g. burn, anti-seizure, pain medication)

As per question 5, for all complex cases specialist medical opinion on current state of impairment is advised. PI definitions are focused on the functional recovery of a person post incident.

1. If the person is able to resume their previous role, as the specialist opinion was that the person was stable and only required a maintenance dose of a medication to support general mental health, but has returned to otherwise normal whole person function, AND the medications used are not deemed a safety risk to their role and are acceptable under the company’s drug and alcohol policy. – NOT PI
2. If the person is unable to resume their previous role, as the specialist opinion was that the person was still not at a state of normal function and still at risk of relapse/deterioration and required ongoing medication(s) that were essential for maintaining any function after 180 days (i.e. person is at high risk of condition relapse). – PI
3. If the person is unable to resume their previous role as the medications required by their specialist impact the safety of them performing their role and/or are deemed unacceptable under the company drug and alcohol policy the required medications are the barrier to resuming role. – PI

7. Can incident witnesses and responders become PI cases even if they suffered no physical harm?

Yes. Witnesses and responders to workplace events can have significant psychological trauma. It is common for witnesses and responders to have a period of emotional distress after a major incident. Most will have a full recovery. A minority of people may go on to develop a mental health condition such as PTSD.

The difficulties of tracking these cases is recognised and it is not an expectation that companies proactively follow up all witnesses and responders to an incident. If witnesses, responders or their employers notify the company of significant, ongoing emotional distress or other functional impact post-incident it is recommended they are tracked for functional recovery.

See questions 4 and 5 for further clarification.

8. How do I obtain injury and PI information from contractors or personnel who have left their employing organization or are otherwise lost to follow-up?

Companies are advised to stipulate this as a contractual requirement to allow for safety statistics reporting purposes during the scope of work. International privacy and medical confidentiality laws allow for use of certain data such as general status updates for legitimate business and legislative reporting purposes. Where people are lost to follow-up, companies are advised to gain specialist medical opinion on the known injuries and whether they would likely have led to a PI outcome or not. In cases where there is ongoing medical insurance support information may be obtained with the consent of the individual.

9. For data reporting, should an injury be classified as PI if a person is expected to recover their whole person function but not within 180 days of the injury event? For example, due a longer period of healing required, prolonged treatment or care, or other reasons.

If, at 180 days the individual has not, or is not likely to, return to their previous whole person function, the opinion of a medical professional should be obtained. If they are not expected to return to their whole person function, the classification should be PI. 

10. Would a case where a person broke their leg, suffered a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), and then died be considered a work related fatality?

For all complex cases specialist medical opinion is advised.

The fatality metric is a death as a result of a work-related incident. In this example the answer is possibly yes if the medical opinion is that there is a direct linkage of the death to the incident in that:

1. The DVT condition was directly the causal factor in the death AND
2. The DVT primarily arose due to the injury

If all criteria are met this should be reported as a work related fatality.

11. What is the scope of reporting?

The scope of reporting is the same for employee and contractor FPI as for other IOGP safety performance metrics and follows the same work-relatedness criteria. See the IOGP Safety Performance Indicators User Guide https://data.iogp.org/Safety/UserGuide.

12. Are 3rd party FPI reportable to IOGP?

Companies are invited to submit information on 3^rd party FPI to IOGP where the information is available. If the information is not available or is incomplete, then this is not a requirement.

13. Are near miss FPI reportable to IOGP?

No. IOGP welcomes the opportunity for narratives to be submitted in the same way as high potential events, but there is no specific metric for near miss FPI at this time.

14. Why are permanent impairments from chronic exposures not included?

The metric definitions are set as injuries arising from an identified single incident. The outcomes of acute exposures are considered under the FPI metric. Chronic exposures are generally considered occupational illnesses which are not included in the scope of IOGP reporting for lagging indicator metrics, which cover injury only.

15. How is a potential/near miss FPI different from a high potential event?

A high potential event is an event which could have, under slightly different circumstances, realistically resulted in a fatal incident. A high potential event could be both an actual PI and a potential fatality.

1. Actual FPI: An incident that results in a fatality or permanent impairment 
2. Potential FPI: An incident that results in an injury (first aid and recordable) that could have realistically resulted in a fatality or permanent impairment. (See potential FPI examples at https://data.iogp.org/Safety/FPIExamples for more details.) 
3. Near Miss FPI: An event that could have realistically resulted in a fatality or permanent impairment where there was no actual injury. 

Note: individual company definitions may differ to the IOGP definition for High Potential Event.

Note: there may be some overlap between a high potential event and a potential/near miss FPI. 

16. If an event resulted in more than one permanent impairment injury, e.g. due to meeting the criteria of burns as well as internal organ damage, do both need to be recorded or only the main one?

If the injury outcomes to a person meet one or more PI criteria the injuries are counted as a single PI case.

17. How to navigate through medical information confidentiality?

The FPI metric only requires reporting of anonymised data. There is no need to exchange names, dates of birth or other personal identifiers. Communications on IP status between a company and a contractor can use non personal identifiers that ensure the correct IP and location of incident are referenced. Most jurisdictions have a duty on employers to ensure employees receive appropriate care and support after a work place incident.

18. Did IOGP look at Worker’s Compensation as a comparison for permanent impairment?

Worker’s compensation schemes are highly variable and set by local legislation. The IOGP FPI definition is deliberately not directly linked to any legislation or injury compensation system. All injuries that meet the PI definition criteria should be considered as PIs, independent of their worker’s compensation claim process or outcome. FPI is a safety reporting metric only.

19. How will the metric be used?

The intention of the metric is to extract learning so that IOGP members can focus on identification and prevention to improve our safety performance related to the highest risk activities. We would hope that this becomes a standard metric that is used across the industry to drive improvement in safety performance. In addition, this metric can be used as part of the safety performance data evaluated in contractor management.

20. What is considered as loss of vision/hearing/smell resulting in PI?

Sensory function loss cases will be complex and require a review and opinion of a medical specialist in the relevant field on a case-by-case basis. They will need to assess functional change pre and post incident and consider the impact to the IP’s personal life as a whole person function assessment. These cases may also require an occupational health specialist’s evaluation of the sensory loss impacts on their safety to perform their previous role against the specific fitness to work criteria.

21. Could a person suffer two PI incidents?

Yes, an unfortunate person may have a series of permanent impairment incidents. A PI case report is associated with a single incident. A new permanent impairment report will only be determined if a separate, new incident occurs. The person’s functional change will be a comparison of the new incident outcome against the baseline function immediately prior to the second incident. If the second incident creates an additional impairment of function compared to the established baseline state established after the first incident, this would be a second permanent impairment injury.

Examples:

1. If a person suffered an amputation of the complete left hand – PI. If they returned to work and then suffered a second injury with crush of left arm with further full amputation of the limb it would be a second PI. This is because they suffered further impairment compared with their pre-incident status.
2. A wheelchair bound person had an incident at work due to a structural failure of a ramp and they fell out of the chair during the ramp collapse. On medical review they are found to have fractured their left wrist and bruised their back. The wrist recovers well with plaster and the bruised area in the spine also recovers with no change in the functional status of their legs or ongoing pain. – NOT PI because the person remains wheelchair bound but this was their status pre-incident.

22. At what point would you call scarring disfigurement or change to physical appearance?

All such injuries are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and take into account the individual circumstances and the judgement of their treating medical professional. These assessments will likely have a linked psychological assessment as to the level of disfigurement perceived by the injured person and the level of psychological distress and social dysfunction this creates. If the company considers claimed disfigurement is out of proportion to the injury, a second opinion is advised.

23. How are stop-start treatments considered from a reporting perspective?

Refer to the philosophy of question 9. There will be cases where additional treatments are required after the 180 days due to ongoing definitive care and/or other factors. For example:

1. The removal of orthopaedic screws may occur some months post injury, symptoms may be irritating to the person, but not impairing of their function. In these instances, we encourage companies to use reason and discretion. As long as the medical opinion is the person is expected to have, or has full functional recovery. – Not PI
2. Back injury with ongoing pain and/or restricted function recommended back surgery at 180 days or beyond. Low likelihood of full resolution of symptoms and/or regaining of full function. – PI

For all complex cases specialist medical opinion is advised.

24. Are secondary conditions considered as part of the PI?

The criteria for PI considers whole person function.

1. If the medical opinion is that the person’s functional impairments including psychological state were pre-existing and the current lack of functional status has not arisen, nor been significantly impacted by the incident and physical injury. –  Not PI.
2. Reactive mood disorders and/or chronic pain are commonly described outcomes post injury. If the person has apparently recovered from the physical injury anatomically but is still certified as suffering psychological, social, or other functional impact. –  PI 

As per question 10, to meet PI reporting criteria the company should seek specialist medical opinion to determine if the secondary condition was clearly linked through a chain of events to the incident. If the company considers a person has suffered a secondary outcome due to gross medical negligence, legal advice should be sought.

25. How would PI for acute acoustic trauma be determined if there is no baseline hearing test to compare to?

Refer to Example Section 4.6.

26. [question removed as duplicate]

27. If an event resulted in person losing one or more teeth, is this automatically a PI?

No. Only losing a tooth would not result in a PI as it would not result in the lack of return to the person’s previous role or ability to perform the activities of daily living.

28. What is considered reduced skin function?

The skin has many functions including protecting underlying structures from injury, acting as a barrier to harmful microorganisms / infection, providing sensations of touch, temperature, pain and pressure, regulating body temperature through sweating and blood vessel expansion /contraction, excretion of various substances via sweating, and production of vitamin D. An injury impacting the functions of the skin should be considered to determine whether the impact on the ability to return to the previous work role and the ability to perform activities of daily living meets PI criteria.

29. Would suicide following a work-related incident be considered a reportable fatality?

The FPI reporting criteria include conditions as a result of an acute, single incident.  Typically, suicide is multifactorial and is not the result of an acute, single incident in the workplace.  However, if an incident leads to a post-incident psychological condition, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which has been formally diagnosed by a relevant specialist and, in the opinion of a medical professional, the suicide is a direct result of the psychological condition, then the suicide may be considered for reporting as a fatality.

30. If a person cannot maintain required medical certification for their job as a result of their injury, does that mean that the injury is a PI? 

This question relates to a professional driver, but the same philosophy can be applied to other disciples or job roles with specific fitness to work criteria such as commercial divers, offshore workers, and any onshore roles that are deemed safety critical and have specific medical fitness standards. 

FAQ last edited 23 April 2024

For further information refer to IOGP Safety Performance Indicators User guide (iogp.org).

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