Risks and the way we respond

1. Introduction - The Hidden Killer, Injury at home,

work and the road
2. Basics of Risk Assessment.
3. Human Error
4. What are the options (foresight and re-training)
5. Practical means of achieving Safety Awareness at
Home and Work
 Basics of Risk Assessment

Risk means many things to many people. The

dictionary defines risk as "exposure to the chance of
injury or loss.“ Insurance companies define risk as
"the hazard or chance of loss."
They note that risk is "relative to the observer" and
has to do with both uncertainty and damage. Thus
different people as workers, managers, etc.,
perceive that chances of them being hurt or their
actions hurting others differently, this certainly has
consequences when we operate powerful machines,
such as, cars.
Other experts in the field propose more simplified definition of
risk as: Risk is the perceived extent of possible loss. Risk is
individual to a person or organization because what is
perceived by one as a major risk may be perceived by another
as a minor risk.

Perception is very much a factor. To some, risk is defined as the

chance of loss. But in reality it is more. Risk also concerns how
much could be lost. Probabilistic risk analysis can define risk as
the expected loss, or even as a family of probability curves. This
has to do not just with the chance of loss, but more specifically
with the extent of loss.
 Risk assessment has been around in some form or another and
many people recognize risks in business and free market
competition where each decision has the possibility of resulting in
loss. Each decision to introduce a new product into the
marketplace can result in varying degrees of loss or gain. To be
entreprenual is to accept risk, that is, the possibility of loss. A
good entrepreneurs forte, however, is to make decisions which
maximize possible gain, and hence minimize possible loss. This
has to do with risk management.

Risk analysis has to do with the analytical process used to estimate

the extent of possible loss. So does risk assessment which provides
rationale for the decisionmaker. Decision analysis is the study of
decision problems taking into account the uncertain, dynamic, and
complex consequences of a decision as well as the assignment of
value to those consequences. Decision analysis has been
successfully applied to problems in fields as varied as medicine, the
environment, and business (mentioned above).
 Human Errors
The role of human error in accident causation should never be under
estimated, unfortunately this area suffers from a lot of personal bias or
"optimism bias" problems as to the possible solutions, as people tend to
courseively use their frame of reference in any attempt to prevent
accidents in this area.

Types of human errors :

Mistakes: A mistake can be defined as a deficiency or failure in the

selection of a course of action or the means to carry it out (i.e., and
error in the plan or intention);

Slips or Lapses: A slip or a lapse is an error which occurs during the

process of carrying out a plan of action (whether the plan was correct
or not). Generally a slip is a failure in the execution and a lapse is a
failure in the storage cognitive stage. An example would be when you
drive your usual route when you had the intention of going elsewhere.

Violation: a violation is where an error is intentionally carried out

although it is known to be contravening an established code or rule.
 A second type of classification system considers the mental functions
context in which the error was made. Thus errors can be:

Skills Based: A skills based error occurs during performance of a

well known routine task.
Rules Based: A rules based error occurs when the action
is governed by rules or Operating instructions.
Knowledge Based:
A knowledge based
error occurs when a
person must apply
knowledge and
experience to
work out the
correct action in
a set of
circumstances
which are usually unusual.
Human Factors in Failures
Practical means of achieving Safety
Awareness at Home and Work

The end result of a fire can be a simple scorch mark above the tea
room stove, the loss of an experimental crop or the complete
destruction of laboratory buildings, along with all the work in
progress. Good design and maintenance, correct usage of
equipment and plant, and the provision of protective systems and
emergency response arrangements are all necessary elements in
fire prevention and control. Changing tasks and priorities and a
turnover of staff make the maintenance of preventative strategies
and housekeeping standards a constant task.
 Prevention

The overriding priorities of fire prevention are:

(a) reduce the availability of combustible fuel;

(b) store combustible material in a manner which makes it
difficult to ignite;
(c) ensure that building design and storage arrangements
do not facilitate the spread of fire;
(d) eliminate ignition sources from areas where combustion
can occur.
Buildings must be designed, constructed and maintained in a way
which facilitates the above four priorities. Human activities and
equipment must be organized in such a way that combustible
material and ignition sources cannot cause fire.

Flammable and hazardous materials in particular must be kept in

purpose built stores and not allowed to accumulate in laboratories
or other inappropriate storage areas. Fume hoods are a special
case requiring constant attention to avoid them being used as a
"convenience store". Commonwealth Fire Board Bulletins,
Australian Standards and the Building Code of Australia provide
appropriate guidance on the above.

Safe working procedures must be followed in all tasks,

particularly those which may involve the risk of fire or explosion.
Inadvertent explosions and fires can arise very simply when
flammable liquids, flammable vapour, flammable gases or
combustible organic dusts are allowed to accumulate. All these
must be controlled and any leakages, spillages or corroding
containers made safe.
Points to note during inspections include:

(a) clear floors, clear passage ways and escape routes

(b) clean and tidy storage areas with separation between combustibles
(c) maintenance of electrical equipment, including belt drives
(d) maintenance of vehicles and farm machinery and the fitting of
appropriate spark arresters in high risk areas
(e) evacuation procedures and fire control training
(f) fully maintained and tested fire fighting equipment
(g) maintenance and appropriate sitting of indoor and outdoor cooking
equipment and other hot plates or gas burners
(h) controls on incinerators which prevent any escape of burning
debris (check flue, doors and general structure)
(i) debris in roof guttering
(j) long grass and shrubs near buildings and facilities
(k) flammable liquid storage, gas storage and distribution
arrangements
(l) welding equipment and practices
PEOPLE CAUSE FIRES

The tragic aspect of home fires is that many could have been
prevented if someone had taken the proper safety measures ahead
of time.

People's actions -- and how they fail to consider fire safety are
common to all major causes of household fires. Major causes
include improper use and maintenance of heating appliances;
improper use and care of electrical appliances; lack of functioning
smoke detectors; and careless use of smoking materials.

This publication covers electrical safety, smoke detectors and use of a

family exit plan.
CHECK ELECTRICAL CORDS

Two-thirds of all electrical fires begin in plugs or cords on fixed

appliances such as refrigerators, air conditioners or lamps.
Frayed cords expose electrical wires that spark on contact with
each other or anything that can ground the electrical current.
Electrical plugs and cords usually deteriorate gradually, making
damage difficult to detect. Inspect all appliance cords and plugs
for wear at least once a year. If you discover a frayed cord or
loose prongs on a plug, discontinue use until repairs can be
made.
CHECK ELECTRICAL OUTLETS

Never overload electrical outlets and circuits. Overloaded

electrical outlets, or circuits that supply power to several
outlets, is a major cause of residential fires. Overloaded
outlets and circuits carry too much electricity, which
generates heat in undetectable amounts. The heat causes
wear on the internal wiring system and can ignite a fire.

All wiring systems have circuit breakers or fuses that disconnect

power when circuits become overloaded. However, an
improperly sized fuse or breaker can cancel this built-in safety
feature.

To prevent overloading, never plug more than two appliances into

an outlet at once or "piggyback" extra appliances on extension
cords or wall outlets. Use only outlets designed to handle multiple
plugs.
CHECK SMOKE ALARMS

Researchers estimate that smoke alarms could have prevented

almost half of the annual fire fatalities. Smoke alarms alert you to
potential dangers that your senses cannot detect, such as a slow,
smoldering fire in an overloaded electrical outlet.

However, it is more dangerous to rely on a smoke alarm that does

not work properly than it is to have no smoke alarm in your home.
Check the operation of the smoke alarm every month, and
replace batteries once a year

If smoke from cooking sets off your alarm, never remove the
battery to disable the alarm. You may forget to replace and
reconnect the battery when cooking smoke is no longer a problem,
and the disabled alarm offers a false sense of security. Consult a
professional if the alarm continuously sounds from cooking
smoke. The alarm may be located too close to the kitchen, or an
exhaust fan may be needed in the cooking area.
PREPARE A FAMILY EXIT PLAN

Early warning by a smoke alarm is effective only when

accompanied by a prepared emergency exit plan. Emergency exit
plans let you rely on automatic responses during an actual
emergency.

It's a good idea to develop your own Operation EDITH, Exit

Drills in The Home. A good plan is known by all members of a
household and includes an outside meeting location away from
danger of the fire. It also will include more than one way to get
out of each area of the home. Stage Operation EDITH practice
drills periodically, then discuss the plan with family members.