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Principles of Accidents Prevention-DIS-1.6
Principles of Accidents Prevention-DIS-1.6
A.MAHANTI
Principles of Accidents Prevention
Definition : incident accident, injury, dangerous occurrences, unsafe acts, unsafe conditions, hazards, error
oversight, mistakes etc.
Accident Prevention: Theories / Models of accident occurrences. Principle of accident prevention. Accident
and Financial implication.
INCIDENT:
It is defined as work related event(s) in which an injury or ill health (regardless of severity) or fatality occurred or
could have occurred.
NOTE-1: An accident is an incident which has given rise to injury, ill health or fatality.
NOTE-2: An incident where no injury, ill health or fatality occurs may also be referred to as a near miss, near hit,
close call or dangerous occurrence.
NOTE-3: An emergency situation is a particular type of incident
ACCIDENT:
INJURY:
An injury is external/internal damage to the human body and health, disturbance or dysfunction resulted from
accident. Injury is the result of accident.
Injury may be from mechanical, thermal, chemical or radiation source.
Minor injury- when the injured returns his normal duties within 48 hours of occurrence of the accident.
Major injury- when the injured person is not expected to join his duties within 48 hours of occurrence of the accident.
Fatal injury- when the person succumbs injury.
UNSAFE ACT:
Any deviation or omission from standard procedure, norms or rules for doing a thing safely constitutes unsafe act or
sub standard act A few of them are as below:
Operating without authority
Failure to warn
Failure to secure
Operating at improper speed
Making safety devices inoperative
Removing safety devices
Using defective equipment
Failure to use PPEs properly
Improper loading
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Improper placement
Improper lifting
Improper position of the task
Servicing equipment in operation
Horse play
Under influence of alcohol or other drug
UNSAFE CONDITION:
Example:
HAZARD:
A condition or substance which by itself or with interaction of other may lead to injury ,ill health, or property loss. It
has the inherent capacity to make potential to cause loss, damage or injury.
These are faults of person as defined in Heinrichs theory and under lying or basic cause of occurrence of accident as
per revised domino theory. They are in two categories (a) Personal factor (b)Job factor.
a)personal factor:
-Inadequate capability-Physical/physiological/mental/psychological
-Lack of knowledge
-Lack of skill
-Stress- Physical/physiological/mental/psychological
-Improper motivation
b) Job factor:
-Inadequate leadership/supervision
-Inadequate engineering
- Inadequate purchasing
-Inadequate maintenance
-Inadequate tool, equipment, materials
-Inadequate work standard
-Abuse/misuse
-wear and tear
SAFETY: is defined as the application of art, social and medical sciences, education, engineering and conservation of
health, life and property.
It is a situation where chances of accident are limited.
S- Science for safety of self and society
A- Art and action for accident prevention
F- Full proof safety with fail safe devices
E- Engineering control
T-Teaching and training
Y- Yawl to save humanity, yell for shelter of all
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THEORIES OF ACCIDENT OCCURRENCE:
Various theories are developed to explain the phenomena of accident occurrence and prevention. A few of them are:
1. Heinrichs theory of accident (domino) sequence
2. Frank Birds up dated domino theory
3. Hepburns theory of four factors
4. Conceptual model theories
HEINRICHS DOMINO THEORY (1931-50)
According to W.H. Heinrich (1931), who developed the so-called domino theory, 88% of all accidents are
caused by unsafe acts of people, 10% by unsafe conditions and 2% by acts of God. He proposed a five-
factor accident sequence in which each factor would actuate the next step in the manner of toppling
dominoes lined up in a row. The sequence of accident factors is as follows:
1. Social Environment and Ancestry,
2. Fault of Person,
3. Unsafe Act or Mechanical or Physical Hazard (unsafe condition),
4. Accident, and
5. Injury.
Heinrich defines each of these dominoes explicitly, and gives advice on minimizing or eliminating their
presence in the sequence. Heinrichs Domino Theory states that accidents result from a chain of sequential
events, metaphorically like a line of dominoes falling over. When one of the dominoes falls, it triggers the
next one and the next continuously. But removing a key factor (such as an unsafe condition or an unsafe
act) prevents the start of the chain reaction.
CHRONOLOGICAL SEQUENCE:
1.Lack of control is the first domino and refers the four functions of the management (planning, organizing, directing,
controlling and coordinating). It involves accident investigation, facility inspection, job analysis, personal
communication, selection and training, 'standards' in each work activity identified, measuring performance by
standards and correcting performance by improving the existing programmes. This first domino may fall due to
inadequate standards, programmes and follow up.
2.Basic Causes (origins) are (1) Personal factors: lack of knowledge or skill, improper motivation and physical or
mental problems and (2) Job factors:inadequate work standards, design, maintenance, purchasing standards, abnormal
usage etc. These basic causes are origin of substandard acts and conditions and failure to identify them permits the
second domino to fall, which initiates the possibility of further chain reaction.
3.Immediate causes are only symptoms of the underlying problem. They
are substandard' practices or conditions (known as unsafe acts and unsafe
conditions) that could cause the fourth domino to fall. These causes should be identified, classified and removed by
appropriate measures.
4. Accident or incident is the result of unsafe acts or/and unsafe conditions.
This point is the contact stage. Some counter measures employed are deflection, dilution, reinforcement, surface
modification, segregation, barricading, protection, absorption, shielding etc.
Some types of accidental contact
Struck against-rough or sharp object, running or bumping into
Struck by (Hit by moving object
Fall to lower level
Fall on same level (slip and fall)
Caught in (pinch and nip point)
Contact with electric current
Caught on (snagged or hung)
Caught between-crushed
Contact with temperature extreme
Over stress
Over exertion
Over load
Burn etc
5.Injury includes traumatic injury, diseases and adverse mental neurological or systemic effects resulting from
workplace exposures. 'Damage' includes all types of property damage including fire. The severity of losses
involving physical harm and property damage can be minimized by prompt reparative action, salvage in the case of
property damage and fire control devices and trained personnel. Frank Frank E Bird, in 1969, analyzed 1753498
accidents reported by 297 companies of America Inference of this 1-10-30-600 ratio is that 630 no injury accidents,
with 10 minor and I major (serious) injury accidents, provide a much larger basis for many opportunities to prevent
any injury accident. Out of total 641 events, only 10 may result in minor injuries and only 1 in major injury. But this
can happen at any time not necessarily at the end.
INJURY/LOSS/HARM/DAMAGE
HEPBURN'S THEORY
H.A. Hepburn amplified the above Heinrich's theory and arrived at the principle that an injury
accident is the result of the convergence at the same point of time of 4 factors:
(1) Unsafe actionable
(2) Unsafe conditional
(3) Proximate casual and
(4) Personal.
Here unsafe actionable and conditional factors are as usual Personal factor means
person injured or likely to be injured by an accident and die person causing the accident.
The proximate factor is that immediate causative factor such as failure of a brake,
sudden exposure to gas etc., which by its reaction causes a sudden closing t o g e t h e r
or convenience of all the four factors to cause an injury accident
H e emphasises that lie four factors are complementary to one another m causation of any injury-
accident such that, if any one or more can be withdrawn by any means during o r j u s t b e f o r e
convergence, an injury accident can be prevented. The event of an accident
will not be prevented by efforts to control any one of the factors to the
exclusion of the others. Remedial measures must be adopted for each of the factors.
Like Heinrich he also suggested planning and organizing to prevent unsafe actions and
remove unsafe mechanical or physical conditions.
According to the pure chance theory, every one of any given set of workers has an equal chance of being
involved in an accident. It further implies that there is no single discernible pattern of events that leads to an
accident. In this theory, all accidents are treated as corresponding to Heinrichs acts of God, and it is held
that there exist no interventions to prevent them.
Biased liability theory is based on the view that once a worker is involved in an accident, the chances of the
same worker becoming involved in future accidents are either increased or decreased as compared to the
rest of workers. This theory contributes very little, if anything at all, towards developing preventive actions
for avoiding accidents.
Control of energy transfer at the source can be achieved by the following means:
The receiver of energy transfer can be assisted by adopting the following measures:
limitation of exposure
use of personal protective equipment.
In 1980s, Behavioural Based Safety (BBS) was introduced based on Heinrichs findings. Work by
recognizing safe work habits and offering rewards and punishment. Problem: focuses on workers and not
on hazard or management & reward and punishment system have flaws.
Structure of Accidents
The belief that accidents are caused and can be prevented makes it imperative for us to study those factors
which are likely to favour the occurrence of accidents. By studying such factors, the root causes of
accidents can be isolated and necessary steps can be taken to prevent the recurrence of the accidents.
These root causes of accidents can be grouped as immediate and contributing. The immediate causes
are unsafe acts of the worker and unsafe working conditions. The contributing causes could be
management-related factors, the environment and the physical and mental condition of the worker. A
combination of causes must converge in order to result in an accident.
Figure below shows the structure of accidents, including the details of immediate causes, contributing
causes, types of accidents and results of accidents. This accounting is not exhaustive by any means.
However, an understanding of the cause and effect relation of the accident-causing factors is required
before continuous improvement of safety processes can be undertaken.
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7. Accident prevention is required for control of quality, cost and quantity of production.
8. Manager should assume the responsibility of the work of accident prevention as it has the best ability and opportunity.
9. The supervisors are the key persons in industrial accident prevention.
10. .The humanitarian incentive for preventing accidental injury is supplemented by two powerful economic reasons, viz:
a), efficient production and
b). direct cost of accident is only 1/5 of the total cost of accident.
SELECTION OF REMEDY:
INSTRUCTION, PERSUATION & APPEAL
PERSONNEL ADJUSTMENT,
ENGINEERING REVISION
SL NO INTEREST APPLICATION
1 Self preservation-fear of painful injury, death, loss of Emotional posters, film, pictures,
income, family hardship, group disapproval, reports of serious injuries, bulletin
ridicule, supervisory criticism
2 Pride in: safe workman ship, good records Recognition for individual and group
achievement, trophies, personal awards, letter
of appreciation
3 Recognition: Desire for approval of others in group and Publicity in company journal/bulletin
family, for praise from supervisors with photograph
4 Participation: desire to be one of the group Safety committee, suggestion scheme
5 Competition: desire to win over others Contests with attractive awards
6 Financial gain: Monetary awards through suggestion system,
sharing plan, promotions, increased
responsibility
The financial implication beside the humanitarian and legal implication draws the attention of the entire management system.
A fatal accident for any unsafe condition prevailing at work spot tarnishes the image and good will of the company and may
have adverse affect on the over all performance, the morality and confidence of workers become lowest possible. A de
moralised and less confident worker will not be able to perform efficiently to his ability.
The financial implications are as under:
1. Direct cost which constitutes only 20% of total cost includes expenses to treatment, paid leave and insurance claim.
2. Indirect cost includes cost incurred to get the job of the accidentee through work on over time, training cost for the new
incumbent, supervisory cost, loss of production, material and time.
3.In case loss of human resource which is irreparable, leads to loss of skilled man power, loss of company credential, loss to
the society and nation