Causes of Accidents (ECE SAFETY)

7/30/2019 Causes of Accidents (ECE SAFETY)

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A Partial Requirement to the subject ECE SafetyEngineering to Engr. Alma Delos Santos


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What is an INCIDENT?

An incident is an undesired event that could

(orders) down grade the efficiency of the businessoperation.


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Case #1:

The wrong spare part for a machine was received by afirm, therefore, repair time on a maintenance job wasdelayed four days. Upon investigation, it was foundthat an improper number had been typed on theorder form.

The incident in this case was the typing of the wrongnumber on the order form. This was certainly anundesired event, particularly since it delayed the

repair four days, which made it downgradingincident.


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Case #2:

The worker was lifting 5gallon cans from a stockroomshelf when it slipped from his grip, falling to the floor

and striking him on his right foot, causing immediateswelling and discomfort. The lid of the can broke openallowing chemical to spill out on the floor.


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The undesired event in this case was the can striking

the workers foot and floor.The physical harm was an injury and, while the

extent cannot be determined from the description ofthe worker was injured.

We can also assume that some property damage wasinvolved since the can broke open.

The contact with a source of energy involved thefalling can with do kinetic energy, which proved to

be above the threshold limit of the workers limit ofthe workers body and cans structure. There isinsufficient information to determine whether otherinjury was inflicted by the can contents.


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Case #3:

A worker was using a paint brush to clear the surfaceof machine parts with an organic solvent, preparatorycoating it with a plastic protector. After, working in

the heavy odor of the solvents vapors for severalhours, he became ill and reported to the first-aiddepartment for permission to go home.


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The undesired event in this case was the exposure tothe solvent vapors.

The physical harm was an illness and while we may

not know how serious it was, it is evident that thecontact was with a chemical energy that was abovethe threshold limit of his body.


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NOTE:

The term physical harm in this definition includesboth injury and disease, as well as adverse mental,

neurological, or systematic effects resulting from anexposure or simplification of purpose, the wordsinjuryor illnesswill be used here after in this bookto best define the physical harm.


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TWO MAJOR CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS:

UNSAFE ACT is an violation of an accepted safeprocedure which could permit the occurrence of an

accident.

UNSAFE CONDITION is an hazardous physicalcondition of circumstances which could directly

permit the occurrence of an accident.


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UNSAFE PRACTICES

1) Operating without authority.2) Failure to warn or secure.

3) Operating at improper speed.

4) Making safety devices inoperable.

5) Using defective equipment.

6) Using equipment improperly.

7) Failure to use personal protective equipment.

8) Improper loading or placement.

9) Improper lifting

10) Taking improper position.

11) Servicing equipment in motion.

12) Horseplay.

13) Drinking of drugs.


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UNSAFE CONDITIONS

1) Inadequate guards or protection.

2) Defective tools, equipment and substances.

3) Congestion

4) Inadequate warning system

5) Fire and explosive hazards

6) Substandard housekeeping7) Hazardous atmospheric conditions: gases, dust, fumes and vapors.

8) Excessive noise.

-allowable 90dB for 8 hrs and 95dB for 4hrs.

9) Radiation exposures

10) Inadequate illumination or ventilation


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Accidents are frequently classified according to

their types, as indicated:

1) Struck against

2) Struck

3) Fall to below

4) Fall on same level

5) Caught In

6) Caught on

7) Caught between

8) Contact with

Electricity

Heat

Cold

Radiation

Caustics noise


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An axiom in accident prevention is that all accidentshave causes and that the great majority of accidents,roughly 99% are preventable. This scheme poses achallenge to the safety engineer whose responsibility isto identify or recognize the 905 and prevent them from

occurring. Since the cause of accident itself must have itsown cause, they are usually classed as direct orproximate cases, contributory causes and underlying orenabling causes.


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Accidental Deaths in the United States

On March 3, 1991 an explosion occurred at an oil

refining company in Louisiana, killing four workers. Theexplosion occurred as three gasoline synthesizing unitswere being brought back on line after having been downfor maintenance. Workplace deaths caused by explosions

are not unheard of, nor they are common.Accidents deaths in the United States result from a

variety of causes, including the following:

-motor vehicle accidents -falls

-poisoning -drowning-fire-related injuries -suffocation(ingested object)

-firearms


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Accidents deaths in the United States result from avariety of causes, including the following:

Motor vehicle accidents

Falls

Poisoning

Drowning

Fire-related injuries

Suffocation(ingested object)

Medical complications

Air transport accidents

Firearms

Machinery

Mechanical suffocation

Impact of falling objects

The National Safety Council periodically computesdeath totals and death rates in each of these categories.


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Statistics for a typical year:

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause ofaccidental deaths in the United States each year. Theyinclude deaths resulting from accidents involvingmechanically or electrically powered vehicles (excludingvehicles) that occur on or off the road. In a typical yearthere are 46,900 deaths in the United States.


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Falls

Thiscategory includes all deaths from falls exceptthose associated with transport vehicles.

Example:

a person who is killed as the result of falling whileboarding a bus or train would not be included in this

category. In a typical year there are 12,000 deaths inthe US from falls.


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Poisoning

This category is divided into two subcategories:

1) Poisoning by solids and liquids.

2) Poisoning by gases and vapors.


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Poisoning by solids and liquids. Includes:Deaths that result from ingestion of drugs

Medicine

Widely recognized solid and liquid poisons

Mushrooms

Shellfish

Does not include:Poisoning from spoiled food or salmonella


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Poisoning by gases and vapors. Includes:

Deaths caused by incomplete combustion

(e.g., gas vapors from an oven or unlit pilot light)

or from carbon monoxide(e.g., exhaust fumes from an automobile)

In a typical year there are 5,600 deaths in the first

category and 900 in the second.


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Drowning

This category includes work-related and non-work-related drowning but excludes those associated withfloods or other natural disasters.

In a typical year there are 4,600 deaths fromdrowning in the US.


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A fire-related injuries

This category includes death from burns,asphyxiation, falls and those that result from fallingobjects in a fire. In a typical year there are 4,400 fire-related deaths in the US.


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Suffocation (ingested objects)

This category includes death from the ingestion of anobject that blocks the air passages. In many suchdeaths, the ingested object is food. In a typical yearare 3,900 suffocations deaths in the US.


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Firearms

This category includes deaths that result whenrelational activities involving firearms or householdaccidents involving firearms result in death.

Example:

A person is killed in the home while cleaning a

firearm would be included in this category. However,a person killed in combat would not be. In a typicalyear there are 1,600 deaths in this category.


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Others

This category includes deaths resulting from medicalcomplications arising out of mistakes made by healthcare professionals, air transport injuries, interactionwith machinery, mechanical suffocation, and theimpact of falling objects. In a typical year there are atotal of 14,200 deaths in this subcategories.


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B. Accidents Vs. Other Causes of Death

Although there are more deaths each year from heartdisease, cancer, and strokes than from accidents, thesecauses tend to be concentrated among people at or nearretirement age. Among people 37 yrs. of age or younger-

prime working years accidents are the number one causeof death. Figure 2-3 summarizes the causes of death forpersons from 25 to 45 yrs. of age. Notice the leading causeis accidents.


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Below shows that accidents represent a serious

detriment to productivity, quality, and competitiveness inthe modern workplace. Yet accidents are the one cause ofdeath and injury that companies ca most easily control.While it is true that companies might have some success,

through such activities as corporate wellness programs, indecreasing the incidence of heart disease and strokesamong their employees, their impact in this regard will belimited. However, employers can have a significant impacton preventing accidents.


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Figure 2-3

Causes of accidents (ages 25 to 44 years in a typical year)

Accidents---------------------------------------- 27,484

Motor Vehicle---------------------------------- 16,405

Poison(solid, liquid)----------------------------- 2,649Drowning --------------------------------------- 1,516

Falls----------------------------------------------- 1,138

Fire-related-------------------------------------- 899

Cancer-------------------------------------------- 20,305

Heart disease------------------------------------ 15,879


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C . Role of Organized Labor

Organized labor has played a crucial role in thedevelopment of the safety movement in the US. From theoutset of the Industrial Revolution in this country,

organized labor has fought for safer working conditionsand appropriate compensation for workers injured on the

job. Many of the earliest developments in the safetymovement were the result of the long and hard-fought

battles by organized labor.


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Although the role of unions promoting safety is

generally acknowledge, there is a school of thought thattakes the opposite view. Proponents of this dissentingview hold that union involvement actually slowed thedevelopment of the safety movement. Their theory is thatunions allowed their demand for safer workingconditions to become entangled with their demands for

better wages and, as a result, they met with resistancefrom management. Regardless of the point of view, thereis no question that working conditions in the earliest

years of the safety movement were often reflective of aninsensitivity to safety concerns on the part ofmanagement.


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Among the most important contributions of organized

labor to the safety movement was their work to overturnanti-labor laws relating to safety in the workplace.

These laws were the:

Fellow Servant rule the statutes defining Contributory Negligence

concept of Assumption of Risk.


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This was the doctrine of contributory negligence.The concept of assumption of risk was based on thetheory that the people who accept a job assume the risksthat go with it. It says employees who work voluntarily

should accept the consequences of their actions on thejob rather than blaming the employer.


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Since the overwhelming majority of industrial accidentsinvolved negligence on the part of one or more workers,employers had little to worry about. Therefore they hadlittle incentive to promote a safe work environment.

Organized labor played a crucial role in bringingsometimes deplorable working conditions to the attentionof the general public. Public awareness and, in some cases,outrage eventually let to these employer-biased laws being

overturned in all states except one. In New Hampshire thefellow servant rule still applies.


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Several distinctions in the study of human factors in accidents

a) Between inherent factors and temporary factor resulting

from stress, training, etc.

b) Between physical and mental or psychological factor

c) Between factors of age and sex


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An exhaustive study involving more than 2,000 accidents

during over a year period in three different factories in UKindicated revealing findings:

1. Men below 5 ft. 9 inches tall, in a dispatch department

handling large packages, had significantly higher

accident rate.

2. Older workers in a machine shop had lower accident

rates than younger workers.

3. Talkative people have higher accident rates than less

talkative.


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Stress: A psychological and physical response of the

body that occurs whenever we must adapt to changing

conditions, whether those conditions be real or perceived,

positive or negative.

It's also important to note that there are two types of

stress, Eustress (good stress) and Distress (not so good

stress).


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Performance Efficiency Versus Stress


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The most common kind of stress include:

Feeling of being threatened

Too much to do at one time Loss of sleep

Noise

Excessive body temperature

Influence of drug


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Arousal: Arousal is basically being alert, physically and

mentally. Various body systems and hormones are involvedand contribute to alertness and readiness to move.

Arousal allows people to seek the things they require tolive, and some people to seek beyond what they require togain success and skills. People have different levels ofarousal, and therefore seek different activities and setdifferent goals.

Stress may either increase or decrease arousal toor form optimum


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Different things that affects the arousal level

A. Increase Arousal

1. Coffee

2. Tea

3. Amphetamine

4. Benzedrine

5. Dexedrine

B. Increase Arousal

1. Sleeping tablets

2. Tranquilizers

3. Anti-histamines

4. Benadryl


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Appropriate test to determine certain desirablequalities of an employee:

Emotional stability

Self-sufficiency

Extroversion

Dominance

Confidence

Sociability


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Aptitude tests measure characteristics can

be placed into three groups

Mental Ability

Spatial Ability

Motor Ability


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They are used to find whether a person comes up

to certain standards required for a specific job.

Some jobs require special alertness, others

intelligence, and still others require sociability


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Spatial perception involves not just good vision. It

includes the ability to perceive spatial patterns

accurately and compare them rapidly with each

other.


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Motor abilities are generally measured by

psychometer tests. These are combined tests of

sensory and muscular abilities


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They are grouped into:

1. Control precision

2. Multi-limb coordination

3. Response orientation

4. Reaction Time

5. Speed arm movement

6. Rate control

7. Manual dexterity

8. Finger dexterity

9. Arm hand steadiness

10. Wrist finger speed

11. Aiming


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During the 19th century industrial conditions were unsafe andunhygienic and very long hours of work were very common.Workers were then treated like machines thinking that theirproductivity was the same during the whole day.

Other studies by H.M. Vernon showed that women workingfor 12 hours per day experienced two and a half times as manyaccidents as those working 10 hours a day.

Many firms in the Philippines and in some countries stillpermit their employees to work60 hours a week includingovertime. Some workers also work for straight two weekswith no rest day.

Working hours and overtime


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Relationship Between Length of Daily Workand Output


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Distribution of accidents during the day:

1. Accident rate is higher in the morning than in the

afternoon. Accident peak occurred past mid-morning.

2. Local accident peak occurred before breaks, which may

have the result of fatigue or rush to meet production

targets.

3. At the end of the afternoon, accident peak was lesspronounced and preceded a decline as workers stopped to

work to tidy up at the end of the day.


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Distribution of accidents during the day:

4. Shift workers are generally under greater stress than dayworkers.

These are due to the following reasons:

a) Their natural rhythm of rest and activity has been

interrupted and are constantly in the process of re-

adapting themselves to different rhythm.

b) Night shift workers suffer from fatigue through loss of

sleep during daytime due to domestic circumstances.


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Man has a natural rhythm of rest and activity, commonly

monitored by his deep temperature. In normal life, human body

temperature rise from about 700 hours to a plateau between 1100

and 1400 hours, thereafter continuing to rise slowly to a peak

about 220 hours. The deep body temperature then falls rapidly toa minimum at about 300 hours. The overall variation in

temperature of a healthy person is approximately 0.6oC.

During range in body temperature of day shift averages 1.1oC,while that of night shift is 0.6oC. Generally, man is more active and

productive at a higher body temperature. It is, therefore, no

wonder athletes and contestants warm-up before a contest race.

Documents

Causes of Accidents (ECE SAFETY)