Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
procedures;.inspection.procedures;.equipment,.supplies,.and.facility.design;.purchas-
ing;.maintenance;.standard.and.emergency.job.procedures;.and.housekeeping.
The.second.category,.
personal factors,
.includes.motivation,.ability,.knowledge,.
training,. safety. awareness,. assignments,. performance,. physical. and. mental. state,.
reaction.time,.and.personal.care.
The.third.category,.the.
actual physical facility design
,.includes.the.unsafe.pro-
cedures.being.used,.the.unsafe.projections,.and.geological.and.climatic.conditions.
(see.Table 7.4).
C
AusE
b
rEAkDown
r
EviEw
Briely,.let.us.review.the.three.levels.of.accident.causes..As.was.discussed,.the.direct.
cause.of.an.accident.is.an.unplanned.release.of.energy.or.hazardous.material,.or.both..
The.indirect.causes,.which.are.also.referred.to.as.“symptoms,”.are.known.to.trigger.the.
release.of.energy.or.hazardous.materials..We.put.indirect.causes.in.two.groups:.unsafe.
acts.and.unsafe.conditions..Some.examples.of.unsafe.acts.are.using.defective.equipment,.
making.safety.equipment.inoperable,.and.horseplay..Some.examples.of.unsafe.condi-
tions.are.defective.equipment,.poor.lighting,.excessive.noise,.and.poor.housekeeping.
We.said.that.although.unsafe.acts.and.conditions.appear.to.be.the.basic.causes.of.
accidents,. they. can. actually. be. traced. to. such. things. as. management. safety. policies.
and.decisions,.and.personal.factors..These.things.(management.policies.and.decisions,.
personal.and.environmental.factors).are.the.basic.causes.of.accidents.
Some. examples. of. management. safety. policies. and. decisions. that. may. lead. to.
accidents.include.failure.to.inform.employees.of.preset.safety.goals;.employee.selec-
tion,.training,.placement,.and.supervision;.and.inspection.procedures..Some.of.the.
personal. factors. that. can. cause. accidents. are. motivation,. ability,. knowledge,. and.
safety.awareness.
When.beginning.to.analyze.the.causes.of.accidents.or.incidents,.use.the.Accident.
Report. Form. found. in. Table 7.5.. It. will. act. as. a. guide. in. identifying. the. various.
causes. in. each. category. and. provides. space. for. making. recommendations,. which.
will.help.prevent.the.recurrence.of.this.type.of.causal.factor.or.accident.
mIshAP ProBABIlIty
Each.of.the.preceding.causes,.when.taken.as.a.total.package,.provides.guidance.in.
determining. the. probability. of. a. mishap. occurring.. Refer. to. Chapter. 4. regarding.
ranking.hazards.
summAry
As.has.been.discussed,.accidents.occur.frequently.in.the.work.environment..This.is.
because.many.hazards.still.exist.in.the.workplace,.providing.conditions.within.a.work-
place.that.can.lead.to.accidents..Many.of.these.accidents,.however,.can.be.prevented.
First,.we.can.prevent.them.by.knowing.what.caused.the.accidents.to.happen.in.
the. irst. place.. Accident. investigators. perform. that. task.. The. accident. investigator.
determines.the.direct,.indirect,.and.basic.causes.of.an.accident..But.prevention.does.
