 To the victim and his family, ultimate tragedy;

 To the witness, a profound and horrifying

experience which in time becomes a conversation
piece;
 To his company, a preventable and irreparable
loss of an employee;
 To the public, a news item;
 To the legal courts, an “Act of God”;
 To the government, a statistic; and
 To the nation, a tragic and unnecessary loss.

AN INJURY PREVENTED IS A BENEFACTION,

AN INJURY COMPENSATED IS AN APOLOGY.
What is an Accident
An unplanned, unwanted, but controllable
event which disrupts the work process and
causes injury to people.”
- a series of events culminating in an
unplanned and unforeseen event
Electric Shock Injury – Burn

Arc Flash Hazards -- Construction Safety Association of Ontario PB/RH -- March 3, 2009
Severe Burns from Arc Flash

Arc flash up to 35,000°F

Sun 9,900°F
Arc Flash Hazards -- Construction Safety Association of Ontario PB/RH -- March 3, 2009
How do Accidents occur?
- Accidents (with or without injuries)
occur when a series of unrelated events
coincide at a certain time and space.
- This can be from a few events to a
series of a dozen or more events, thus
actual accidents only happen
infrequently.
 ACCIDENT interrupts or disrupts
the normal & orderly progress of
any activity & may result in injury
(minor, serious or fatal) to people
and/or damage or destruction of
property that result to losses.

 The immediate causes of accident

are the unsafe ACTS & the
unsafe CONDITIONS.
 More or less, 90% of accidents
are caused by unsafe acts and the
remaining 10% are caused by
unsafe conditions.
It has also been estimated that
about 98% of accidents could have
been prevented and the remaining
2% only are unpreventable in
nature.
 Unsafe Acts
 (Behavioral)– violation of a commonly
accepted safe procedure which results
in an accident. (Ex.: improper
attitude, lack of knowledge or skill,
physical or mental defects, etc)

 These “states of being” also represent

hazardous conditions in the workplace.

 Management can have great influence over

these factors.
Unsafe Acts
- An unsafe act occurs in approx 85%- 95%
of all analyzed accidents with injuries
- An unsafe act is usually the last of a
series of events before the accident occurs
(it could occur at any step of the event)
- By stopping or eliminating the unsafe act,
we can stop the accident from occurring
- Although an accident could occur with the
first unsafe act, studies have shown that
between 300 to 1000 of the same unsafe
acts occur before an injury is sustained
- This is mainly due to the other series of
events that may not align.
Human Factors (types of unsafe acts)

 Negligence
 Anger/Temper
 Hasty Decisions
 Indifference
Distractions
Curiosity
Inadequate Instructions
Poor Work Habits
Over-Confidence
Lack of Planning
 Unsafe Conditions

 (environmental) – the unsafe condition

of the agency which could have been
guarded or corrected. (ex.: improper
guarding, defective agencies, poor
housekeeping, poor ventilation,
improper illumination, degradation of
equipment or tools through unsafe
procedures, etc.).
 UNSAFE CONDITIONS

Inadequate guards/barriers
 Presence of defective
tools/equipment/materials
 Congestion or restricted body movement
 Inadequate warning systems
 Presence of Fire/explosion hazards
 Poor housekeeping/disorder
 With Noise/radiation exposure
 Exposure to extremes of temperature /
ventilation
 Accidents – are the result of a
combination of causes, as:

 the work methods;

 the worker;
 the work environment;
 the equipment used;
 the organizational structure; and
 the time of accident.

 Accidents occur as a result of a fault in

the total system, not a fault in a
individual worker.
Combination of Causes

PEOPLE
(MAN) EQUIPMENT
(MACHINE) MATERIAL

ENVIRONMENT
INADEQUATE:
Comprehensive
People
Contact w/ Energy or Substance
1 System SAFETY
Environment
above the threshold limit of the
& HEALTH
Property
2 Standards
body or structure
PROGRAM
Process
3 Compliance

LACK OF BASIC IMMEDIATE ACCIDENT LOSS

(Result of Accident)
CONTROL CAUSES CAUSES (EVENT)

1 PERSONAL FACTORS 1 UNSAFE CONDITIONS

Inadequate guards/barriers
Inadequate capability
Inadequate PPE
Lack of knowledge
Lack of skill Defective tools/equipment BUSINESS
Stress Congestion
Improper motivation Inadequate warning system Profitability
Disorder
Growth
Excessive exposures
2 JOB FACTORS Inadequate ventilation Continuity
Inadequate leadership Inadequate illumination
Inadequate engineering
Inadequate purchasing 2 UNSAFE ACTS
Inadequate maintenance Failure to warn
Inadequate tools & equipment Failure to obey rules
Wear & tear Failure to follow procedures
Inadequate work standards Removing safety devices
Abuse & misuse Improper lifting
Failure to use PPE Why you
Servicing operating equipment need
Horseplay
LOSS CAUSATION MODEL SAFETY !!!
“Any property damage incident that
involves personal injury and all other
damage incidents that require repair or
replacement, other than those resulting
from normal wear and tear, shall be
considered as accident and must be
included in the reporting program”
“Any damage incident that is considered
outside the standards established or
desired for fair wear and tear by the most
knowledgeable persons will be considered
accident and included in the reporting
system.”
 Identify potential accidents
 Struck-by. A person is forcefully struck by an object. The
force of contact is provided by the object.
 Struck-against. A person forcefully strikes an object. The
person provides the force or energy.
 Contact-by. Contact by a substance or material that, by
its very nature, is harmful and causes injury.
 Contact-with. A person comes in contact with a harmful
substance or material. The person initiates the contact.
 Caught-on. A person or part of his/her clothing or
equipment is caught on an object that is either moving or
stationary.
 Caught-in. A person or part of him/her is trapped, or
otherwise caught in an opening or enclosure.
 Caught-between. A person is crushed, pinched or
otherwise caught between a moving and a stationary
object, or between two moving objects.
 Fall-To-surface. A person slips or trips and falls to the
surface he/she is standing or walking on.
 Fall-To-below. A person slips or trips and falls to a level
below the one he/she was walking or standing on.
 Over-exertion. A person over-extends or strains
himself/herself while performing work.
 Bodily reaction. Caused solely from stress imposed by
free movement of the body or assumption of a strained
or unnatural body position. A leading source of injury.
 Over-exposure. Over a period of time, a person is
exposed to harmful energy (noise, heat), lack of energy
(cold), or substances (toxic chemicals/atmospheres).
 • Medical
Direct Costs • Compensation

• Time lost from work by injured

• Loss time by fellow workers
• Damage to tools and equipment
Indirect & • Time damaged equipment is out of service
Hidden Costs of • Spoiled work
Accidents • Loss time by supervision
• Loss of Production
• Miscellaneous - 100 other items of cost

Indirect Costs = 5 to 8 of
Direct Costs
 Get the average Direct Costs of Accidents
(Compensation Payments & Medical Expenses)
from the historical accident records of at least 5
years.

 Get the Indirect Costs of Accidents by using

the formula:

Indirect Costs = 5 to 8 times Direct Costs.

 Get the Total Costs of Accidents by adding the

Indirect Costs + Direct Costs.
 Say, we want to get the approximate savings
from a ONE MILLION man-hours worked
without a lost time (injury) accident
achievement.

 Get the Total Costs of Accidents in a year.

 Get the Total Costs per hour by the formula:

Total Costs/per year x 1/365 x 1/8.

 Get Total Savings = Total Costs per hour x 1M

man-hours.
 Get 5 years Safety Performance:

• 1st Year = P30T

• 2nd Year = P45T
• 3rd Year = P10T
• 4th Year = P70T
• 5th Year = P70T

• Average Direct Cost (DC) = P 225T/5 = P45T

 Total Costs of Accidents = DC + IC = P45T

+ 8 x P45T = P405T

 Costs per hour = P405T/365 x 8 = P

0.1386986T

 Savings from a record of 1M man-hour w/o

LTA = P138,698.60
SAFETY – freedom from HAZARDS.
HAZARD – anything that may likely cause
personal injury or damage to property, or
their combination.

Since NO WORKPLACE with ZERO hazards:

SAFETY is control of hazards to attain an
acceptable level of RISKS.
RISKS is the degree of exposure or chances of
exposure to hazards.
 Preventing accidents is extremely
difficult in the absence of an
understanding of the causes of
accidents, which are :

1 Multiple Causation Theory

2 Heinrich’s Domino Theory
3 Pure Chance Theory
4 Accident Proneness Theory
5 Energy Transfer Theory
6 Biased Liability Theory
 This theory postulates that for
single accident there may be
many contributory factors & root
causes.

 This brings out the fact that, rarely,

if ever, is an accident the result of a
single cause or act. Combinations
of these factors give rise to
accidents.
 (P) Person – worker’s qualification, health
condition, relationship with co- workers.

 (E) Environment – environmental conditions of

the workplace, weather, plant layout, workspace.

 (M) Management – existence or non-existence of

S&H policy & S&H program, mismanagement, lack
of written job procedures, poor communication,
poor training.

 (E) Equipment – defective equipment, improper

use of equipment, inappropriate PPE, poor
equipment design & maintenance.
 METHODS & PROCEDURES (work instructions,
standard operating procedures, safe work permit
system/s, etc.)

 TIME (proper management of time, etc.)

 W.H. Heinrich developed the domino
theory which states that 88% of
accidents are caused by unsafe acts,
10% by unsafe conditions and 2% by
“Act of God”.

 He proposed a five (5) factor accident

sequence in which each factor would
actuate the next step in the manner of
falling one after the other, just like
dominoes.
Accidents happen by chain reactions of
phenomena and accidents are
prevented when one of the
dominoes are removed.
DOMINO THEORY
1. Injuries are caused by the action of
preceding factors
2. The removal of the central factor (unsafe
act or hazardous condition) negates the
action of the preceding factors, thereby
preventing accidents and injuries.

How do you use this model to prevent

accidents?
THE DOMINO THEORY
 1920’s - Herbert Heinrich, Travelers Insurance
 88% caused by UNSAFE ACTS
 10% caused by UNSAFE CONDITIONS
 2% UNAVOIDABLE [Acts of GOD]

 **This has been proven false in many

other theories.
ANCESTRY/ UNSAFE UNSAFE ACCIDENT INJURY
SOCIAL CONDITION ACT

INADEQUATE
PROGRAM PERSONAL
FAULT OF CONTACT
FACTORS PEOPLE
INADEQUATE PERSON WITH
STANDARDS ENERGY PROPERTY
JOB PROCESS
OR
FACTORS
POOR SUBSTANCE
COMPLIANCE
TO
STANDARDS

10% 88%
2% ACT of GOD
5 DOMINO’S
5 FACTORS in sequence lead to accident:
1. Ancestry and social environment [Source]
2. Unsafe Condition
3. Unsafe Act [Fault of Person]
4. Accident
5. Injury
LACK OF CONTROL

BASIC CAUSES

IMMEDIATE CAUSES

INCIDENT
DOMINO SEQUENCE

PEOPLE-PROPERTY
LACK OF CONTROL

BASIC CAUSES

IMMEDIATE CAUSES

INCIDENT

PEOPLE-PROPERTY
 IMMEDIAT

INCIDENT

PEOPLE-PROPERTY
 This theory explains that every one of
any given set of workers has an equal
chance of being involved in an accident.

 It further implies that there is no single

discernible pattern of events that
leads to an accident.

 In addition, all accidents are treated as

corresponding to Heinrich’s Acts of God,
& it is held there exists no
interventions to prevent them.
 That within a particular workplace,
there is always a subset of
workers who are more liable to
be involved in accidents.
 Researches made disagreed,
results were poorly obtained,
contradictory and inconclusive.
 Not acceptable, however, it may
account for a very low
proportion of accidents.
 Claims that workers suffer injury or
equipment suffers damage by
means of harmful change of
energy, and that for every
change of energy there is a
source, a path and a receiver.

path
source receiver
 The path of energy transfer
can be modified through :

 Enclosure of the path

 Installation of barriers
 Installation of absorbers
 Positioning/isolation
 Limitation of exposure
 Use of PPE
 The belief that once a worker is
involved in an accident, there is the
chance that the same worker will
be involved in future accidents, as
compared to the rest of the workers.

 Seems to contribute very little

amount, if anything at all, towards
developing preventive actions.
OUTSIDE FACTORS
Drugs,
Alcohol,
Depression,
Family Issues
Intent
Management Failures
 To attack a hazard at its source.

 To control the hazard along its path.

 To direct control efforts at the receiver,

the worker.
PATH

SOURCE RECEIVER
INADEQUATE:
Comprehensive
People
Contact w/ Energy or Substance
1 System SAFETY
Environment
above the threshold limit of the
& HEALTH
Property
2 Standards
body or structure
PROGRAM
Process
3 Compliance

LACK OF BASIC IMMEDIATE ACCIDENT LOSS

(Result of Accident)
CONTROL CAUSES CAUSES (EVENT)

1 PERSONAL FACTORS 1 UNSAFE CONDITIONS

Inadequate guards/barriers
Inadequate capability
Inadequate PPE
Lack of knowledge
Lack of skill Defective tools/equipment BUSINESS
Stress Congestion
Improper motivation Inadequate warning system Profitability
Disorder
Growth
Excessive exposures
2 JOB FACTORS Inadequate ventilation Continuity
Inadequate leadership Inadequate illumination
Inadequate engineering
Inadequate purchasing 2 UNSAFE ACTS
Inadequate maintenance Failure to warn
Inadequate tools & equipment Failure to obey rules
Wear & tear Failure to follow procedures
Inadequate work standards Removing safety devices
Abuse & misuse Improper lifting
Failure to use PPE Why you
Servicing operating equipment need
Horseplay
LOSS CAUSATION MODEL SAFETY !!!