Speaker’s Notes

• Today’s topic is Accident Causes, Prevention and Control. This training is a part of
OSHA’s Accident Reduction Standards, 29 CFR 1926.20(b).

• You will learn about:

– What is an accident?
– Causes of accidents.
– How accidents can be prevented.
– Ultimately, why you’re the most important element in working more safely.

Suggestions for the Speaker

An effective ice breaker is to ask the trainees the following questions:
– In your own words, what is an accident?
– What’s the difference between an accident at work and one that happens
elsewhere?
– Has anyone been involved in an accident at work? What happened, and what
happened afterward?

1
 Speaker’s Notes

• Some people believe accidents “just happen” because they are inevitable. It’s either
bad luck, bad karma or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
• Excuses such as these disguise the truth: Accidents almost always have causes,
which means accidents always can be prevented.
• 5,524 workers died in workplace accidents in 2002. There were thousands more
injuries that were caused by accidents.
• For every serious or disabling injury reported, researchers estimate there were:
– 10 minor injuries
– 30 property damage incidents, and
– 600 near-misses.

Suggestions for the Speaker

• Now might be a good time to share a story about someone getting injured
in a workplace accident. If you do not have one, you can use the following
true story:
• A worker was loading a truck. While tightening a chain to secure the load,
the chain broke. It didn’t hit him, but the sudden jolt injured his head and
neck. He underwent neck surgery and still must take several medications
daily to cope with the pain. He’s barely able to work, but fears losing his
benefits and retirement if he quits.

2
 Speaker’s Notes

• An accident is an unplanned and unwanted event which may or may not cause
injury and/or property damage. It also interferes with the ability to get the job done.
• A “near-miss” is a type of accident that doesn’t cause injury or damage, but was a
close call nonetheless. It’s often valuable to study “near-misses” to make sure the
circumstances that led to them aren’t repeated.
• There are two primary causes of accidents:
– Unsafe conditions, which are hazardous conditions or circumstances that
could lead directly to an accident, and
– Unsafe acts, which occur when a worker either ignores or is unaware of safe
practices or standard operating procedures.

3
 Speaker’s Notes

• Accident causes can be grouped into these categories:

– 88% caused by the unsafe acts of people
– 10% caused by unsafe conditions, and
– 2% caused by acts of God, such as hurricanes or floods.
• Unsafe conditions in the workplace account for only about one of every 10 injuries.
• Through the use of engineering principles, many of the unsafe conditions that can
cause accidents can be eliminated. When a machine is working soundly and safely,
it’s much less likely that someone could do something unsafe.
• Examples of safety engineering in the workplace include: machine guards,
automatic shut off switches, and even handrails on the stairs.

Suggestions for the Speaker

It might be an opportune time to ask trainees what they would do if confronted with
an unsafe condition in the workplace. Would they wait for the next person to come
along to report it? Why is this a bad idea? Who would they report it to?

4
 Speaker’s Notes

• What are some examples of unsafe conditions and unsafe acts?

• Examples of unsafe conditions include:
– Defective tools or equipment
– Lack of proper machine guards
– Poor lighting
– Sloppy housekeeping, and
– Excessive noise.
• Examples of unsafe acts include:
– Using the wrong tool for the job
– Disabling safety devices
– Employing improper lifting techniques, and
– Being under the influence of drugs or alcohol while on the job.

5
 Speaker’s Notes

• All unsafe conditions and unsafe acts can be attributed to two factors: Personal
Factors and Job Factors.
• Personal Factors include:
– Improper motivation
– Distractions that interfere with the worker’s ability to concentrate
– A worker’s physical limitations, and
– Lack of knowledge or skills due to inadequate training.
• Job Factors include:
– Poor equipment maintenance
– Substandard equipment design
– Substandard tools, equipment and materials
– Poorly focused work standards, and
– Sudden or unusual increases in equipment usage.
• The Personal Factors usually lead to unsafe acts.
• The Job Factors can contribute greatly to unsafe conditions

Suggestions for the Speaker

You might want to initiate a discussion among trainees about the difference
between Personal Factors and Job Factors. Ask them to share any
experiences they might have when Personal Factors or Job Factors
contributed to unsafe acts or unsafe conditions.

6
 Speaker’s Notes

• Since safety engineering can eliminate most unsafe conditions, it obviously makes
sense to focus our accident-prevention efforts on eliminating unsafe acts.
• Examples of unsafe acts include:
– Unauthorized operation of equipment
– Horseplay
– Not following procedures
– Not using protective equipment, and
• Disabling or bypassing safety procedures.

Suggestions for the Speaker

This might be an opportune time to ask trainees what they would do if they
saw a co-worker – or even a supervisor – engaging in unsafe acts. How
would they handle it? Would they ignore it? Who might they report it to?

7
 Speaker’s Notes

• There are two ways to attack and control unsafe acts by people: through education
and training, and through enforcement. By effectively combining these elements,
it’s possible to reduce accidents in the workplace.
• Safety education and training is the most effective way to prevent unsafe acts.
• When people don’t comply with safety standards and rules, corrective action is
necessary. Many accidents result from violating safety principles. Enforcement is
necessary to make sure rules and principles are followed.

Suggestions for the Speaker

• Now might be a good time to share this real story about someone getting injured:
• A worker climbed on top of a truck to dislodge something that was stuck, without
shutting down the truck first. While on top of the truck, she was crushed by the
truck’s mechanical arm.
• Ask trainees to discuss what might have been done differently in terms of
engineering or education that could have prevented this.

8
 Speaker’s Notes

• Some workplaces only practice accident reaction, instead of accident reaction and
accident prevention.
• Accident reaction is investigating an accident after it happens to determine the
cause or causes, then implementing corrective measures to prevent the accident
from happening again.
• Accident prevention is identifying and eliminating potential causes before an
accident occurs.
• That’s why accidents are generally handled in three stages:
– Accident Response
– Accident Investigation, and
– Corrective Actions.

Suggestions for the Speaker

• You might want to describe this accident to trainees, then ask why
accident prevention would be an important part of the follow-up:
• At one manufacturing plant, a safety device on an entry door to a large
machine had been disabled. A worker was inside the machine doing
routine maintenance when another worker restarted the machine
without checking inside it. The employee who was inside the machine
became trapped and was killed.

9
 Speaker’s Notes

• There are several steps to take in response to an accident. The first priority, of
course, is to make sure other workers are in a safe area and to tend to the injured
employee. If outside emergency services are necessary, make sure they’ve
been contacted.
• Secure the scene where the accident took place, to make sure no one else could
wander into the area and possibly be injured.
• Another reason it’s important to secure the scene is because of evidence that could
be valuable in the accident investigation. Such evidence could be critical to
determining the cause of the accident.
• Don’t try to collect any evidence yourself or disturb the scene in any way, unless a
supervisor has asked for your assistance.

Suggestions for the Speaker

It’s probably a good time to ask trainees if anyone has ever witnessed a
workplace accident. Why might witnesses to an accident be an important part of
the investigation?

10
 Speaker’s Notes

• For any accident that occurs in the workplace, supervisors must fill out and submit
a series of forms and other paper work. But there’s more to it than paper work.
That’s why an Accident Investigation is conducted.
• If you’re involved in the accident, you will be involved in the Accident
Investigation. Do your best to remember exactly what happened.
• Even if you weren’t involved in the accident, you could find yourself involved in
the Accident Investigation. That’s because investigating an accident is more than
just filling out some forms.
• If you were a witness to an accident, you can expect to be interviewed one-on-one.
This is a standard part of many Accident Investigations. It’s important that you’re
honest – your co-workers’ lives could depend on it.

11
 Speaker’s Notes

• The third and final step in making sure an accident won’t happen again is to follow
up the Accident Investigation with Corrective Action.
• Corrective Actions are identified after the cause of the accident has been
determined. Corrective Actions usually are a part of the Accident Report.
• Your feedback and participation are an important part of this
process, too.
• Through your feedback, supervisors can gain insights to proper Corrective Actions.
• Your participation in the Corrective Action phase is critical. If Corrective Actions
are implemented in the area where you work, it’s vital that you understand and
observe them. It’s essential that if you have any questions at all, you ask those
questions and obtain the information or training you need to work safely.

Suggestions for the Speaker

To get a discussion going among trainees, you might to ask them:
“Why do you think some people are afraid to ask questions about a part of their
job or a process they don’t understand?”

12
 Speaker’s Notes

• Supervisors, managers and your co-workers are always watching out for you.
Supervisors observe you informally on the job every day.
• One method that’s often used to identify potentially hazardous jobs is conducting a
Job Safety Analysis.
• A Job Safety Analysis generally has three elements:
– Sequence of basic job steps
– Potential hazards at each step, and
– Recommended actions or procedures to prevent potential hazards.
• As part of your specialized training for an individual process or piece of equipment,
you should be able to identify these elements.

13
 Speaker’s Notes

• When it comes to going home safely every day, there’s only so much your
supervisors can do. We can make sure the place where you work is safe. We can
make sure you have the training and the proper tools to do the job. We can provide
you with the proper Personal Protective Equipment you need to be safe on the job.
• But we can’t stand watch over you every moment of the workday. That’s why it’s
important that each employee take an active role in maintaining his or her own
safety on the job.
• This means you must always keep in mind the consequences of what can occur
when you choose to take unsafe actions in the workplace. We can teach good
habits, but only you can exercise those good habits.
• No matter how skilled you are at what you do or how long you’ve been doing it,
it’s absolutely critical that every safety step be observed each and every time you
engage in a potentially dangerous action or process.
• Part of our goal as supervisors is to send you home safely at the end of each and
every day. But we need your help and cooperation to do that.

14
 Speaker’s Notes

• Accidents don’t “just happen.” They are usually caused by unsafe conditions or by
people committing unsafe acts.
• Your managers and supervisors, and you and your co-workers, all work together to
prevent unsafe conditions. The best way to prevent people from committing unsafe
acts is to make sure they’re knowledgeable about the process and the risks, and
they are well-trained.
• Any time an accident does occur in the workplace, three things
will follow:
– Accident Response
– Accident Investigation, and
– Corrective Actions.
• Even if you weren’t involved in the accident, you could be impacted by the
Corrective Actions.
• The bottom line: You are the best form of accident prevention.

15