A3 PREVENTING ACCIDENTS
Distinguish between accidents, incidents and near misses.
Accident - Any undesired circumstances which give rise to ill-health or injury; damage to property, plant, products or the environment; production losses or increased liabilities. Near miss - An unplanned incident which does not cause injury or damage but has the potential to do so. Incident - All undesired circumstances and 'near misses' which could cause accidents.
Explain why accidents occur.
Immediate (Direct) Causes There is little doubt that the majority of accidents are caused by the activities that people do or fail to do. Their acts, omissions and unsafe acts combine to cause unsafe conditions that can lead to accidents. Unsafe acts include: Complacency and poor attitude. Ignoring procedures. Removal of guards and other safety devices. Unsafe conditions include: Slip trip hazards. Poor maintenance. Environmental (temperature, noise, dust and fumes). Workplace layout, falling objects. Accident potential is increased when unsafe acts and unsafe conditions occur simultaneously.Examples of unsafe acts: Using tools and equipment for tasks for which they were not designed. Driving in excess of a speed limit. Examples of unsafe conditions: A trailing telephone cable in an office. Driving a vehicle in exceedingly hot weather. Underlying (Indirect) Causes These are the root true cause of the accident. Identifying this cause should explain why the unsafe act occurred or indeed why the unsafe condition arose, but this is not always easy to identify. Indirect causes can fall into three major categories: Organisational factors (procedural) such as: Lapse in work standards. Lack of procedures. Inadequate training. Communication, co-ordination, supervision failure. Job factors (technical) such as: Poor design of equipment. Bad layout of equipment and premises. Lack of equipment maintenance. Human factors (behavioural) such as: State of physical mental capability. State of physical mental stress. Lack of current knowledge and information. Lack of skill and motivation.
Explain the need to prevent accidents
The main benefits of accident prevention are: Improved employee health and wellbeing. Compliance with health and safety regulations. Control of financial loss. Lower insurance premiums.
Explain the cost of accidents.
The main costs of poor accident prevention are: Human aspects - costs to the victim. Financial aspects - costs to the company. Costs to the nation including health services and welfare facilities. Direct and Indirect costs Insured and uninsured costs
Describe and explain measures to prevent accidents in the workplace.
The main methods of reducing accidents are: Increased awareness of health and safety within the organization. Senior management involvement in health and safety planning and implementation. Applying a range a hard and soft control measures. Ensure all employees and others within an organisation are competent to conduct their work safely. Heighten knowledge levels of risk control within the organisation. Continuation of monitoring accidents and near misses.
