Behavioral Psychology

(MAS-108)

Unit 3 Lecture 5: Industrial Accidents & Safety

 INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS & SAFETY

• Introduction of machines at workplaces have

made the tasks easier for the workers.

• However, there is a darker side to this

mechanization/automation of workplace.

• It has increased the chances of occurrence of

injuries/accidents.
 INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS & SAFETY

• It is important for the employers to provide a safe

working environment for the workers and prevent them
from any accidents/injuries because such instances have
direct influence on production process and workflow.

• Therefore, it is important for the employers to ensure

that proper safety systems/checks are in place to avoid
accidents and injuries.
 “An occurrence in an
industrial establishment
causing bodily injury to
WHAT IS AN a person making
INDUSTRIAL him/her unfit to resume
ACCIDENT? duties within the next
48 hours.”

- Factories Act of India (1948)

 • In short, an industrial
accident is usually: -

WHAT IS AN 1. an unexpected or
INDUSTRIAL undesirable occurrence;
ACCIDENT?
2. which happens at a
workplace, construction
site, or a factory;

3. causing serious bodily

injury to a person.
 • Accidents are costly not only to
industrial economy but also
results in injuries, pain, or even
death of a worker involved.

COSTS OF • Accidents also lower the

morale and satisfaction of
INDUSTRIAL workers and might disrupt
(sometime severely) the
ACCIDENTS production process.

• Therefore, industries work hard

to find out the causes of
accident and to put safety
measures in place to minimize
such occurrences.
 • Accidents are associated
with certain costs to the
organization as well as to
the worker and his/her
family.
COSTS OF
INDUSTRIAL • These costs are sometimes
ACCIDENTS directly incurred by both
parties.

• However, there are certain

hidden costs too associated
with such occurrences.
  Loss/delay in production
 Compensation to the
victim
DIRECT COSTS  Costs of medical aid/
OF facilities
 Wages of the victim
INDUSTRIAL  Possible loss of quality
ACCIDENTS  Possible loss due to
wastage of raw material
 Training costs of new
worker
  Time of worker who met
accident
INDIRECT
 Time of
COSTS OF worker
training new

INDUSTRIAL
ACCIDENTS  Possible loss of
morale/motivation among
other workers
FACTORS • Industrial accidents usually
result from a combination of
AFFECTING factors.
INDUSTRIAL
ACCIDENTS
• This combination of factors
may vary from cases to case.
All such factors involved in
industrial accidents may be
classified into two broad
categories namely (i) Work
related factors, and (ii)
Personnel Factors.
 • Nature of work- Analysis of industrial
accidents have revealed that a good
number of such instances occur
FACTORS because of the nature of work.
Slippery and greasy floors, locations
AFFECTING of machines and other related
factors are critical in accidents.
INDUSTRIAL
• Inadequate safety arrangements
ACCIDENTS /devices- Availability of appropriate
and adequate safety arrangements/
devices at workplace are now to be
mandatorily followed by
organizations. After a survey of many
industrial accidents, Stephenson
(1927) concluded that most of the
safety devices/features were either
not being used by the workers or
were not being used properly.
 • Improper ventilation- Improper
ventilation also causes accidents.
Presence of moisture and extreme
FACTORS temperatures make it uncomfortable
to perform the task and might result
AFFECTING in minor or major accidents.
 
INDUSTRIAL • Improper illumination- Improper
illumination at workplace could also
ACCIDENTS be a possible cause of industrial
accidents. A review by Stanley (1966)
indicated that 25% of the accidents
are caused by artificial lighting.
Excessive glare causes eye strain and
it becomes one of the frequent
causes of accident. Insufficient
illumination causes not only eye
strain and vision defects, but physical
and mental strain and poor
performance levels.
 • Faulty layout- Optimum arrangement
of physical resources within the
prescribed area is known as layout.
FACTORS Faulty layout of work site increases
the risk of accidents and injuries.
AFFECTING  
• Noise- Prolonged exposure to higher
INDUSTRIAL than permissible levels of noise
causes heart & circulatory
ACCIDENTS disturbances and behavior changes. It
is also a major cause of industrial
accidents.
 
• Work schedule- The work schedule
also effects the occurrence of
industrial accidents. Studies have
indicated workers engaged in night
shifts are more likely to meet
accidents/injuries in comparison to
those working in day shifts.
 • Long hours of work- Work hours
extended beyond the prescribed
work hours (usually eight hours a
day) results into fatigue, muscular
FACTORS pain, stress etc. which increase the
likelihood of industrial accidents.
AFFECTING  
• Speed of work- When speed of work
INDUSTRIAL rises, frequency of accidents also rise.
ACCIDENTS Excessive speed also introduces
fatigue which may lead to accident.
 
• Faulty design of machine/
equipment- Sometimes workers are
not able to operate an equipment
efficiently or are not able to control it
properly because of their faulty
design. It increases the chances of an
industrial accident resulting in an
unsafe working environment.
 THIS PRESENTATION IS BASED ON FOLLOWING
SOURCES

• Deshpandey, A. (2010). Industrial Psychology. New

Delhi: Sun India Publications.

• Bisen, V., & Priya (2010). Industrial Psychology.

New Delhi: New Age International Publishers.