Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
The. interaction. between. workers,. management,. equipment. and. machinery,. and.
the. workplace. environment. separately. are. complex. enough. by. themselves.. More.
complexity.transpires.when.they.are.blended.together.to.become.a.workplace..But.
physical.environment.is.not.the.only.environment.impinging.on.the.accident.preven-
tion.efforts.within.companies..The.social.environment.is.also.an.interactive.factor,.
and.one.that.encompasses.our.lives.at.work.and.beyond..Government.entities.estab-
lish.rules.and.regulations.and.leave.their.mark.on.the.workplace..Other.entities.in.
the. social. arena. provide. pressures. in. the. workplace,. such. as. unions,. family,. peer.
pressure,.friends,.associates,.etc..This.extends.the.interactions.that.must.be.attended.
to.in.order.to.successfully.prevent.accidents.
AccIdent PreventIon
Prevention.of.occupationally.related.accidents/incidents.is.the.law..The.Occupational.
Safety.and.Health.Act.of.1970.(OSHAct).requires.employers.to.provide.a.workplace.
free.from.hazards.that.could.cause.serious.harm.or.death..Beyond.that,.it.makes.good.
business.sense.to.prevent.accident/incidents..More.and.more.companies.have.come.to.
realize.that.the.OSHAct.is.a.helpmate,.not.a.hindrance,.to.their.accident/incident.pre-
vention.initiative..The.Occupational.Safety.and.Health.Administration.(OSHA).sets.the.
foundation.and.assumes.the.role.of.law.enforcer,.allowing.the.employer.to.not.be.viewed.
as.the.bad.guy.to.his.or.her.employees..Employers.can.delect.responsibility.to.OSHA.
As.business.competition.has.increased,.loss.control.has.been.seen.as.a.logical.place.
to.curtail.costs,.especially.direct.losses.from.equipment.damage,.medical.costs,.and.
workers'.compensation.premiums..Prevention.of.accidents.results.in.real,.observable.
savings..Safety.experts.approximate.the.hidden.cost.of.accidents.as.being.conserva-
tively.ive.to.ten.times.the.direct.cost.incurred..Hidden.costs.include.lost.production,.
retraining,.and.supervisor's.time.lost,.just.to.name.a.few.
AccIdent PreventIon BeneFIts
You. can. expect. many. beneits. from. preventing. occupational. accidents/incidents..
Some.of.the.beneits.you.might.expect.are
•.
Reduced.industrial.insurance.premium.costs
•.
Reduced.indirect.costs.of.accidents
•.
Fewer.compliance.inspections.and.penalties
•.
Avoidance.of.adverse.publicity.from.deaths.or.major.accidents
•.
Reduced.litigation.and.legal.settlements
•.
Lower.employee.payroll.deductions.for.industrial.insurance
•.
Reduced.pain.and.suffering.by.injured.workers
•.
Reduced.long-term.or.permanent.disability.cases
•.
Increased.potential.for.retrospective.rating.refunds
•.
Increased.acceptance.of.bids.(more.jobs)
•.
Improved.morale.and.loyalty.from.individual.workers
•.
Increased.productivity.from.workers
•.
Increased.pride.in.company.personnel
