Tech 434 Human Factors: Accident Prevention
Preventing Injury and Illness in the Work Place
Control of Workplace Hazards
• Identification
• Development of Controls
• Decision to Control
Occupational Deaths, Injuries and Illnesses
• Sources of Data– NSC– BLS
Injuries
• OSHAct Requires Employers Keep Records of:– Injuries that cause 1 day or more absence from
work or “restricted activity” at work– Injuries that require medical attention but
caused less than a day of missed work
Incomplete Recording of Occupational Illness
• Many are indistinguishable from nonoccupational illnesses
• Occupational causes of diseases are often not recognized by employees or employers
• Diseases with long latency periods often occur after employment or exposure has terminated
Health and Identification of Occupational Hazards
• Toxicology
• Occupational Medicine
• Epidemology
Technologies to Control Hazards
• First, Contain the Hazard
• Second, Interfering with transmission to worker
• Third, Provide PPE
Controlling Health Hazards
• Control at the source by:– design– modification– substitution
Method Most Used in Control of Health Hazard Transmission
• Ventilation• Other Ways
– Isolating the Source
– Prevent toxic material from becoming airborne
Hierarchy of controls
• Engineering solutions to control hazards at their source or in the pathway of transmission is more reliable and less burdensome to the worker than personal protective equipment.
Factors That May Motivate the Decision to control
• Employers’ enlightened self-interest
• Information on hazards and controls
• Financial and tax incentives
• Tort Liability
• Worker Compensation & Insurance
• Employees’ rights and collective bargaining
• Regulations
Occupational Injuries and Illnesses
• Fatal Injuries• Nonfatal Injuries• Fatality Rates by
Industries• Trends and what
affects trends
• Fatalities• Illnesses• Trends and what
affects trends
Health Hazard Identification
Occupational Diseases
10 Leading Work-Related Diseases & Injuries - USA
• Occupational Lung• MSDS• Occupational Cancer
(other than lung)• Amputations, eye loss,
fractures, lacerations, & traumatic deaths
• Cardiovascular Disorders
• Reproduction Disorders
• Neurotoxic Disorders• Noise induced hearing
loss• Dermatological
conditions• Psychological
disorders
Known and Unknown Disorders
• Identified hazards known to be in the workplace
• Hazards present in the workplace but not identified as cause of disease
• New substances or processes not yet introduced into workplace, but will be hazardous to human health
Identified Hazards
• Physical Agents• Metals• Dusts and Fibers• Chemicals
Medical Surveillance Systems
• Exposure Some Type• Records of Health
Outcomes• Background
Information about characteristics of individual’s that may influence susceptibility
Safety Hazard Identification
• On the Job Fatalities by Industry
• Causes of On the Job Fatalities
Basic Theories of Injury Causation
Traditional Approach
Non-Traditional Approach
Heinrich’s Domino Theory
• Injuries are caused by Accidents
• Accidents are caused by unsafe acts of persons or by exposure to unsafe mechanical conditions
• Unsafe acts & conditions are caused by faults of persons
• Faults of persons created by environment or acquired via inheritance
Non Traditional Injury Causation Models
• Behavioral Models• Management Models• Epidemiological
Models• Systems Models• Ergonomic/Human
Factors Models
• Frank Bird• Mike Zabetakis