Incident Prevention

Safety And Health Officer Certificate

Course

NOSH GLOBAL SDN BHD

1
Learning Objectives
 To define what is incident
 To explain the causes of incident & role
of management control
 To explain 3 theory on accident
causation
 To list the cost involved in an incident

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Scope
 Principles of loss prevention

 Causes of incidents

 Incidents and productivity

 Approach to loss prevention

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Principles of
Incident Prevention

1. Incident prevention is good management

2. Management and workers must fully

cooperate

3. Top management must lead

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Principles of
Incident Prevention

4. There must be an OSH policy

5. Must have organisation and resources to

implement the OSH policy

6. Best available information and

technology must be applied
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 What Is An Incident?
 An incident is:
◦ An unexpected, unplanned event in a sequence of
events

◦ That occurs through a combination of causes

◦ Which result in:

 Physical harm (injury, ill-health or disease) to an individual,
 Damage to property,
 A near-miss,
 Any combination of these effects.

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Why Prevent Incidents?

 Legal

 Human Rights

 Business

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Causes Of Incidents

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 Types of Incidents

 Cause immediate injury or damage to

equipment or property:
◦ A forklift dropping a load
◦ Someone falling off a ladder

 That occur over an extended period:

◦ Hearing loss
◦ Illness resulting from exposure to chemicals

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Early Theory Of Accidents
(Heinrich (1930's))
Ancestry/social
environment

Fault of a
person

Unsafe
act/condition

Accident

Injury
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Heinrich’s
Five Stage Sequence
Ancestry/social
environment

Fault of a
person

Unsafe
act/condition

Accident

Injury
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Accident Causation Model (1974)

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The Three Basic Causes of Accidents
Poor Management Safety Policy &
 Decisions
Personal Factors
Environmental Factors
Unsafe Act Basic Causes
Unsafe

Indirect causes Condition

Unplanned Incidence ACCIDENT

Personal Injury,
Direct Causes Property Damage
Three Basic Causes Of Accident
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Lack of Management Control
 Management responsible for:
◦ Selection of workers
◦ Machinery and equipment
◦ System of work
◦ Information and training
◦ Supervision, etc
 The accident prone worker is a false
approach. It is like blaming the victim
instead of the perpetrator.
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Multiple Cause Of Accidents
Cause A
(Poor lighting)

Cause B Accident
(Not look where going) (Trip)

Cause C
(Wood in walkway)

Compatible with Loss Causation Theory.

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Fall From a Defective Ladder

◦ Why was the defective ladder not found

during normal inspection?

◦ Why did the supervisor allow its use?

◦ Didn't the injured employee know it should

not be used?

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Fall From a Defective Ladder

◦ Was the employee properly trained?

◦ Was the employee reminded not to use the

ladder?

◦ Did the superior examine the job first?

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Trip Although Warned in
Dark Walkway

◦ Was there a necessity for that person to

walk in that area or was there a safer route.

◦ If the person was not in a hurry would they

have been more aware of their surroundings
and avoided the wood.

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Trip Although Warned in
Dark Walkway

◦ If the area was better lit would the person

have avoided the wood.

◦ Could the wood have been removed.

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The Accident Pyramid

1 Fatal / Serious injury

3 Lost days

50 First aid

80 Property

400 Near misses

TYE/PEARSON/BIRD 1969-1975
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Accepted Accident Theory
 Multiple Causation Theory
◦ A single unsafe act or condition may or may not
cause an accident but both are caused by lack
of management control.

 Bird Loss Causation Model

◦ In line with Schewhart(1930’s) theory of
quality control.

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Accepted Accident Theory

 Heinrich’s theory is weak and negative

◦ Blaming victim and lack system thinking, continual
improvements, upstream control and worker
participation.

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Productivity Aspect Of OSH

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Direct Vs. Indirect
Incident Cost Iceberg

It is estimated that
Direct for every $1 in
Costs direct incident costs,
there are anywhere
Indirect from $4 to $11 in
Costs indirect or “hidden”
costs.

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 The Hidden Costs
Insured Costs -- covering injury, ill health, damage.
Hidden Uninsured – 8-36 times as much as insured costs

1. Product and material 7. Investigation time

damage 8. Supervisors time
2. Plant and building diverted
damage 9. Clerical Effort
3. Tool and equipment 10. Overtime working
damage 11. Temporary labour
4. Expenditure on 12. Loss of expertise /
emergency experience supplies
5. Fines 13. Clearing site
6. Legal costs 14. Production delays

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Incident Prevention Costs
 DESIGN COSTS (e.g to install machine
guards)

 OPERATIONAL COSTS (training costs,

PPE, etc.)

 SAFE GUARDING THE FUTURE

COSTS (health surveillance, audits etc)

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Cost- Benefit Analysis Of Control
Measures

 Compare specific incident costs with cost

of specific improvement being suggested.

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Du Pont Ten Principles of Safety
Management
 All injuries and occupational illnesses are
preventable.

 Management is directly responsible for

doing this.

 Safety is a condition of employment.

 Training is required.
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Du Pont Ten Principles of Safety
Management

 Safety audits and inspections must be

carried out.

 Deficiencies must be corrected promptly.

 All unsafe practices, incidents and injury

accidents will be investigated.
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Du Pont Ten Principles of Safety
Management

 Safety away from work is as important as

safety at work

 Incident prevention is cost-effective; the

highest cost is human suffering.

 Employees must be actively involved.

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Summary
 Incident in the workplace is largely caused by
lack of management control
 “If you think safety is expensive, try accidents”
 Implement an appropriate company policy
 Control OSH risk
 Put a management system in place
 Promote Occupational Safety and Health

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