Abdul Wahab Basit Minhas Asad Ishaq Asghar Manzoor Awan

ACCIDENTS IN ORGANIZATIONS AND INDUSTRIES

Accident:
An event or mishap that occurs unexpectedly is known as an accident .
Many accidents occur in industries and other organizations, which result in a great loss of: life, property, production and materials. It has been seen that these accidents occur due to unsafe working conditions and employees faults.

British statistics in early 1990 s : 500 people are killed each year in accidents at work, 5000 or more fatal accidents on the road 5000 in the home These figures suggest that work is relatively safe However less than 40% of the population is still exposed to the risks of work and the working population does not include those people who are most at risk.

An accident has following characteristics:

An accident is unexpected. It results to some loss i.e. damage to property or equipment and injury or death. The third and the most important characteristic of an accident is that it arises out of work situation. Work situation leading to an accident may arise from physical, physiological causes and psychological causes It may be due to defective tools or equipments or due to any defect in the body of worker like poor eyesight or due to psychological reasons like fear and worry.

CLASSIFICATION OF ACCIDENTS: According to length of recovery. According to Causes of Events. According to Nature of Events. According to Damage caused. According to Nature of Injury.

1. According to Length of Recovery there are three types.

Lost Time Accident: In this, the worker loses some more time than the shift or the day on which the accident occurs. If a worker cuts his finger and is allowed rest for three days, it is called a lost time accident. Home cases: In this type of accident the worker loses remaining shift or the day on which the accident occurs. The worker is treated at the factory hospital and is allowed to go home. First Aid Cases: These types of accidents are minor. They are not at all serious. The minor injury is treated in the factory hospital and no rest is required. The worker may start his work again after the first aid. No compensation is payable.

2. Classification According to Causes of Events: According to causes of events the classification is as follows: Machine Accidents Non-machine accidents 3. Classification According to Nature of Events: Traffic Accidents Passenger Accidents

4. Classification According to Damage Caused:

Damage to the store Damage to Equipments

5. Classification According to Nature of Injury:

Fatal Accidents: The accident in which a worker or more are killed. Permanent disablement Temporary disablement

Psychological accidents in organizations

CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS Accidents are unexpected, but they do not just happen. They are caused. If we want to control the accidents we must know their causes. Some important causes of accidents are: 1. Physical causes. 2. Physiological causes. 3. Psychological causes.

Physical Causes: 1. Related to tools Unsuitable tools Dull or damaged tools Tools without handles 2. Related to machines Unguarded machines Improperly adjusted Too crowded machines 3. Related to material Inflammable material. Hot material. Poisonous material.

4. Related to working condition Slippery floors Unprotected conductors Projected objects Bad discipline 5. Related to dress Loose or improper dress Very tight dress Slippery footwear

Physiological Causes:

Those causes, which are related to human body, are known as physiological causes. Some accidents are caused because of certain defects in human body.
Poor eyesight Poor listening power Color blindness Any part of the body like hand or arm may be defective Weak health Fatness High blood pressure. Old age. Illness. Lack of job know-how.

Psychological causes of accidents:

Those accidents that are caused due to mental disturbances while working are known as psychological causes. Sometimes, the worker loses control over their minds due to mental disturbance. Because of mental disturbance like worry or fear workers may not have concentration of mind. Such workers are easy victims of accidents.

Some important psychological causes are: Fear. Mental tension. Emotional instability. Nervousness. Impulsiveness. Worry or depression.

Other personal causes:

Carelessness. Intoxication. Sense of irresponsibility. Over-confidence. Clumsiness. Lack of training and experience.

An accident may be caused due to any of these causes or due to combination of two or more factors. It is found that 18% accidents are caused due to mechanical causes, 19% due to personal causes and 63% due to the combination of above two factors.

How to eliminate the causative factor of Accidents Investigations of personal Factors related to accidents Intelligence, Defective vision, Co-ordination, Personality Characteristics, Experience, Fatigue, Motor and perceptual Speed.

Environmental condition related to accidents:

Lightening and temperature Severity of work Reactions to environmental organization

Factors to be kept in mind during Training:

Knowing and Doing When is training Indicated Content of training program Executing the training Who should do the training

Job Experience as related to accidents rate:

Length of service Less than 1 month 1-3 months 3-8 months 8-12 months 1-5 years Accident rate (percent of total)
181

127 87 62 57

References: SITES: www.google.com www.wikkipedia.com BOOKS: Industrial Psychology by Haller Gilmer Applied psychology 2nd edition by Harnold Erest Burtt