Data: While Number of Accidents Due to ‘Structure Collapse’ Has Reduced, Incidents Involving Residential Structures Increased
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 3, 2023
The recent mishap at the Indore’s Shri Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal Temple resulted in many deaths. Data from the ADSI reports indicates that while the number of accidents due to ‘Collapse of Structure’ has decreased over the last 10 years, incidents involving residential dwellings have increased.
A recent mishap at Indore’s Shri Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal Temple has resulted in several fatalities leaving many others injured. As per the reports, the step wall’s roof and the floor of the temple caved in due to the weight of too many devotees who congregated for Ram Navami celebrations. The State government has ordered a probe into the mishap.
In this context, we look at the data relating to various accidents due to the collapse of a structure. The data is sourced from National Crime Records Bureau’s annual Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI) report.
While incidents in Residential buildings have increased, there is decline in case of Commercial buildings
During 2021, there were 1576 recorded accidents due to the collapse of a structure. The numbers over the 10-year period (2012 to 2021) indicate a varying trend. At the beginning of the said period, the number of such accidents was higher with 2764 & 3074 in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Since then, there is a decline in the number of such accidents reported in the ADSI report.
A major share of these accidents is related to those due to the collapse of a residential dwelling. In 2021, accidents involving residential places formed 73% of the total accidents due to the collapse of structures. Over the 10-year period, there is an increase in the share of accidents involving residential places. In 2012, they contributed to around 54% of the accidents due to the collapse of structures.
Meanwhile, the number of accidents involving commercial buildings has reduced. The decline was evident in 2014, wherein there were 41 accidents in commercial buildings compared to 424 in 2013. While any specific change in the methodology of recording the accidents is not mentioned in the report, it ought to be noted that the new proforma for Data collection for the ADSI report was introduced in the year 2014.
There is also a fall in the number of these accidents categorized as ‘other’. In 2014, the number fell to 790 compared to 1623 in 2013. Since then, there has been a steady decline in the number of accidents categorized as other. The structures which are categorized as ‘other’ is ambiguous.
Comparatively, the number of accidents relating to the collapse of a Dam or Bridge is much lower.
The average of Persons injured per accident has declined over the years
A total of 166 persons were injured across the 1576 accidents due to the collapse of structures in 2021. In line with the decline in the number of accidents, there is also a decline in the number of persons injured in these accidents. Apart from the decline in the total number of those injured, there is also a fall in the average number of persons injured per accident. In 2012, the average of persons injured per accident was around 0.31, this has reduced over the years and fell to around 0.11 in 2021.
This decline can be seen across nearly all the different types of structure collapses. Residential structures which have the highest number of accidents have reported the highest number of people injured. A total of 121 people were injured in these accidents in 2021. Over the 10-year period, the is a decline in the number of people injured in residential building collapses. The average also fell from 0.31 persons per accident in 2012 to around 0.1 in 2021.
The same is the case with other structures. In the case of structures like Dams and Bridges, wherein the number of accidents is very low, there are cases of singular larger incidents which have contributed to a higher number of injuries in specific years.
Higher fatalities than injuries in the accidents relating to collapse of structures
Accidents related to structural collapses have resulted in a greater number of deaths than the number of people injured. In 2021, a total of 1,536 people died in various structural collapses. Over the years, the number of deaths due to these incidents has decreased. However, there is an increase in the average number of deaths per accident.
In 2012, the average number of deaths per accident relating to the collapse of structures was 0.97 which increased slightly to 1.03 deaths in 2021. In line with the increasing trend in the number of accidents in residential buildings, the number of deaths due to the collapse of residential buildings has also increased. In 2012, the number of deaths was 865, while in 2021 it was 1198. However, the average fatality has largely remained unchanged. In the case of commercial buildings, the trends in average deaths were inconsistent. The increase in the overall average deaths can be attributed to the deaths under the head ‘Others’. Hence, the exact nature of structures that could have contributed to the increased average is not known.
Higher incidence of deaths among Males compared to females
Among the deaths caused due to structure collapse, the higher proportion are males. Out of 1630 deaths in 2021, 1116 i.e., around 68% are males.  This is the least in the 10-year period of 2012-21. The highest proportion of male deaths was during 2016-18, where the share of males among the fatalities was 73-74%. In the other years, the share is around 71%.
Across different structure types, the proportion of males’ deaths remains to be higher. Among the residential structure collapses, deaths of males are around 66-68% across the years.  In the case of the structures classified as ‘Others”, the share of males among deaths increased to around 77%.
While the number of reported incidents has reduced, the impact of the accident has not reduced
Except for residential structures, there is a fall in the number of accidents due to structural collapses. This is prominent in the case of commercial buildings as well as the structures categorized as others, whose specifics we do not know. Even the number of injured has reduced over the years. However, the same cannot be said about a fatality as it remains the same. While the reduction in numbers could point to improved preventive measures relating to structural integrity, there does not seem to be a visible improvement in case of reducing the impact or the loss following these accidents.
Featured Image: Number of Accidents Due to Structure Collapse