Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Accident Causes
Policies and Decisions
Personal Factors
Environmental Factors
Unsafe Act
Unsafe Condition
Release of Energy
and/or
Hazardous Material
Accident/Incident
Personal Injury
Property Damage
Equipment Failure
FIgure 14.1
Accident.causes.(direct,.indirect,.and.basic).
exceptions,.these.releases.are.caused.by.unsafe.acts.and.unsafe.conditions..An.unsafe.
act.or.an.unsafe.condition.may.trigger.the.release.of.large.amounts.of.energy.or.haz-
ardous.materials..This.may.cause.the.accident.(see.Figure 14.1)..Particular.attention.
should.be.paid.to.these.potential.causal.factors.
We.often.think.of.unsafe.acts.and.unsafe.conditions.as.the.basic.causes.of.acci-
dents..They.are.only.symptoms.of.failure..The.basic.causes.are.poor.management.
policies.and.decisions,.and.personnel.and.environmental.factors..Fortunately,.most.
employers.now.realize.that.safety.and.health.must.be.a.necessary.part.of.the.total.
operating.system..These.employers.take.the.responsibility.to.prepare.a.written.safety.
policy.and.guidelines.to.instill.safety.awareness.in.their.employees..Selection.of.best.
employees.for.the.job,.training,.employee.placement,.and.the.purchase.of.safe.equip-
ment.and.supplies.are.important.to.a.successful.accident.prevention.program.
checklIst oF ActIvItIes to oBserve
A. checklist. or. form. should. be. used. for. recording. observations.. This. form. should.
record.what.the.worker.has.been.observed.doing,.when.the.observation.was.made,.
and.what.action.or.actions.were.taken.or.planned.as.a.result..The.checklist.should.
include.key.points.of.the.particular.job.(see.Table 14.2).
If.a.JSA/JHA.is.available,.it.should.be.used.as.the.basic.information.and.guideline.
for.the.observation..The.supervisor.should.watch.each.step.of.the.job.and.be.alert.to.
