Health, Safety & Environment Past Paper PDF

Health, Safety & Environment (CDB 1012/CEB 1032) TOPIC : ACCIDENT CAUSATIONS Module 2.1 : DEFINITION, THEORIES AND THE PRICE TO PAY 1  Lecture Contents & Outcomes  Understand  Accident & Incident  Why we need to learn how accident occu...

Health, Safety & Environment (CDB 1012/CEB 1032) TOPIC : ACCIDENT CAUSATIONS Module 2.1 : DEFINITION, THEORIES AND THE PRICE TO PAY 1  Lecture Contents & Outcomes  Understand  Accident & Incident  Why we need to learn how accident occur?  Accident Causation Theories - underlying messages contained in the different theories, the similarities and the differences  Cost of Accidents 2  What is an Accident? An unintended or Incident is any unplanned event. observable Characterized by human activity unacceptable that is an consequences unwanted event e.g. injury to persons, that might have damage to assets. had a negative impact on the Any unwanted event that people, property causes harm to people, or process property, or processes. involved. 3  Example #1- Struck by a nail (source: www.osha.gov) A carpenter apprentice was killed when he was struck in the head by a nail that was fired from a power actuated tool. The tool operator, while attempting to anchor a plywood form in preparation for pouring a concrete wall, fired the gun causing the nail to pass through the hollow wall. The nail traveled some twenty-seven feet before striking the victim. The tool operator had never received training in the proper use of the tool, and none of the employees in the area were wearing personal protective equipment. 4  Why do we need to know how an accidents happened? — To prevent accidents we must know why they happened. — To seek not only the immediate causes but also the prior conditions and underlying causes of accidents. — The focus should be on “how could similar incidents/accidents be prevented”. 5  Nature Of Accidents Each accidents must be looked at in terms of having two components: THE EVENT THE CONSEQUENCES — It is the event that is to be — The final loss resulted e.g. prevented, because if the injury, death, disease, ill event does not take place health, productivity/material there can be no damage. consequences. — The consequences are not — There is also concern for always immediately “near misses” where there apparent. is no actual damage. 6  Accident Causation Theories Why care about “theories”?  “The scientific approach is based on the principle that theory is the bridge between experiment and practice”  Accident theories: Good accident theories can help identify the sources of problems, which can lead to targeted prevention efforts 7  Accident Causation Theories  Think of accidents as being caused, rather than occurring by chance …  As such, we can break them apart, apply engineering techniques, identify the contributing factors, and prevent them from occurring again. 8  Accident Causation Theories — Explain why accidents happen. The purpose of these theories are: 1. To provide a classification system: logical, objective and universal system that aids analysis and control 2. To assist in hazard identification: logical framework for hazard identification 3. To aid accident investigation and prevention: ensure investigation is based on logical and reasoned arguments. 9  Accident Causation Theories The most widely know Accident Causation Theories are the: — Heinrich’s Domino theory — Human Error/Factors theory — Accident/incident theory — Systems theory — Combination theory 10  Heinrich’s Domino Theory Established by Herbert W. Heinrich in the 1920’s One domino can fall and impact the others. Social Environment  Undesirable traits  Unsafe acts or conditions  An accident  Injury 11  Heinrich’s Domino Theory Ancestry & social environment. Unsafe act or condition Unsafe Negative character traits inherited acts committed by people and (ancestry) or acquired as a result of mechanical or physical hazardous the social environment. conditions are the direct causes of accidents. Fault of person. Negative traits are Accident. Accidents that result in the reason why people behave in injury. unsafe manner and why hazardous conditions exist. Injury. Typical injuries resulting from accidents include lacerations and fractures. 12  Heinrich’s Domino Theory Heinrich: Of 75,000 accidents, 88% due to unsafe acts, 10% from unsafe conditions, and 2% unpreventable. Heinrich: Each 330 incidents, produce 300 with no injuries, 29 with minor injuries, and 1 with lost-time injury (LTI). Where should we focus our efforts, and how would we do that? 13  Unsafe Acts Unsafe Conditions By-passing safety devices Defective tools and Failure to wear PPE equipment Wearing unsafe clothing Defective/incomplete design Failure to secure/to warn Ungrounded Unauthorised deviation from Un-insulated SOP Improper or inadequate Using defective or improper clothing equipment Improper stacking or piling Entering confined spaces Inadequate space or without clearance clearance for moving objects Horseplay Excessive noise Working on equipment in Lack or poor of ventilation, operation lighting, illumination etc. Throwing materials/tools instead 14 of carrying or passing them  Heinrich’s Domino Theory Heinrich’s theory has two central points: — Injuries are caused by the action of preceding factors. — Removal of the central factor (unsafe act/hazardous condition) denies the action of the preceding factors and, in so doing, prevents accidents and injuries. 15  Human Factors Theory  The human factors theory of accident causation attributes accidents to a chain of events ultimately caused by human error.  Human factors theory looks at the interaction between: People-Tools/Technologies-Environment-Job-Organization  And then looks to see where there are mismatches that might have led to accidents or could be fixed to prevent accidents 16  Human Error  An inappropriate or undesirable human decision or behavior that reduces, or has the potential for reducing effectiveness, safety or system performance. (Sanders and McCormick, 1993)  Those occasions in which a planned sequence of mental or physical activities fails to achieve its intended outcome, and when those failures cannot be attributed to chance. (Reason, 1990) 17  Who can make errors?  operators, equipment designers, managers, supervisors, maintenance personnel, CEOs, you…………….. Why do errors happen? Discrete-Action Classifications errors of omission - failure to do errors of commission - failure to do properly sequence errors - failure to do in the correct order 18 timing errors - failure to do at a specific time or rate  Why do errors happen?  All of us (generally)  have limitations in our ability to process information  have memory limitations  face various pressures to make decisions, and/or actions in a certain way because of policies, procedures, technology, management, etc.  have made decisions or acted on the basis of poor/wrong information 19  Human Factors Theory Overload Inappropriate Response Inappropriate Activities Environmental Factors Detecting a hazard but Performing tasks (noise, distractions) not correcting it without the requisite Internal Factors Removing safeguards training (personal problems, from machine and emotional stress) equipment Misjudging the degree of risk Situational Factors Ignoring safety involved with a (unclear instructions, given task risk level) 20  Accident/Incident Theory — An extension of the Human Factors Theory. — Addition of ergonomic traps (e.g. uncomfortable workstation, incompatible expectations etc.) and decision to err (e.g. misjudgment of the risk, etc) — Establishes the (failure of) role of management (management decisions/behavior) in accident causation. 21  Petersen’s Accident/Incident Theory Overload Ergonomic Traps Decision to Err Incompatible Misjudgment of Pressure workstation (i.e., the risk Fatigue size, force, reach, Motivation feel) Unconscious desire Drugs to err Alcohol Incompatible Worry expectations Logical decision based on the situation Human Error Systems Failure Policy Accident Responsibility Training Inspection Correction Standards Injury/Damage 22  Systems Theory — The likelihood of an accident occurring depends on the interactions between person (worker), machine and workplace environment. — Changes in these interactions can increase or decrease the likelihood of an accident occurring. — E.g. change in the work schedule, noise, new machinery etc. 23  Systems Theory of Causation Feedback Loop (1) (2) (3) (4) Person Collect Weigh Make Machine Task or work Information risks decision Environment Interaction Stressor Accidents factors that cloud the judgment of the operation and the collection of information when weighing the risks and making decision 24  Combination Theory — The actual cause may combine parts of several different models. — Safety personnel should use these theories as appropriate both for accident prevention and accident investigation. — However, they should avoid the tendency to try to apply one model to all accidents. — “One Model Does Not Fit All” 25  Cost of Accident 26  ICEBERG MODEL for Costs of Accidents Direct Costs Immediate costs, easier to quantify, just the tip of the iceberg! Indirect Costs Hidden costs, hard to quantify, many times more than the direct costs. 27  Costs Of Accidents Monetary Implications: injury, illness, death. Damage to property, material, equipment, or environment. Can include lost time, production, sales, reputation, customer base. Investigations, clean-up, litigation, restitution, etc…. Examples of Direct Costs Examples of Indirect Costs — Insurance claims — Time lost because of the accident — Medical expenses — Training costs for — Lost wages new/replacement workers 28 — Disability benefits — Administrative costs  Summary  Many theories, in part or in total, work in many situations.  What is important is to understand the underlying messages contained in the different theories, the similarities and the differences. 29