INTRODUCTION TO SAFETY, HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

PREPARED BY:DR IRNIS AZURA ZAKARYA

04-9797769irnis@unimap.edu.my

You be able to analyze human behavior and working environment that cause the accidents

You be able to justify the best accident causation theory to predict and prevent accidents at workplace

SAFETY AT CONSTRUCTION SITE- Frisomat

1. Domino theory2. Human factors theory3. Accident/ incident theory4. Epidemiological theory5. System theory6. Behavioral theory7. Bird’s triangle

5 factors accident sequence

No. Factor Explanation 1 Ancestry and social

environmentThe negative character traits that may lead people to behave in an unsafe manner may be inherited (ancestral) or acquired as a result of the social environment.

2 Fault of person Negative character traits whether inherited or acquired are the reasons behind why people behave in an unsafe manner and why hazardous conditions exist ( e.g. smoking in an area which contains flammable materials).

3 Unsafe act/ mechanical and physical hazards

Unsafe acts committed by a person and mechanical or physical hazards are the direct causes of accidents (e.g. negligence)

4 Accident Accidents lead to injuries and will have a negative effect on the performance and image of organisation.

5 Injury Accident injuries may range from minor cuts and scratches to serious ones such as loss of limb or other disability. Injuries such as lacerations and fractures have a negative effect on workers’ performance.

1. Overload 2. Inappropriate response3. Inappropriate activities Overload – imbalance between a person’s

capacity at any given time and the load being carried by a person

• Factors – environmental (noise, distractions, etc) - internal (personal problems, emotional stress, worry) - situational ( level of risk, unclear

instructions)

Inappropriate response• how a person responds in a given situation can

cause or prevent an accident.• If a person detects a hazardous condition but

does nothing to rectify it, he has responded inappropriately.

Inappropriate Activities• Human error

Is undertaking of a task that a person does not know or not familiar

Is misjudging the degree of risk involved in a given task

Such activities can lead to accidents and injuries

Overload• Pressure• Fatigue• Motivation• Drugs• Alcohol• worry

Ergonomic trap• Incompatible

workstation• Incompatible

expectations

Decision to err• Misjudgment of

the risk• Unconscious

desire to err• Logical decision

based on the situation

System failure• Policy • Responsibility • Training • Correction • standards

Is the study of causal relationships between environmental factors and disease.

2 characteristics• Predisposition Susceptibility of people Perceptions Environmental factors

• Situational Risk assessment by individuals Peer pressure Priorities of the supervisor Attitude

Can cause or prevent accident conditions

Person (Host) Machine (Agent) Environment

Always referred as behavior-based safety.

Behavior-based safety is application of behavioral theories from the field of psychology to field of occupational safety.

7 basic principles of behavioral theory1. Intervention that is focused on employee behavior2. Identification of external factors that will help understand

and improve employee behavior ( safety in the workplace)

3. Direct behavior with activators or events antecedent to the desired behavior, and motivation of the employee to behave as desired with incentives and rewards that will follow the desired behavior

4. Focus on the positive consequences that will result from the desired behavior as a way to motivate employees

5. Application of the scientific method to improve attempts at behavioral interventions

6. Use of theory to integrate information rather than to limit possibilities

7. Planned interventions with the feelings and attitudes of the individual employee in mind

Showed a relationship between major, minor and no-injury accidents

Frank Bird found all the near miss accident must be investigated analyzed immediately

A near miss accident is an unexpected or unplanned incident which occurs but does not cause any injuries or damage to properties.

600: tend to lead employers to be careless and be overconfident

30, 10: if tend to ignore the near miss , lead to this level

1: if still unchecked involves serious or permanent injuries

What is the Human Factors Theory? What are the human factors that lead to workplace accidents?

Give three examples of occupations that may cause overload to workers.

By referring to the Epidemiological Theory, explain how the work stress factor can increase the risk of workplace accidents.

Based on the Accident/Incident Theory, systems failure is one of the causes of workplace accidents. Explain this in brief.