CHEA 512 SAFETYAccidents and their Effects

Engr. Lina D. dela CruzChemical Engineering DepartmentTechnological Institute of the Philippines

IntroductionThe effect of accidents on the industry, on the workers and the companies and the cost of preventing these accidents is a management concern.The prevailing view was that accident prevention program was too costly.The contemporary view is that accident are too costly, and that accident prevention makes sense economically.

Accidents are the fourth leading cause of death after heart disease, cancer and strokes.This ranking is based on all types of accidents, including motor vehicular accidents, drowning fires, falls, natural disasters and work related accidents.

Although deaths from natural disasters tend to be newsworthy, their actual impact is substantially less.For example, natural disasters in the United Stats cause fewer than 100 deaths per year on average.Workplace accidents, on the other hand cause more than 10,000 deaths every year in the United Sates.

Costs of AccidentsTo gain a proper perspective on the economics of workplace accidents, we must view them in the overall context of all accidents.The overall cost of accidents in the Units States is approximately $150 billion. These cost include such factors as lost wages, medical expenses, insurance administration, fire related losses, motor vehicle property damage and indirect costs.

Accidents on and off the job cost U.S. industry dearly. Every dollar that is spent responding to accidents is a dollar that could have been reinvested in modernization, research and development, facility upgrade and other competitiveness enhancing activities.

Accidental Deaths in the United StatesAccidental deaths in the US result from a variety of causes, including motor vehicle accidents, falls, poisoning, drowning, fire related injuries, suffocation, firearms, medical complications, and the impact of falling objects.

Work Accident Costs and RatesWorkplace accidents cause employers millions every year.Consider the following examples: Arco Chemical Company was ordered to pay $3.8 million in fines as a result of failing to protect workers from an explosion at its petrochemical plant in Texas. The steel-making division of USX paid a $3.25 million fine to settle numerous health and safety violation citations.

Those examples show the cost of fines only. In addition to fines, these employers incurred cost for safety corrections, medical treatment, survivor benefits, death and burial costs and a variety of indirect cost.

Many safety and health professionals believe that the major cost of accidents and injuries on the job result from damage to morale.Employee morale is a less tangible factor than documentable factors such as lost time and medical costs.Because few things are as detrimental to employee morale as seeing a fellow worker injured, accidents can have devastating effect on morale.Whenever an employee is injured, his or her colleagues silently think" That could have been me, in addition to worrying about the employee.Morale is damaged even more if the injured employee is well-liked and other employees know his or her family.

Time Lost Because of Work InjuriesAn important consideration when assessing the effect of accidents on industry is the amount of lost time due to work injuries. Approximately 35 million hours are lost in a typical year as a result of accidents.

Work Injuries by Type of AccidentsWork injuries can be classified by the type of accident from which they resulted. The most common causes of work injuries ar:-Overexertion-Impact accidents-Falls-Body reaction to chemicals-Motor vehicle accidents-Exposure to radiation-Exposure to extreme temperature

Work Injuries by Type of AccidentsOverexertion, the result of employees working beyond their physical limits, is the leading cause of work injuries.Impact accidents involve a worker being struck by a or against an object.

Parts of the Body Injured on the JobTo develop and maintain an effective safety and health program, it is necessary to know not only the most common causes of death and injury but also the part of the body most frequently injured.

Parts of the Body Injured on the JobTypically, the most frequent injuries to specific parts of the body are as follows (from the most frequent to the most)-back-legs and fingers-arms and multiple parts of the body-trunk-hands-eyes, head and feet-neck, toes and body systems

Parts of the Body Injured on the JobThe back is the most frequently injured part of thee body. Legs and fingers are injured with approximately the same frequency, as are arms and multiple parts of the body.This ranking shows that one of the most fundamental components of a safety and health program should be instruction on how to kift without hurting the back.

Chemical Burn InjuriesChemical burn injuries are a special category with which with prospective and practicing safety professionals should be familiar. The greatest incidence of chemical burns occurs in manufacturing.Other high incidence industries are services, trade and construction.

Chemical Burn InjuriesThe chemicals that most frequently cause chemical burn include acids and alkalies; soaps, detergents, and cleaning compounds; solvents and degreasers; calcium hydroxide use in cement plaster; potassium hydroxide (an ingredient in drain cleaners and other cleaning solutions); and sulfuric acid (battery acid).

Chemical Burn InjuriesWhat is particularly disturbing about chemical burn injuries is that a high percentage of them occur in spite of the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), the provision of safety instruction, and the availability of treatment facilities.In some cases, the personal protective equipment is faulty or inadequate. In others, it is not properly used inspite of instructions.

Chemical Burn InjuriesPreventing chemical burn injuries presents a special challenge to safety and health professionals. The following strategies are recommended:-familiarize yourself, the workers, and their supervisors with the chemicals that will be used and their inherent dangers.-secure the proper personal protection equipment for each type of chemical that will be used.-provide instruction on the proper use of personal protection equipment and then make sure that supervisors confirm that the equipment is used properly every time.Monitor that workers are wearing personal protection equipment and replace it when it begins to show wear.

Heat Burn InjuriesHeat burn injuries present a challenge to safety and health professionals in the modern workplace. Almost 40% of all such injuries occur in manufacturing every year.The most frequent causes are flame (this includes smoke inhalation injuries), molten metal, petroleum asphalt, steam and water.The most common activities associated with heat burn injuries are welding, cutting with torch, and handling tar or asphalt.

Heat Burn InjuriesFollowing are several factors that contribute to heat burn injuries in the workplace. Safety and health professionals who understand these factors will be in a better position to prevent heat burn injuries:-employees has no health and safety policy regarding best hazards-employer fails to enforce safety procedures and practice-employers are not familiar with the employer's safety policy and procedures concerning heat hazards-employees fail to use or improperly use personal protection equipment-employees have inadequate or worn personal protection equipment

Heat Burn Injuries-employees work in a limited space-employees attempt to work too fast-employees are careless-employees have poorly maintained tools and equipmentThese factors should be considered carefully by safety and health professionals when developing accident prevention programs. Employees should be familiar with the hazard, should know the appropriate safety precautions, and should have use the proper personal protection equipment.

Repetitive Strain/Soft Tissue InjuriesRepetitive strain injury (RSI) is a broad and generic term that encompasses a variety of injuries resulting from cumulative trauma to the soft tissues of the body; including tendons, sheaths, muscles, ligaments, joints, and nerves.Such injuries are typically associated with the soft tissues of the hands, arms, neck and shoulders.

Repetitive Strain/Soft Tissue InjuriesCarpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most widely known RSI. There are also several other RSIs to the bodys soft tissue. The carpal tunnel is area inside the wrist through which the median nerve passes.

Carpal tunnelIt is formed by the wrist bones and a ligament. CTS is typically caused by repeated and cumulative stress on the median nerve. Symptoms of CTS include numbness, a tingling sensation, a pain in the fingers, hand and wrist.Stress placed on the median nerve typically results from repeated motion while the hands and fingers are bent in as unnatural position. However, sometimes the stress results from a single traumatic event such as sharp blow to the wrist.