SIF stands for serious injuries and fatalities: work events that end a life or cause a life-altering injury, such as an amputation, a crush injury or permanent disability. The term is used because SIF events often follow different patterns from minor injuries, so a falling recordable injury rate does not mean serious-injury risk is falling. SIF programs focus on high-energy hazards, such as moving vehicles, falls from height and suspended loads, and on whether the controls against them are in place and working. In forklift operations, struck-by contact between trucks and pedestrians and tip-overs are typical SIF exposures.
The full guide is what are serious injuries and fatalities (SIF). A related term, PSIF, marks events with serious-injury or fatality potential even when nobody was hurt, which lets teams act on close calls rather than wait for harm.
Organisations define SIF differently, so write down which outcomes count and apply the definition consistently. SIF prevention for forklift fleets shows how to build a program around it, and PSIF full form and meaning explains the precursor concept.