Introduction

CHAPTER 1 – COST OF ACCIDENTS: WHY SAFETY IS IMPORTANT

CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety

Introduction

Accidents

CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety

Oxford English Dictionary• An occurrence, incident, or event. • Anything that happens without foresight or expectation; an

unusual event, which proceeds from some unknown cause, or is an unusual effect of a known cause; a casualty, a contingency

Accidents cause damage to employees, property, equipment, and morale as well as company’s bottom line.– Prevailing view: Accident prevention programs are too

costly.– Contemporary view: Accidents are too costly, accident

prevention makes sense economically.

Introduction

Accidents

4th leading cause of death in the U.S. after:– Heart disease– Cancer– Strokes

Natural Disasters ~ 100 deaths/year Workplace Accidents ~ 10,000

deaths/year On average, 11 accidental deaths and 1,030

disabling injuries per hour.

CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety

Introduction

Accidental Death Causes

CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety

The NSC periodically computes death total and death rates in the following categories (all numbers are averages per year):– Motor Vehicle Accidents –47,000

– Falls – 13,000

– Poisoning of Solids and Liquids – 6,000

– Poisoning of Gases and Vapors – 1,000

– Drowning – 5,000

– Fire-related – 4,000

– Suffocation (ingested object) – 4,000

– Firearms – 2,000

– Others – 14,000 (medical complications arising out of mistakes made by healthcare professionals, air transport injuries, interaction with machinery, mechanical suffocation, and the impact of falling objects)

Introduction

Causes of death – Prime working years

CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety

Heart disease, cancer and strokes tend to be concentrated among people at or near retirement age.

Prime working years: 37 years of age or younger

Accidents are No. 1 cause of death among people in prime working years.

Employers can have a significant impact on preventing accidents.

Introduction

The causes of death for persons from 25 to 44 years of age:

CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety

Causes of death – Prime working years

Accidents 27, 500

Motor Vehicle 16, 500

Poison (Solid, Liquid) 2, 700

Drowning 1, 500

Falls 1, 100

Fire – related 900

Cancer 20, 300

Heart Disease 16, 000

Introduction

Deaths in Work Accidents In a typical year, there are 10, 400 work deaths in

the U.S. Percentages of total work deaths attributable to

selected causes:

CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety

Motor Vehicle 37.2%

Falls 12.5%

Electric Current 3.7%

Drowning 3.2%

Fire 3.1%

Air Transport 3.0%

Poison (solid, liquid) 2.7%

Water Transport 1.6%

Poison (gas, vapor) 1.4%

Other 31.6%

Introduction

Work Injuries By Type

Overexertion– Working beyond physical limits

– Leading Cause (31%)

Impact accidents– Worker being struck by or against an object

– Second prominent cause

Falls– Third Prominent Cause

CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety

Introduction

Work Injuries by Type

CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety

Bodily Reaction to Chemicals Compression Motor Vehicle Accidents Exposure to Radiation or Caustic

Chemicals Rubbing or Abrasions Exposure to Extreme Temperatures

Introduction

Death Rates By Industry

CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety

Ranking order of most dangerous industries (Workplace deaths)

1. Mining and quarrying

2. Agriculture

3. Construction (Ranks first in workplace injuries)

4. Transportation/public utilities

5. Government

6. Manufacturing

7. Services

8. Trade

Introduction

Parts of Body Injured on Job in Construction

CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety

From most frequent to least1. Back

2. Legs and fingers

3. Arms and multiple parts of body

4. Trunk

5. Hands

6. Eyes, head, and feet

7. Neck, toes, and body systems

Introduction

Chemical Burn

CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety

Highest incidences in construction and manufacturing. Acids, alkalies, cleaning compounds, calcium

hydroxide (cement and plaster), potassium hydroxide (drain cleaners), sulfuric acid.

46% of the chemical burns occur while cleaning equipment, tools and vehicles.

High percentage of chemical burns occur despite the use of personal protective equipment, the provision of safety instruction, and the availability of treatment facilities.

Introduction

Chemical Burn

Strategy to prevent chemical burns:– Familiarize yourself, the workers, and their supervisors

with the chemicals that will be used and the inherent dangers.

– Secure the proper personal protection equipment for each type of chemical that will be used.

– Provide instruction on the proper use of personal protective equipment and then make sure that supervisors confirm that the equipment is used properly every time.

– Monitor workers who are wearing personal equipment and replace it when it begins to show wear.

CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety

Introduction

Heat Burn

Present challenge to construction employees Causes: flame (includes smoke inhalation

injuries), molten metal, petroleum asphalt, steam and water.

Common activities: Welding, cutting with a torch, working with tar and asphalt, etc.

Employees should be familiar with the hazards, should know the appropriate safety precautions, and should have and use the proper personal protection equipment.

CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety

Introduction

Heat Burn

Construction professionals who understand the following negative factors are in a better position to prevent heat burn injuries:– Employer has no health and safety policy regarding heat

hazards.

– Employer fails to enforce safety procedures and practices.

– Employees are not familiar with the employer’s safety policy and procedures concerning heat hazards.

– Employees fail to use or improperly use personal protection equipment

CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety

Introduction

Heat Burn

– Employees have inadequate or worn personal protection equipment.

– Employees work in too small a space.

– Employees attempt to work too fast, or are pushed to.

– Employees are careless.

– Employees have poorly maintained tools and equipment.

CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety

Introduction

Occupational disease (illness)

An occupational disease is defined as a condition produced in the work environment over a period longer than one workday or shift. Usually an illness is due to repetitive factors over a period of time. It may result from systemic infection, repeated stress or strain, exposure to toxins, poisons, fumes, or other continuing conditions of the work environment.

Introduction

Cost of Accidents

Overall cost of accidents in the U.S. = $800 billion annually.

These costs include lost wages, medical expenses, insurance administration, fire-related losses, property damage, and indirect costs.

CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety

Accident Type Cost (in billions of dollars)

Motor vehicle Accidents 722

Workplace Accidents 48

Home Accidents 18

Public Accidents 12

Introduction

Work Accident Costs and Rates

CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety

Between 1912 and 2001, accidental work deaths per 100,000 population were reduced from 21 to 4

In 1912, over 18,000 people lost their lives In 2001, in a workforce 3x as large producing 11

times the goods and services, there were approximately 10,000 deaths

• $420 per worker in U.S.

• $610,000 per death• $18,000 per disabling injury• 35 million lost work hours

Introduction

Categories of Accidents Cost

38

2429 27

10

23

$0$5

$10$15$20$25$30$35$40Billions

Introduction

Cost of Accidents

Cost Type Cost Category (in billions of dollars)

Wages Lost 38

Medical Expenses 24

Insurance Administration 29

Property Damage (motor vehicle) 27

Fire Losses 10

Indirect Costs of Accidents 23

CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety

Introduction

Indirect Costs of Accidents Incurred directly by the employer Not charged, as a rule, to the injury itself Not easy to quantify (~20% of direct costs) Indirect losses from Work accidents consists of costs

associated with responding to accidents. Such as:– Giving first aid– Filling out accident reports– Handling work slowdowns, etc.– Reduced worker morale– Reduced company image– Lost job opportunities for the firm

Introduction

Indirect Costs of Accidents

Accidents have devastating effect on employee morale.– Colleagues of the injured employee think, “That

could have been me”

Employee morale is a less tangible factor which may affect the productivity significantly.

Employees with low morale do not produce up to their maximum potential.

CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety

Introduction

Time Lost Because of Work Injuries According to the National Safety Council,

approximately 35 millions hours are lost due to accidents in a typical year.

This is the actual time lost from disabling injuries and does not include additional time lost for medical checkups after the employee returns to work.

Accidents that occurred in previous years often continue to cause lost time in the current year.

CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety

Introduction

Estimating the Cost of Accidents

CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety

Accidents are expensive, however to be successful, safety-minded construction professionals must be able to show that accidents are more expensive than prevention.

Lost work hours• Involves compiling the total number of lost hours for the period in

question and multiplying the hours times the applicable loaded labor rate.

Medical costs Insurance premiums and administration Property damage Fire losses Indirect costs