Occupational Safety and Health: Module 1

Basic Occupational Safety and Health - Module 1

• Module 1 focuses on the principle of health and safety and life control concepts

Course Learning Outcomes

• It is important to understand of the principles and concepts of Health and Safety in life.
• Describe the organizational commitment and involvement in OSH with emphasis on government regulations.

Topic Learning Outcomes

• Discuss the legislations and identify government agencies that offers control and regulations of OSH in workplaces.
• Explain the theories of accident causations and set goals and objectives
• Recognizes the importance of OSH Standards in the organization that offer guidelines for avoiding accidents and minimize failures and malfunctioning.

Domino Theory of Accident Causation

• Accidents are caused by logical reasons with logical solutions to prevent them.
• 88% of industrial accidents are caused by unsafe acts by fellow workers.
• 10% of industrial accidents are caused by unsafe conditions.
• 2% of industrial accidents are unavoidable.

Heinrich's Axiom of Industrial Safety

• Axioms include accident prevention activities such as engineering revision, personnel adjustment, persuasion, appeal, and discipline.
• Injuries can be the accident itself
• Accidents are unsafe acts or physical/mechanical hazards.
• Accidents can be caused by unsafe behavior
• Unsafe acts or conditions do not always result in an accident
• Unsafe acts are a helpful guide for corrective actions

Accident Causation Model

• The five factors lead up to an accident in a sequence of events

H.W. Heinrich Domino Theory

• Accidents can caused the fault of a person due to carelessness, bad temper, or recklessness
• Unsafe act or condition is performing a task without appropriate PPE
• Social environment and inherited behavior such as alcoholism can lead to accidents

Accident Causation Model Terminology

• Negative character traits might lead to unsafe behavior or can be inherited.
• Negative character traits can be inherited or acquired and cause people to behave unsafely and hazardous conditions to exist.
• Unsafe acts committed by people and mechanical or physical hazards are direct causes of accidents.

Accident

• Accidents that result in injury are caused by falls and/or impact of moving objects.

Injury

• Typical injuries include lacerations and fractures.
• Injuries are caused by the action of preceding factors.
• Removing the central factor prevents further accidents and injuries.

Heinrich's Domino Theory – Critical Issues

• The factor preceding the accident (unsafe act or mechanical/physical hazard) should get the most attention.
• People responsible for loss control should be interested in all five factors, but primarily in the accidents and proximate cause of them.
• It is important to emphasize that accidents, not injuries or property damage, should be the point of attack.
• An accident is any unplanned, uncontrolled event that could result in personal injury or property damage.

Heinrich's Domino Theory – Corrective Action Sequence (The three "E"s)

• Engineering: Control hazards through product design or process change.
• Education: Train workers in all facets of safety, and impress upon management that attention to safety pays off.
• Enforcement: Ensure internal and external rules, regulations, and standard operating procedures are followed by workers and management as well.

Human Factors Theory

• Human errors cause accidents.

Human Factors Theory Errors

• Overload: The work task is beyond the capability of the worker which includes physical and psychological factors. These are influenced by environment, internal issues, and situational factors.
• Inappropriate Worker Response: Includes response to hazards and safety measures (worker’s fault) or to an incompatible work station (management/environment faults).
• Inappropriate Activities: Includes lack of training and misjudgment of risk.

Accident/Incident Theory

• Introduced ergonomic traps, such as incompatible workstations, tools, and expectations (management failure)
• Decisions to err which are unconscious or conscious (personal failure)
• Systems failure which is management failure (policy, training, etc.)

Epidemiological Theory

• Epidemiology studies the relationship between environmental factors and disease and can be used to study causal factors in relationships.
• The two key components are predisposition characteristics such as tendencies that may predispose a worker to certain actions, and situational characteristics which include peer pressure, poor attitude, and risk-taking.
• Combination of characteristics can cause or prevent an accident, depending on whether or not a person succumbs to a given situation.

Frank Bird Domino Sequence

• Frank Bird Jr. proposed an updated Domino theory of accident causation

Five Key Factors in Updated Sequence

• (1) Lack of Control: Management
• (2) Basic Causes: Origins
• (3) Immediate Cause: Symptoms
• (4) Accident: Contact
• (5) Injury-Damage: Loss (Strasser, 1981)

Frank Bird Sequence - Lack of Control

• Inadequate System- including too few or improper system activities.
• The system required varies depending on the organization’s nature, type, and size, many organizations use these blueprint elements to build an adequate loss control system.
• Inadequate Standards - Inadequate standards do not let people know what is expected of them and do not properly measure performance in relation to standards.
• Lack of Compliance - Lack of compliance with existing standards is a common reason for lack of control.

Organizational Commitment & Involvement

• DOLE OSH Rule# 1043.01 covers Health and Safety Committee: The Health and Safety Committee is the planning and policymaking group in all matters pertaining to safety and health.

Main Health and Safety Committees

(1) To plan and develop accident prevention programs for the establishment (2) To direct accident prevention efforts of the establishment (3) To conduct safety meetings once a month (4) To review reports of inspection, accident investigations, and implementation of program (5) To submit reports to the manager on its meetings and activities (6) To provide necessary assistance to government in the event of inspections (7) To initiate and supervise safety training for employees (8) To develop and maintain a disaster contingency plan

Life Critical Terminology

• Safety-critical/life-critical system: A system whose failure/malfunction may result in death/serious injury and/or severe damage to equipment/property.
• Hot Work: Work involving an open flame, grinding sparks, welding arc, or other ignition source is required to complete a task.
• Low Hazard Hot Work: Examples include light and portable grinding.
• High Hazard Hot Work: Examples include heavy grinding and electric arc welding.