Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
7
Accident/IncidentAnalysis
IntroductIon
The.material.for.this.chapter.comes.from.information.derived.from.the.Mine.Safety.
and.Health.Administration's.training.manual.on.Hazard.Recognition.and.Avoidance..
This. is. a. simple. analysis. tool. that. sets. the. stage. for. more. detailed. examination. of.
accidents.and.incidents.
Many.workplaces.have.high.accident/incidence.and.severity.rates.because.they.are.
hazardous..Hazards.are.dangerous.situations.or.conditions.that.can.lead.to.accidents..
The.more.hazards.present,.the.greater.the.chance.that.there.will.be.accidents..Unless.
safety.procedures.are.followed,.there.will.be.a.direct.relationship.between.the.number.
of.hazards.in.the.workplace.and.the.number.of.accidents.that.will.occur.there.
As.in.most.industries,.people.work.together.with.machines.in.an.environment.that.
causes.employees.to.face.hazards.that.can.lead.to.injury,.disability,.or.even.death..To.
prevent.industrial.accidents,.the.people,.machines,.and.other.factors.that.can.cause.
accidents,.including.the.energy.associated.with.them,.must.be.controlled..This.can.
be.done.through.education.and.training,.good.safety.engineering,.and.enforcement.
Many. accidents. can. be. prevented.. One. study. has. shown. that. 88. percent. were.
caused.by.human.failure.(unsafe.acts),.10.percent.were.caused.by.mechanical.failure.
(unsafe.conditions),.and.only.2.percent.were.beyond.human.control.(Heinrich,.1931).
If.workers.are.aware.of.what.the.hazards.are,.and.what.can.be.done.to.get.rid.of.
them,.many.accidents.can.be.prevented..For.a.situation.to.be.called.an.accident,.it.
must.have.certain.characteristics..The.deinition.of.an.accident.is,.as.used.here,.any.
unplanned. event. that. results. in. personal. injury. or. property. damage.. The. personal.
injury.may.be.considered.minor.when.it.requires.no.treatment.or.only.irst.aid.
The. personal. injury. is. considered. serious. if. it. results. in. a. fatality,. or. in. a. per-
manent,.partial,.or.temporary.total.disability.(lost-time.injuries)..Property.damage.
may.also.be.minor.or.serious..For.an.event.to.be.called.an.accident,.it.must.have.the.
following.characteristics:
.
1.. It.must.be.unplanned.
.
2.. Personal.injury.or.property.damage.(or.both).must.result.
BreAkdoWn oF cAuses
Experts.who.study.accidents.often.do.a.“breakdown”.or.analysis.of.the.causes..They.
analyze.them.at.three.different.levels:
.
1.. Direct.causes.(unplanned.release.of.energy.or.hazardous.material)
.
2.. Indirect.causes.(unsafe.acts.and.unsafe.conditions)
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