Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Although.this.not.an.all-inclusive.list,.it.certainly.provides.a.snapshot.of.why.you.
should.undertake.a.loss.control.effort.for.occupationally.related.incidents.
PreventIng occuPAtIonAl AccIdents/IncIdents
Throughout.the.years.since.the.advent.of.OSHA's.regulatory.controls,.some.companies.
have.been.more.successful.than.others.at.preventing.worker-related.accidents/incidents..
These.companies.have.placed.occupational.safety.and.health.on.an.equal.footing.with.
production..They.have.developed.programs,.used.accident-prevention.techniques,.and.
applied. the. principles. of. motivation. to. safety.. In. doing. so,. they. often. have. devised.
their.own.unique.approach,.speciic.to.their.industry..One.example.of.this.is.Dupont's.
SAFE.program..The.successes.these.companies.have.experienced.have.made.them.
the.shining.examples.of.how.safety.can.become.a.part.of.the.cultural.and.philosophi-
cal.approach.of.businesses.
Each.industry.is.somewhat.different..What.works.well.for.one.company.may.not.
duplicate.or.replicate.at.other.companies.without.tailoring.to.it.the.unique.needs.of.
the.latter..Uniqueness.is.often.used.as.an.excuse.to.not.take.action..Excuses.include,.
“Our.industry.is.different,”.or.“It.won't.work.in.our.industry.”.Generally,.these.are.
seen.as.lame.excuses.and.a.way.of.saying.that.they.just.don't.want.to.try.to.make.
safety.a.priority..The.principles.of.preventing.accidents.are.applicable.to.any.industry.
setting.if.one.desires.to.make.accident.prevention.an.integral.part.of.doing.business.
nothIng neW In PreventIon
There.is.nothing.earthshakingly.new.in.the.accident/incident.prevention.arena..Basic.
accident/incident. prevention. techniques. espoused. in. this. topic. have. been. used. and.
modiied.over.decades..Few,.if.any,.dramatically.new.approaches.have.been.devised.
using.more.modern.techniques..Thus,.accident.investigation.has.always.been.accident.
investigation,.no.matter.the.words.used..However,.the.tools.and.processes.utilized.for.
accident.prevention.have.experienced.modiication.and.evolution.as.accident.preven-
tion.has.become.an.integral.part.of.the.loss.control.initiatives.of.companies.
hoW much PreventIon?
Workplaces. have. hazards. that. present. a. risk. of. injury. or. illness. from. the. dangers.
that.exist..At.times,.the.hazards.cannot.be.removed.and.the.dangers.exist.and.can.
result.in.an.accident..Risk.is.the.probability.of.an.accident.occurring..The.amount.
of.risk.that.you.deem.acceptable.will.do.much.to.deine.the.extent.of.your.injury.
prevention. effort.. Risk. related. to. safety. and. health. is. often. a. judgment. call.. But,.
even.a.judgment.call.can.be.quantiied.if.you.develop.criteria.and.place.value.upon.
them..Fine.(1973).has.provided.a.mathematical.model.for.conducting.a.risk.assess-
ment.that.results.in.a.numerical.value.that.can.be.used.to.compare.potential.risks.
from.accidents.
Fine's. irst. component. is. a. risk. score. that. compiles. numerical. values. related. to.
consequences,.exposure,.and.probabilities..To.calculate.a.risk.score,.extract.the.rating.
values. from. the. Justiication. Formula. Rating. Summary. Sheet. found. in. Table 1.1..
