SECTION V: SAFE
WORK PRACTICES
(Understand the Hazards of Your Work
Environment)
Information presented is not intended to be
comprehensive or all inclusive; contact your supervisor, safety officer, or the
Environmental Health and Safety Office, 475-7041, for assistance or further
information on any given topic.
ACCIDENT PREVENTION
The article from “Electric Fields,” below, was written
by Stan Freeman, author of Injury and Litigation Prevention - Theory and
Practice, available from Van Nostrand Reinhold.
“The Mentality of Accidents”
The Executive Summary of “Injury in America, a
Continuing Public Health Problem,” written by the Committee on Trauma Research,
the Commission on Life Sciences of the National Research Council, and the
Institute of Medicine, states:
1.
Each year, more than 140,000 Americans die from injuries, and one person in
three suffers a non-fatal injury.
2.
Injury is the
last major plague of the young. Injuries
kill more Americans aged 1-34 than all diseases combined, and they are the
leading cause of death up to the age of 44.
3.
Injuries cause
the loss of more working years of life than all forms of heart disease and
cancer combined.
4.
One of every
eight hospital beds is occupied by an injured patient.
5.
Every year more
than 80,000 people in the
6.
Injuries
constitute one of the most expensive health problems, costing $75-$100 billion
a year directly and indirectly, but research on injury receives less than 2
cents out of every federal dollar spent for research on health problems.
These facts suggest that many persons will assume the
risk of accidental injury when the consequences of such injury can be
physiologically and economically devastating.
Why, for example, would a person operate a new radial arm saw without
instruction or even consulting the owner’s manual? In just such a case the operator, a high
school English teacher, had three fingers of his right hand amputated the first
time he used his new saw. The saw owner
was confident that he could operate the saw from prior observation and from
“common sense.”
Why will a manufacturer of a beer bottling machine
design a lever that requires a worker to place his hands
within one inch of an unguarded and lethal point of operation? In this case the operator’s hand and arm were
drawn into the point of operation and amputated. The machine’s designer was not aware of the
need for guarding points of operation and was not schooled in safety analysis
techniques.
Why would the project manager of a 22 million dollar
factory remodeling project be unconcerned about how roof holes are covered
after they have been cut? This oversight
resulted in a catastrophic injury to a ventilation equipment installer who fell
26 feet through an unguarded hole. When
questioned why he did not feel personally responsible for this problem, the
project manager stated, “Everyone on my staff was responsible for safety.”
Many psychologists agree, and most of us know that a
behavior that is positively reinforced is behavior that is likely to
continue. Accidents may happen when a
worker takes a shortcut; when a restaurant has a badly placed step; or when a
housewife cuts vegetables the wrong way.
If no injury occurs, all these events reinforce the idea that it is okay
to do things the wrong way, especially if the result saves time or money.
Studies have shown that we are not “taught lessons” by
accident experience; we usually have our poor practices reinforced. For the most part, the realities of everyday
living on or off the job encourage risk taking, undervalue the threat of
accidents and encourage the occurrence of accidental injury. In this context consider the following:
1.
Heinrich, an
early pioneer in the field of accident prevention, developed a well-known
relationship between injury-producing and non-injury producing accidents. He said that for every lost time injury there
will be 29 accidents with minor injuries and 300 accidents with no injury! The correct interpretation of Heinrich’s rule
is that for a single individual who experiences 330 similar accidents, there
will be only one major injury, 29 minor injuries, and 300 incidents with no
injury. Even if Heinrich is off the mark
by 25 per cent, accidents don’t appear as much of a threat on a personal
level. A study similar to Heinrich’s was
conducted [in 1969] by safety philosopher and researcher Frank Bird, Jr. His findings….give even more support to the
notion that accidental injury is a rare occurrence. He analyzed 1,753,498 accidents reported by
297 companies. The relationships [he
found] are not dependent on similar occurrences, nor do they deal with the same
individual as in the Heinrich study. The
relationship does indicate that accidental injuries pose even less of a threat
than indicated in the Heinrich study.
However the inclusion of the property damage component can effect a
change in perception of the effects of accidents, particularly if the damage is
costly to repair. The threat however, is
real. [Findings (for every 641
accidents): 600 accidents - no injury or
damage; 30 - property damage; 10 - minor injuries; 1 - serious injury.]
2.
The construction
industry is well known for its high injury rate which in the latter half of the
1980s has varied from 14 to 16 reportable injuries per 100 employees. This means that a typical project
superintendent with a crew of 50 will see about 7 lost time injuries a year. If that superintendent is as busy as most, it
is questionable that such an injury experience will cause a flurry of accident
prevention activity, or stimulate him or her to examine the safety
program. Also, the array
of protectionist provisions in the standard construction contract gives still
more credence to a sense of security.
The common perception is that the nature of the work makes a high
accident frequency inevitable in the construction industry. Companies such as DuPont Construction have
achieved consistent rates of below one to three injuries per 100 employees
doing heavy construction. The secret is
hard-nosed enforcement of programmed, pre-planned safety measures and
integration of safety into daily operating routines.
3.
There are
psychological factors that cause us to treat accidental injuries with less respect. [For example,] accident situations may at
times tickle our funny bone, but the ultimate injury can be deadly serious…as
humans, we tend to treat accident situations with humor and that may help
encourage a correspondingly light treatment of accident prevention.
4.
Why would a
soldier run onto a battlefield where random bullets are flying and his comrades
are falling dead or wounded all about him?
Is it super patriotism or overwhelming hate for the enemy? [Is it simply because his commanding officer has
directed that he must do so?] These may
be only a small component of what drives the soldier onto the battlefield. Primarily I believe his action is motivated
by another aspect of human nature that contributes to a reduced concern for
accident prevention. Risk-taking
behavior is motivated by the belief that “it won’t happen to me.” This human trait contributes to the frequency
and severity of accidental injury, and is another reason why the mentality of
accidents is an important aspect of causation.
This article has been devoted to the
premise that although accidental injury is a grave threat to our well-being, we
tend to disregard that threat and are generally complacent about accident reduction. Although accidents represent as great a
threat as disease, both in frequency and severity, we spend over 50 times more
for disease research than for studying accident prevention.
Civil court dockets in large metropolitan areas have
long waiting lists for court time to try personal injury cases. The
All the issues that we have discussed emphasize that it
is human nature to have accidents and injuries, to be complacent about these
accidents, and to avoid concentrated study of accident control. To prevent accidents it is necessary to recognize
this problem and make a conscious, organized effort to control hazards. After all it is only common sense.
(End of article
by Stan Freeman)
It has been suggested that, like happiness, safety is a
state of mind, a life and work style that helps to keep you safe, whether at
work or off the job. Obviously, living
our life in a safe manner is a personal choice, one which we make either
deliberately or by default (through the process of not taking conscious control
of our attitude and behavior.) And,
like other decisions we make as individuals, the choice we make in regard to
living and working safely (or the reverse) has far-reaching repercussions not
only for ourselves but others as well.
What do YOU choose?
As reflected in the Parlay International material,
below, the “ABC’s of safety” are suggested to be attitude, behavior, and
control. However, they could also be
listed as:
Awareness;
Alertness
Behavior
Conditions
The important point to note is that “behavior” remains
consistent in both definitions. It is
our actions or behavior--the end result of our awareness, alertness, attitude
and control--which ultimately prevent or cause an accident. While we might get by 100 times or more
with doing something incorrectly and unsafely the potential for an accident is
always there. It takes only one time,
when our actions and existing conditions collide, to produce a serious or even
fatal accident. This is most graphically
demonstrated in terms of motor vehicles; when driving, you may fail to signal
when making a turn 100 times and get away with it; on the 101st
time, your unsafe action may combine with an unsafe condition (e.g., another
driver who is not practicing defensive driving), resulting in a serious motor
vehicle accident.
After-the-accident rationalizations which people often use to excuse their
unsafe behavior :
·
“I didn’t see….”
·
“I’ve always done
it that way and nothing went wrong before….”
·
“The other guy….”
·
“Safety slows me
down….”
·
“I was working
too hard….”
·
“I was tired….”
·
“We do it all the
time….”
·
“I didn’t
think….”
Be
proactive. Consistently take a stand for
safety. Choose to be alert and aware of
your environment at all times. Be on the
lookout for unsafe conditions or actions.
Ask yourself, “What if…..?” and anticipate what
could go wrong and how this could be
avoided. If you aren’t sure about the
safe way to do something—ask. Plan
ahead. Manage both your time and your
actions. Allow enough time to do the job
correctly. You are the one most familiar
with your own job and you are the one who can identify hazards and determine
the best means to protect against those hazards. Accept personal responsibility for your own
choices and actions.
The ABC’s of Safety:
Attitude, Behavior, and Control (c1988 Parlay
International)
Safety is more than just following company guidelines
while on the job. Safety is actually a
combination of safe attitude, behavior, and control both on and off the
job.
·
Attitude: your frame of mind; the way in which you
approach a given situation
·
Behavior: what you do about it; how you react to a
situation.
·
Control: making your surroundings (where you do what
you do) safe.
Safe Attitude + Behavior + Control = a safer, more
productive you.
Attitude: When it comes
to safety, attitude isn’t exactly everything, but it comes very close to being
so. A safe attitude means staying alert
and focused on the job at hand, taking safety guidelines and practices
seriously, never horsing around on the job, and not
letting emotions like anger and frustration get in the way of job performance.
Behavior: How you react
to a situation is an important part of being safe. Following established safety guidelines and
procedures, refusing to take “short-cuts,” using personal protective equipment,
asking questions when you need more information about the task at hand—all of
these are safe behaviors. Safe behavior
also means helping friends, coworkers, and family members understand the
importance of safe practices at work, home, or play.
Control: Control means
taking responsibility for making your worksite, home, or recreational facility
a safe place to be. You can help keep
your surroundings safe from potential hazards by keeping them clean and
orderly. Keep machines in good repair,
clean up spills and debris (or report them to the appropriate person), and make
sure that walkways are free from obstacles.
Store chemicals properly (both at home and on the job) and never switch
containers. At work, be sure to report
faulty equipment, ventilation, or any potential hazards to your supervisor.
ABC’s - Easy as
1-2-3:
Attitude, behavior and control are the three most important (and perhaps
the simplest) aspects of personal safety both on and off the job. Take a moment to review your safety ABCs to
see if you’re doing all you can to protect yourself, your coworkers, and your
loved ones from careless, needless, injury.
You’ve been getting advice about safety for years. You’ve listened to it with one ear, but maybe
you never thought about it much. Deep
down, you may even think “It can’t happen to me.” Then, your buddy Jack (who’s in a hurry to
get off work), has a bad accident. It
costs him his hand.
The accident affects everyone—especially you. You can see what it means to Jack—physical
pain, emotional shock, lost income… He’ll have to train for a new job, and his
wife will work longer hours. Things are
going to be tough for him and his family for a long time. After the accident, you notice your attitude
at work has really changed. You make a
point of staying alert. You take extra
time to use special equipment and procedures.
You’re more willing to take suggestions that might protect you.
Why wait for this story to become real? A positive attitude toward safety will pay
off in countless ways—saving you money, keeping your job, even saving your
life. Why wait until you lose something
precious before you realize how easy it would have been to save it? Now is the best time to develop a good
attitude toward safety.
A Good Safety
Attitude:
How you deal with these elements adds up to your safety attitude. A good attitude is a habit you can learn!
1.
Focus: A good attitude means you are focused on the
present task. How well are you
concentrating? If something else is on
your mind or an interesting conversation is going on nearby, you may be
distracted. If you’re tired or bored, a
slip is easy.
2.
Time: A good attitude means taking time to do the
job right. Sure, it takes longer to put
on that extra equipment. But is saving a
few minutes worth a painful injury? A good
attitude also means managing your time well.
It may help you to make a list of what you need to do each day. Number the jobs going from most important to
least. If you can do them in that order,
you’ll know you’re doing the most important things and are less likely to rush.
3.
Strength: No, we don’t mean muscle strength. What we mean is the strength to do what’s
right. Others may want you to take
shortcuts or fool around. They may ask
you to “forget” to file an accident report.
A good attitude means you have the strength to do the right thing.
4.
Responsibility: If you care about yourself and others at
work, you’ll take responsibility even when a certain task “isn’t my job.” Wouldn’t you appreciate it if someone had
cleaned up that broken glass instead of leaving it for you to find as slivers
in your hand? A good attitude means
thinking of yourself as part of a team. Everyone helps make it a winning one.
5.
Risk: There’s no way to avoid all risks. (Just by getting in your car you’re taking a
chance.) But you can weight the risks of
doing a job in a certain way. Even if
the risk is one in a thousand, it’s not worth it. A good attitude means being smart and
avoiding taking risks whenever you can.
Your attitude toward safety is a habit that affects everyone where you work and at home. We can always think of excuses for not acting with safety in mind, but in the end, it makes a lot more sense to have a good safety attitude.