UNSAFE/UNHEALTHY

ACTS/CONDITIONS
• At the end of the session, the participants will be
able to:

 Discuss the basic causes of workplace accidents

 Define and differentiate accidents, unsafe / unhealthy acts
and unsafe conditions
 Identify and enumerate different situations and practices
that constitute unsafe/unhealthy acts and unsafe conditions

OBJECTIVES
WORK SYSTEM
Accidents and
Accident
Causation
• Latin verb ‘accidere’ = ‘to happen’
• ad + cadere = ‘to fall’
• A short, sudden, and unexpected event or occurrence that
results in an unwanted or indesirable outcome.
• Event or occurrence directly or indirectly the result of
human activity

ACCIDENTS
• A generic term to encompass all those occasions in which
a planned sequence of mental or physical activities fails
to achieve its intended outcome, and when these failures
cannot be attributed to the intervention of some chance
agency

HUMAN ERROR
• Person approach (or old view)
• Errors at the ‘sharp end’
• Errors result from psychological/physical factors within
individuals
• Individual focused strategies and countermeasures
• Systems approach (or new view)
• Error as a systems failure
• Human error as a consequence of latent conditions residing
throughout the system
• Systems-based strategies and countermeasures

THEORITICAL PERSPECTIVES
• Slips and Falls
• Manual Work Activities
• Working Around Vehicles and Moving Equipment
• Electric Shock
• Workplace Hazards

MOST COMMON ACCIDENTS IN THE

WORKPLACE
• Unsafe Act
• Unsafe Condition

PRIMARY CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS

Unsafe Acts
• Failing to use protective
equipment
• Removing safety devices
• Using equipment improperly
• Performing unauthorized
procedures
• Operating equipment at unsafe
speeds
• Dressing improperly
Unsafe Acts & Unsafe Conditions
Unsafe Conditions
• Defective equipment / inadequate
mechanical guards
• Hazardous process/operation
• Noise, heat, dust or vibration
• Dust, fumes, chemicals, or toxic
materials
• Poor or improper ventilation
• Improper lighting
• Unsafe floor surfaces
• Unsafe piling, stacking, storing
• Inadequate PPE and sharp edges
• Poor housekeeping
• Horseplay
• Confused materials storage
• Careless handling of materials
• Improper or defective tools
• Lack of machine guarding; failure of install warning systems
• Lack of failure to wear proper personal protection equipment
• Weather
• Worker not dressing for the job to be done
• Failure to follow instructions.

RECOGNIZING UNSAFE CONDITIONS

• Taking Shortcuts
• Being Over Confident
• Beginning a task with Incomplete instructions
• Ignoring Safety procedures
• Mental Distractions
• Failure to Plan

UNSAFE WORK BEHAVIOR CAUSES MORE

ACCIDENTS THAN UNSAFE CONDITIONS