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Module 3 - Unsafe-Unhealthy Acts and Conditions

This document discusses unsafe and unhealthy acts and conditions in the workplace. It defines unsafe acts as human actions that violate accepted safety procedures, like horseplaying or not wearing protective equipment. Unsafe conditions are physical hazards that could cause injury, such as slippery floors or unguarded machinery. Accidents are caused by unsafe acts and conditions, not excuses like bad luck. Indirect costs of accidents, like lost productivity, can greatly exceed direct costs of injuries. To effectively address safety issues, it is important to specifically identify the unsafe acts and conditions observed, rather than using vague general terms.

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2K views

Module 3 - Unsafe-Unhealthy Acts and Conditions

This document discusses unsafe and unhealthy acts and conditions in the workplace. It defines unsafe acts as human actions that violate accepted safety procedures, like horseplaying or not wearing protective equipment. Unsafe conditions are physical hazards that could cause injury, such as slippery floors or unguarded machinery. Accidents are caused by unsafe acts and conditions, not excuses like bad luck. Indirect costs of accidents, like lost productivity, can greatly exceed direct costs of injuries. To effectively address safety issues, it is important to specifically identify the unsafe acts and conditions observed, rather than using vague general terms.

Uploaded by

Sam
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology

College of Trades and Technology


BASIC OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH

MODULE 3 - Unsafe/Unhealthy Acts and Conditions

Objectives Working on this module should help you to:


● identify the different unsafe and unhealthy acts and conditions in your workplace
● differentiate unsafe/unhealthy acts from unsafe/unhealthy conditions
● explain the relationship between unsafe/unhealthy acts and unsafe/unhealthy conditions
● identify Filipino traits and characteristics in the workplace which result in unsafe/
unhealthy acts and conditions
● define accident and its causes
● enumerate ways to promote safety consciousness What are unsafe/unhealthy acts and
conditions?

To be able to define this, let us first go back to the work system composed of various elements:
workers, raw materials, tools and equipment and the work environment. The interplay of these
elements results in the performance of specific tasks like production of goods. But when an
accident happens, the task/s will not be accomplished or will be delayed.

An accident is an unexpected, unforeseen, unplanned and unwanted occurrence or event that


causes damage or loss of materials or properties, injury or death. Common types of accidents:
fall from height and fall from the same level (slips and trips) struck against rigid structure, sharp
or rough objects struck by falling objects caught in, on or in between objects electrocution fire

Corollary to accidents are costs that companies have to bear whether directly or indirectly. The
cost of accidents can be best explained by the Iceberg Theory. Once an accident happens,
money has to be spent for medical expenses of the injured worker/workers, insurance premiums
and, in some cases, for penalty and litigation expenses. Companies also spend huge amounts
to replace damaged equipment and wasted raw materials. These are what we consider as the
direct costs of accidents. But these are just the tip of the iceberg. The larger and more
dangerous part of the iceberg however is the part that lies beneath the water. This represents
the indirect costs of an accident which have a more damaging impact to the worker, their
families, the company and the community in general.

Indirect costs include:

1. Lost or lesser productivity of the injured – workers lose their efficiency and income due to
work interruption on the day of the injury.

2. Loss of productivity among other employees due to work stoppage when assisting the injured
worker, inspection or merely out of curiosity. The psychological impact of the accident reduces
the workers’ productivity.

Ricardo C. Atole
Instructor I
1
Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology
College of Trades and Technology
BASIC OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH

3. Loss of productivity among supervisors because instead of focusing on managing people and
the workflow, they spend their time assisting the injured, investigating the accident and
preparing inspection reports.

4. Hiring and training replacement workers

5. Downtime due to equipment damage

Apart from these are humane aspects of accidents such as sorrow due to loss, hardships and
inconveniences, physical pain and discomfort and psychological problems.

After knowing what accidents are and the costs that will be incurred when these happen, we will
now look at the primary causes of accidents.

Understanding this topic will help you identify appropriate measures to prevent accidents from
happening. Are these phrases familiar to you? – "Oras na niya" – "Malas niya lang" – “Tanga
kasi” – “Kasama sa trabaho” People usually utter the above mentioned phrases or statements
when someone gets injured or dies in an accident. However, these are not the real causes of
accidents but mere excuses of people who do not understand the concepts of occupational
safety and health.

Accidents are primarily caused by unsafe and unhealthy acts and conditions. Unsafe/unhealthy
Act: the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) defines this as “any human action that
violates a commonly accepted safe work procedure or standard operating procedure.” This is an
act done by a worker that does not conform or departs from an established standard, rules or
policy. These often happen when a worker has improper attitudes, physical limitations or lacks
knowledge or skills.

Examples of unsafe acts include: horse playing, smoking in non-smoking areas, using
substandard/defective tools, non - wearing of goggles/gloves, driving without license, reporting
to work under the influence of liquor or drugs, and improper storage of paints and hazardous
chemicals among others.

Unsafe/unhealthy Condition: ANSI defines this as the physical or chemical property of a


material, machine or the environment which could possibly cause injury to people, damage to
property, disrupt operations in a plant or office or other forms of losses. These conditions could
be guarded or prevented.

Examples of unsafe conditions include: slippery and wet floors, dusty work area, congested
plant lay-out, octopus wiring, scattered objects on the floor/work area, poor storage system,
protruding nails and sharp objects, unguarded rotating machines/equipment, etc.

Ricardo C. Atole
Instructor I
2
Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology
College of Trades and Technology
BASIC OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH

In identifying unsafe/unhealthy acts and conditions, you should be as specific as possible. The
term “poor housekeeping” is a very general and vague term that does not tell you the real
condition/situation of the workplace that needs to be addressed. You should avoid using general
terms when citing for unsafe/unhealthy acts and conditions. Rather, you must state specifically
what you are referring to, like: dusty workplace and improper storage of paints. The term
“Non-wearing of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)” is another generalized statement of an
unsafe act. To be more specific, you must cite the kind of PPE that is not used or improperly
worn by the worker. In this case, your observation should be: not wearing gloves and mask
while mixing chemicals, not wearing goggles while welding, or not wearing safety shoes while
walking on slippery surfaces.

It is very important to state the specific unsafe/unhealthy acts and conditions since these
become the basis for recommendations to the management. A general statement of the
problem will only mean a general recommendation or solution, not an accurate one. If you state
that the problem is “poor housekeeping”, logically your recommended solution would be “good
housekeeping”.

Although this is very basic, being definite and specific in identifying unsafe/unhealthy acts and
conditions is critical in convincing the management that safety and health issues in the
workplace are worth their attention and commitment.

Ricardo C. Atole
Instructor I
3

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