Work Accident Management
An accident is defined in the dictionary as "an unintended event or an unexpected incident". If adequate precautions are taken then there should be no such thing as an accident. Note that the key operative word is IF.
Adequate precautions, if taken, guard against the occurrence of accidents, or at least their re-occurrence.
When an accident occurs, the circumstances leading to the cause of the event must be investigated and reported to the Government Inspector. He will then decide if the accident is of such magnitude as to require deeper investigation or perhaps legal proceedings.
The cause and effect of an accident are usually not related in magnitude. The same cause may result in a gigantic explosion or just a simple cut. It is therefore essential to regard any potential danger with respect.
Accidents do not occur without a cause, it may be water on the floor of your bathroom causing a slip, or oil on the workshop floor having the same effect. if these items were cleaned and tidied accidents would not occur.
Accidents may also be due to the environment or in some cases to the individual himself. He may be accident prone.
How the Work Environment can Affect Accidents
Environmental effects can be classified under several headings, these are:
Atmospheric Conditions
This is a key factor in the occurrence of accidents. If the working environment is too hot, stuffy or humid, the worker becomes languid, tired and bored. They tend to lose concentration in his work and accidents can occur.
If the working environment is cold, the worker's hands become numb, from the cold, and they tend to fumble. They become more obsessed with keeping their body warm than with concentrating on the job.
If ventilation is inadequate, drowsiness and headaches occur; the lack of oxygen in the air causes fatigue and the sense become dulled.
For the average size workroom, there should be at least four complete changes of air per hour to ensure that adequate oxygen is supplied.
The generally accepted temperatures for various types of work are:
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Sedentary 20 - 22 deg Celsius
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Light active labour 16 - 19 deg Celsius
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Heavy active labour 12 - 16 deg Celsius
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Very heavy active labour 10 deg Celsius
These temperatures will vary from time to time and in different countries, so it is important to ensure that you are aware of the correct temperatures.
Lighting
No or insufficient lighting is very dangerous. If a person working with machinery cannot see their work clearly then they are exposed to great danger.
Bad lighting or even artificial lighting can cause eyestrain and damage to the eyes. If delicate work or jobs which concern the identification of colours is to be carried out under artificial light, great care must be taken, for this can lead to serious mistakes and accidents.
For these reasons, it is essential that the correct lighting for the correct type of job be utilised. Natural light should be used as much as possible, but in those cases where natural light is not available or is insufficient then the correct type of lighting and fittings should be used. Glare and shadows should be avoided wherever possible. If these measures are taken, it can result not only in a reduction in accidents, but also an increase in production.
Obviously, the best accident reducer is natural day light, but it is not always possible to arrange workshops and officers in such a way that all work points receive a sufficient supply of natural day light. To partially overcome this, the working area should be decorated to enhance the light which is available.
The colour of the paintwork has remarkable effects - for example a white ceiling with green walls has been found to brighten a working area and it is also restful to the eyes.
Production Speed
The ever-insistent demand for increased productivity has caused a battle between the industrial psychologist (on behalf of the work force) and the management. On the one hand, management desires to produce more goods, but to speed up machinery can have serious consequences.
From the human point of view, the worker may be fresh at the commencement of a day’s work and be quite able to cope, but as time goes by and fatigue increases the speed of the machine may give the worker the feeling of "being rushed out of his stride". This results in anxiety neuroses, lack of concentration and accidents.
It should also be borne in mind that temperaments between individuals vary considerably and a fixed speed for all is definitely not the best way to obtain optimum results. The speed of the machines should be set so that each worker can produce efficiently, effectively and safely.
Hours of Work
The length of work periods is a deciding factor with regard to accidents. It has been shown in many experiments both in Europe and the United States of America that as a shift continues fatigue continues to increase. The optimum period for work of a monotonous nature is two hours. After such a length of time a rest period of a few minutes should be allowed.
Where concentrated work is required to be carried out for a period of four hours or more it has been proved by experiment and observation that most accidents occur towards the middle and end of the work period, when both mental and physical fatigue begin to take their toll. It has been proved that music played during the work period can have a soothing effect and actually eliminate fatigue and boredom. The music should, however, be provided with a level diffusion so that one part of the workroom is not subjected to a cacophony of sound while workers in other parts of the workroom are unconsciously straining their ears to catch the theme.
The optimum situation is one where there is a mid-period break when refreshments can be obtained. In such a situation productivity picks up very fast at the beginning of the period, then after approximately one-hour fatigue commences and productivity begins to fall.
At the same time, the possibility of accidents occurring increases. This pattern continues until the break. After the break productivity again increases and the cycle is repeated.
Noise
Noise can be defined as a disturbing and unpleasant sound, but psychologically it is difficult to define because the effect of noise is different for each individual. The effect depends upon the individual's state of mind, state of health and the amount of fatigue from which the body is suffering. For instance, the noise of a disco in the evening may be pleasant to many people, but to hear the same sounds in your office earlier in the day would create an unbearable environment. It is generally accepted that noise is detrimental to effort.
One does get used to certain noises: the ticking of a clock, the noise of ventilating systems, the hum of machinery in a workshop, the tic-tac of a keyboard in the office. These are all noises which are only noticed when they stop for a period. The fact does remain, however, that these noises do affect the unconscious and tend to build up an unconscious resistance to their sound. This is the beginning of neurosis; in the normal healthy person, it does not have any lasting effect, but if a person's vitality is low for some reason, such as fatigue or mental strain, then the neurosis will display itself in slight forms of hysteria, such as lack of control or carelessness.
It is very difficult to isolate a person from noise. The only effective method is using ear protectors, but this is not practical in an office where verbal communication is an essential. In certain sections of industrial activity, it is compulsory under the Machinery and Occupational Safety Act to wear ear protectors when working or entering those sections where the noise is above a certain level.
Space
This is a matter for "work study" and "workshop layout". If a working space is cramped with little room to move, then accidents will happen because limbs get knocked on furniture and machines, articles get knocked to the floor and the whole working space becomes a perilous situation. As stated the remedy is to use work study and layout design to ensure that there is enough working space, that there is sufficient room to deliver and take away materials and above all that tools and appliances are within easy reach but placed where they cannot fall or cause accidents.
