IA3 Flashcards
The accident rate of two companies is different although they have the same size workplace and produce identical products.
Outline possible reasons for this difference.(10)
- reportable accidents may differ from company to company
- the definitions of the accident rate may be different or misinterpreted
- there may be different means of calculating rates
- policies and procedures such as monitoring may be different
- disciplinary procedures for non-compliance by workers may vary
- differences in workplace layout and the age and type of equipment used
- issues connected with production,such as piece work and shift work and the winning of bonus payments which could lead to the taking of risks
- risk control issues, such as the adequacy of risk assessments and the associated control measures, the existence of safe systems of work and procedures for the use and maintenance of personal protective equipment
- human resource issues,such as the selection,training and competence of the workforce together with a possible difference in the companies level of communication with staff.
Explain the limitations of relying only on accident numbers as a measure of health and safety performance (10)
- the possibility of under reporting
- the fact that though there are few accidents, this may not be as a result of an effective health and safety management system and additionally, in a low risk business, few accidents are not always an indicator of effective control,while in a business where the risks are high,a large number of accidents may not always indicate an ineffective management system
- the number of accidents alone gives no indication of the incidence of ill-health or the number of near misses that may have occurred
- the data produced is historical and reactive,whereas a true indication of health and safety performance relies on both proactive and reactive monitoring measures
- they do not provide an opportunity for comparisons with a benchmark standard
- they do not provide data on the frequency or severity of the accidents that have occurred,the accident rate relative to the number of workers,nor a measurement of trends over time
A forklift truck skidded on an oil spill causing a serious injury:
1) Explain why the accident should be investigated
2) Outline the steps to follow in order to investigate the accident
3) Identify the possible underlying causes of the accident
1) - to identify their causes,both immediate and underlying
- to prevent recurrence
- to assess compliance with legal requirements
- to demonstrate managements commitment to health and safety and restore worker morale
- for identifying trends and to identify the need to review risk assessments and safe systems of work
- to provide useful information for the costing of accidents
- to obtain information and evidence for use in the event of any subsequent civil claim or criminal prosecution
2) - taking photos,making sketches, and taking measurements of the scene of the accident before anything was disturbed
- obtaining any CCtv footage available
- examining the condition of the forklift truck and determining its speed at the time of the accident
- determining the load that was being carried,the safe working load of the truck and any forward visibility problems with the load in place
- inspecting maintenance records and defects reports
- finding out the reasons for the oil spillage,the emergency spillage procedures in place and the reasons why they were not followed on this occasion
- assessing the competence of the forklift truck driver and examining the workplace to determine any contributing environmental factors such as the condition of the floor and the standard of lighting.
- interviewing relevant witnesses including the injured person of possible
- the actions to be taken should be prioritised with responsibilities clearly identified and periodic reviews carried out to asses progress with the completion of the work
- when all the information has been gathered,it would need to be analyzed to establish the immediate and underlying causes of the accident and a decision made on the measures to be put in place to control similar risks
3) - inadequate or the absence of risk assessments
- cultural and organisational factors and work pressures
- inadequate or poorly signed pedestrian routes and walkways
- environmental factors such as lighting,floor conditions and spillage control
- poor maintenance and defect reporting procedures
- inadequate monitoring procedures
- a failure to train and supervise the workforce
An employer should setup appropriate arrangements to notify occupational accidents, occupational diseases, dangerous occurrences and commuting accidents to the competent authority in accordance with national laws
Outline the appropriate arrangements which the employer should have in place for notifying such events (10)
- The employer should first identify a competent person who will be responsible for reporting accidents and other reportable events to the competent authority
- if the workplace is shared, an agreement will need to be reached on who accepts the responsibility for reporting
- all reported incidents should be investigated again by a competent person and information on all accidents provided to the workers
- records should be kept of any incident that occurs and these should be easily retrieval though the medical confidentiality of individuals will have to be respected
- workers will have to be informed of the system that is adopted and what is expected of them and their co-operation ensured.
An employer should setup appropriate arrangements to notify occupational accidents, occupational diseases, dangerous occurrences and commuting accidents to the competent authority in accordance with national laws
The following information is from a company’s annual report:
The company has done much better at health and safety in the last year compared to previous years. The significant reduction in accidents and fatalities shown in the table below is due to our new health and safety advisor and a reduction in staff numbers. The management team is confident of further reductions in 2010.
Year Accidents Staff Numbers Fatalities
2006 240 1500 ?
2007 185 1400 ?
2008 180 1300 11
2009 170 900 4
(1) Calculate the accident incidence rates AND comment on the findings. (5)
(2) Assess the company’s management of health and safety from the information in the annual report. (5)
1) To calculate the number of accident incident rates from the information given, divided the number of accidents that occurred by the number of people employed, then multiply the answer by a common and appropriate multiplier ( in this case 1000 workers ) 2006 ..... ( 240/1500) x 1000 = 160 2007..... ( 185/1400) x 1000 = 132 2008 ..... ( 180/1300) x 1000 = 138 2009 .... ( 170/900 ) x 1000 = 188
Whilst the number of accidents decreased between 2006 and 2009 so did the number of workers but in 2009 there was a rise in incidence rate.
2) The annual report was expressed in very general terms gave no commitment to the management of health and safety and lacked detail in both the causes of the accidents and on the safety management systems in place. The fatality rate seemed to be tolerated and accepted and the company expressed no remorse about their accident performance. Whilst the directors might be confident that further reductions in the number of accidents would occur, apparently ignoring the rise in the incidence rate, they gave no indication of how this would occur.
Outline the issues to consider
when preparing the accident investigation interviews for workers from within the organization (5)
- carry out the investigation interviews as soon as possible after the event
- a suitable date would have to be provided taking into account the availability of the people to be called since shift patterns might have a part to play
- identify the interviewers, to consider where the interviews would be held and how they would be recorded whether by tape recorder by dictaphone or handwritten and to gather together any relevant documentation such as risk assessments or training
- finally, consideration would have to be given to the format and distribution of the final accident report and how the information gathered might be used & to introduce measures to prevent a recurrence or as a possible defense in any possible prosecution or civil lawsuit
- it would also be important to bear in mind the requirements of employment law and trade union issues such as employee rights, the right to be accompanied or to have legal representation.
Outline hazard and consequence (Bow Tie) analysis. (10)
- the hazard and consequence (Bow tie) analysis is used to identify top events or incidents, to assess their potential hazards or threats and to identify control barriers or precautions to prevent the top event
from occurring - the right-hand side of the Bow Tie is considered to be an event tree or consequence analysis
- the bowtie analysis depicts rises in deadly understandable ways to all levels of personnel
- it is a structured approach to risk analysis and is used where qualification is not possible or is undesirable, it may also have a use in the investigation of accidents.
- the left-hand side of the bow tie comprises a fault tree or causal analysis. ideally, the barriers should be sufficient to prevent the top event from occurring but it has to be appreciated that controls cannot always be 100% reliable, accordingly, the analysis assesses mitigation or recovery measures and suggests barriers that need to be in place to minimize the consequences of the incident and to aid recovery.
Explain the domino and multi-causality theories of accident causation, including their respective uses and possible limitations in accident investigation and prevention. (10)
Domino Theory
- can assist in the structuring of accident investigations
- provides a linear explanation for accident causation.
- the direct cause resulting from an underlying cause, which results in the root cause
- Heinrich - ancestry /social environment
- fault of person
- unsafe act / unsafe condition, in turn, results from a root cause.
- accident
- injury
- this theory can be an oversimplification as it relies on single cause linear analysis
- bird and Loftus developed Heinrich model to include management influencer search for underlying causations Heinrich model restricts the findings of underlying causes.
- may be more useful than one underlying cause
- provides a more complex model as it recognizes that there can be multiple causes for an accident.
- more resources are required for investigating the multiple causes
- practical difficulties in reaching a decision on the extent of an investigation.
- thorough accident investigation requires all causes to be identified
- looks at factors: - culture, management
- encourages the use of a more systematic accident analysis such as fault tree analysis
Giving reasons in EACH case identify FIVE persons who could be interviewed to provide information for an investigation into a workplace accident. (5)
- the injured person who would be able to relate to what happened
- an eye witness or the first person
on the scene who might have observed what happened. - the first aid person who attended
to the injured party at the scene of the accident with respect to the injuries received - the injured persons manager and/or
supervisor who would have knowledge of the process involved, the existing safe systems of work, the procedures that should have been followed and the training and instruction that had been given to the victim. - a technical expert with specialist knowledge of the process or machine involved
- a trade union representative who would have knowledge of any previous complaints or incidents associated with the machine or process.
- the safety advisor who would be fully briefed on the systems of work that should have been followed and any possible breaches of the legislation
A forklift truck is used to move loaded pallets in a large distribution warehouse. On one particular occasion, the truck skidded on a patch of oil. As a consequence, the truck collided with an unaccompanied visitor and crushed the visitor’s leg.
(a) Outline why the accident should be investigated.
(b) The initial responses of reporting and securing the scene of the accident have been carried out.
Outline actions that should be taken in order to collect evidence for an investigation of the accident.
(c) The investigation reveals that there have been previous skidding incidents that had not been reported and the organization, therefore, decides to introduce a formal system for reporting near-miss incidents. Outline factors that should be considered when developing and implementing such a system.
(a) Reasons, why the accident should be investigated to be outlined, include:
✓ the identification of causes (direct and underlying) ✓ the prevention of recurrence.
(b) Actions to be outlined include:
✓ reviewing CCTV footage, photographs and sketches ✓ interviewing appropriate persons ✓ examining the forklift truck for defects.
✓ reviewing CCTV footage, photographs and sketches ✓ interviewing appropriate persons ✓ examining the forklift truck for defects.
✓ reviewing CCTV footage, photographs and sketches ✓ interviewing appropriate persons ✓ examining the forklift truck for defects.
(c) Factors to be outlined include ✓ consultation with workers ✓ introducing a no-blame culture ✓ establishing clear reporting lines.
