OSHE Accidents

Causes of OSHE Accidents

Effects, Costs and Implications of OSHE Accidents
Theories of Accidents
Principles and Steps in Accidents Investigation
Investigation Reports
Occupational Safety and Health
for Technologists, Engineers, and Managers
EIGHTH EDITION

CHAPTER
2
Accidents and Their
Effects

Occupational Safety and Health, 8e, Global Edition Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd.
David L. Goetsch All Rights Reserved
 ACCIDENTS

• An accident is an unplanned, unexpected event or situation that

occurred which resulted in fatal death, injuries, property damage,
environmental damage, occupational poisoning and diseases.
 CAUSES OF OSHE ACCIDENTS

• Many safety & health professionals believe the major

cost of accidents & injuries on the job results from
damage to morale.
• It is widely accepted that few factors affect productivity
more than employee morale.
• Employees with low morale do not produce up to their
maximum potential.
Common Causes of Accidents
Other causes
• Motor vehicle accidents
• Falls
• Poisoning
• Drowning
• Fire related injuries
• Suffocation
• Others : medical complications
 Accidents and Their Effects
• There is a long history of debate on the effect of accidents on industry (workers and
companies).
• Historically, the prevailing view was that accident prevention programs were too
costly.
• The contemporary view is that accidents are too costly and accident prevention
makes sense economically.
• Accident prevention, which had been advocated on a moral basis, is now justified in
economic terms.
Carpal tunnel syndrome
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa_Ml1d2Nsc
Global Impact of Accidents and
Injuries
• Rapid development & pressure of global competition are
resulting in increased workplace fatalities in China and
the Pacific Rim countries.
• Many developing countries becoming industrialized lack a
safety and health infrastructure.

• Occupational injuries in developing countries are more

prevalent in such high-risk industries as mining,
construction, and agriculture.
• Men tend to die as the result of accidents, lung diseases, &
work-related cancers such as caused by asbestos.
 Global Impact of Accidents
and Injuries

• Women suffer more from musculoskeletal disorders,

communicable diseases, and psychosocial problems.

• Younger workers are more likely to suffer nonfatal injuries.

• Older workers are more likely to suffer fatal injuries.
Global Impact of Accidents and
Injuries
• Occupational injuries in developing countries are more
prevalent in such high-risk industries as mining,
construction, and agriculture.
• More than half of retirements are taken early to collect
pensions based on work-related disabilities rather than normal
retirement.
Occupational Safety and Health
for Technologists, Engineers, and Managers
EIGHTH EDITION

CHAPTER
3
Theories of Accident
Causation

Occupational Safety and Health, 8e, Global Edition Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd.
David L. Goetsch All Rights Reserved
Theories of Accident Causation
• The most widely known theories of accident causation
are:
• The domino theory.
• The human factors theory.
• The accident/incident theory.
• The combination theory.
 1. Domino Theory of Accident
Causation
• After studying 75,000 industrial accidents, Herbert W.
Heinrich of Travelers Insurance concluded in the 1920s,
that 88% of industrial accidents are caused by unsafe
acts committed by fellow workers.
Heinrich's 10 Axioms of Industrial
Safety
Heinrich's Domino Theory
• According to Heinrich, there are five factors in the
sequence of events leading up to an accident:
Heinrich's Domino Theory
• Injuries are caused by the action of preceding factors.
• Removal of the central factor (unsafe act/hazardous
condition) negates the action of the preceding factors
and prevents accidents and injuries.
• See "Domino Theory in Practice" on textbook page 36.
2. Human Factors Theory of
Causation
• Attributes accidents to a chain of events, ultimately
caused by human error.
FIGURE 3–1 Factors that cause human errors.
Overload
• Overload - imbalance between a person's capacity at
any given time & the load that person is carrying in a
given state.
• Capacity is a product of natural ability, training, state of mind,
fatigue, stress & physical condition.
• Situational factors (level of risk, unclear instructions, etc.)
• Added environmental burdens (noise, distractions, etc.)
Inappropriate Response and
Incompatibility
• Inappropriate responses in a given situation can lead
to accidents…
• Detecting a hazardous condition, and not to correcting it.
• Removes a machine safeguard from to increase output.
• Disregarding an established safety procedure
• Workstation incompatibility - incompatibility of a
person's workstation with regard to size, force, reach,
feel & similar factors can lead to accidents and injuries.
Inappropriate Response and
Incompatibility
Inappropriate Activities
• Human error - can be the result of inappropriate
activities—such as when a person undertakes a task
that he/she doesn't know how to do.
• Such inappropriate activities can lead to accidents/injuries.
3. Accident/Incident Theory of
Causation
• An extension of the human factors theory was
developed by Dan Petersen, introducing…
• Ergonomic traps; Decision to err; Systems failures.
FIGURE 3–3 Accident/incident theory.
Accident/Incident Theory of
Causation
• Following are just some of the different ways that
systems can fail, according to Petersen's theory:
• Management does not establish a comprehensive safety
policy.
• Responsibility and authority with regard to safety are not
clearly defined.
• Safety procedures such as measurement, inspection,
correction, and investigation are ignored or given insufficient
attention.
• Employees do not receive proper orientation.
• Employees are not given sufficient safety training.
Accident/Incident Theory of
Causation
• Decision to err may be conscious, based on logic or it
may be unconscious.
• Overload, ergonomic traps, deadlines, budget factors & peer
pressure can lead to unsafe behavior.
• The "It won't happen to me" syndrome.
4. Combination Theory of Causation
• Often the cause of an accident cannot be adequately
explained by one model or theory.
• According to the combination theory, the actual cause may
combine parts of several different models.
Occupational Safety and Health
for Technologists, Engineers, and Managers
EIGHTH EDITION

CHAPTER
8
Accident
Investigation and
Reporting

Occupational Safety and Health, 8e, Global Edition Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd.
David L. Goetsch All Rights Reserved
Reasons for Conducting Accident
Investigations
• When accidents occur in the workplace, they should be investigated.
Reasons for conducting accident investigations include:
 Determine the cause so that future accidents can be prevented
 Fulfill any applicable legal and/or regulatory requirements
 Determine the cost of the accident
 Determine compliance with applicable safety regulations
 Provide information for processing workers' compensation claims
Accident report vs Accident-analysis reports
• Accident report – minor accident
• Accident-analysis reports are called for when any of the
following circumstances result from the accident:
• Death; Loss of consciousness; Professional medical treatment
beyond first aid.
• One or more days of lost work, over & above time lost beyond
the day of the accident.
• Modifications to the injured employee's work duties, beyond
those that might occur on the day of the injury.
When to Investigate – “ASAP”
• All accidents, no matter how small, should be
investigated, and a near-miss should be treated like an
accident.
• As soon as all emergency procedures have been accomplished,
accident investigation should begin.
• Waiting too long can harm the results.
• Immediate investigations are more likely to produce
accurate information.
• An immediate investigation is evidence of management's
commitment to preventing future accidents.
What to Investigate
• The purpose of an accident investigation is to collect
facts—not to find fault.
• Causes of the accident should be the primary focus.
• As you investigate, don't put the emphasis on
identifying who could be blamed for the accident.
Who Should Investigate
• In some companies, the supervisor of the injured worker
conducts the investigation.
• In others, a safety & health professional performs the job.
• Some companies form an investigative team.
• Others bring in outside specialists.
• Some factors considered in deciding how to approach accident
investigations include:
• Size of the company.
• Structure of the company's safety & health program.
• Type, seriousness & technical complexity of the accident.
• Number of times that similar accidents have occurred.
• Company's management philosophy & commitment to safety & health.
Conducting the Investigation
• Five steps to follow in conducting an accident
investigation
Interviewing Witnesses – When to
Interview
• Interviews should begin as soon as the witness list has
been compiled and proceed expeditiously.
• Recollections will be best right after the accident.
• Immediacy avoids the possibility of witnesses comparing
notes and, as a result, changing their stories.
• Witnesses should be interviewed individually and
separately, preferably before they have talked to
each other.
Interviewing Witnesses – Where to
Interview
• The best place is at the accident scene—if not
possible, in a private setting elsewhere.
• It is important to ensure distractions are removed, and
interruptions guarded against.
• It is also important to select a neutral location in which
witnesses will feel comfortable.
Interviewing Witnesses – How to
Interview
• Put the witness at ease and to listen.
• What is said; How it is said; What is not said.
• Phrase questions in an open-ended format.
• Don't lead witnesses with your questions or influence them
with gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, or any other
form of nonverbal communication.
Following Up an Accident Investigation
• It is important to follow up quickly once an accident investigation has
been completed. Follow-up steps once an accident investigation is
complete include the following:
 Write the accident report (explained later in this chapter)
 Develop a plan for corrective action
 Implement the corrective-action plan
 Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of corrective actions
 Adjust as necessary to ensure the cause of the accident has been eliminated
Reporting Accidents
• An accident investigation should culminate in a
comprehensive accident report.
• To record the findings of the accident investigation, cause(s)
of the accident, and recommendations for corrective action.
Why Some Accidents Are Not
Reported
• There are several reasons accidents go unreported: