Accident Causation Who Gets Hurt And Why

Accident Causation: Who Gets Hurt And Why? IE 349 Lecture 21 Why Bother With Accidental Injuries? • Every year about 150,000 persons die from an acute injury, and millions are hurt. • Largest source is medical errors • Next largest sources is vehicle accidents • Occupational accidents • Recreational accidents Why Bother With Accidents? • #1 killer of the young – Ages 5-30 years • Humanitarian reasons – pain, suffering, stress • • • • • Social costs Expense to the Economy Employee morale Public relations Laws and regulations Some Facts….. • Injuries cause more loss of working years than cancer and heart disease combined. • Each year more than 80,000 are permanently disabled by injury to the brain or spine. • Injuries cost many billion $ per year in direct and indirect costs. What Is An Accident? • An accident is often thought of as an unavoidable event. • It is produced by the acute exposure to energy, such as heat, electricity, kinetic. • Can also be from the absence of essentials, such as oxygen or heat. • Such exposure can be controlled or uncontrolled. • Typically, the person involved is given a share of the blame. What Is An Accident? • Any unexpected or unforeseen occurrence that interrupts or interferes with the orderly progress of the activity in question. What Is An Accident? • An event that occurs by chance or from unknown causes • An unforeseen or unplanned event • An unfortunate event resulting from: – Carelessness – Unawareness – Ignorance – Avoidable causes Accident Adjectives • • • • • • • • • Chance Unforeseen Unplanned Unknown causes Unfortunate Unavoidable Careless Unawareness Ignorance Elements Of The Injury Process • • • • • • • Accidental release of energy Personal contact with energy Tissue damage Emergency first aid Medical treatment Rehabilitation Prevention** Sources Of Fault • • • • • • • • Injured party Others persons Machinery/structural failure Environment Procedural failure Supervision failure Management failure Government failure Accident Consequences • Injury • Property damage • Equipment damage • Product damage • Downtime National Occupational Injuries 1965 1970 1980 1990 2001 2002 71 80 100 115 125 138 14,100 2,100,000 14,200 2,200,000 10,000 2,500,000 9,000 3,000,000 6,000 5,200,000 5,500 4,700,600 Public Law 91-596 • Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 established: – OSHA – NIOSH – OSH REVIEW COMMISSION – NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON OSH OSHA • Promulgate new standards • Revise old standards • Conduct inspections of workplaces to determine compliance with standards • Educate employers and employees concern OS and H issues • Collect statistics on injuries and illnesses – BLS – Sec. 8.0.2 OSHA • Record keeping on toxic exposures – OSHA/NIOSH – Sec. 8.0.3 • Right of entry – Supreme Court – Sec. 8.a.1 • What can be inspected – Sec. 8.a.2 • How are inspections carried out? Section 5 Of OSH Act • Each employer shall furnish employment free from: • Recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm. • Shall comply with standards promulgated under this Act. Section 5 Of OSH Act • Each employee shall: • Comply with standards, rules regulations and orders issued pursuant to this Act which are applicable to his/her own actions or conduct. Dangerous Industries and Occupations • • • • • • Soldier Mining Construction worker Farmer Fishing Chemical production Looking At Accidents • When do accidents happen most often? – Mid-morning – After lunch – When working Overtime • When normal operations go wrong • During maintenance operations • During production process Accident Causation • Whose Fault? – Liability • Insurance • Enforcement • Image – Compensation – Correction and Improvement Hazard Recognition • Identification – Inspections – Injury statistics – Employee surveys • Definition of Risk – Persons exposed – Length of exposure – Seriousness of injury In Case Of Accidents We Ask • • • • • • Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? Single Cause Theory • Accidents are due to: – Unsafe acts – Unsafe conditions Why do people act the way they do? Why are there uncontrolled hazards in the workplace? Multiple Causation Theory • Accidents are usually due to the congruence of several causation factors. Hazard Causation Theory • Accidents are due to the failure to control hazards • Hazards are of three types: – Physical – Behavioral – Operational Situation Proneness • A given person in a given situation has a higher probability of an accident. Person’s Role • Accident proneness – Physical characteristics – Personality – Bad luck • Accident proneness research – Some persons have more injuries than others – No personality traits that predict proneness – Younger, less experienced workers have more injuries – Mixed results on ‘older’ workers