SAFETY MANAGEMENT
● Definition of Accident
Accident is an unfortunate and sudden mishappening which causes damage or loss of property, material or human are expected. Safety management is concentrating on avoiding Accidents.
● Types of Industrial Accidents
Types of Accidents are mentioned below:
(A) Based on Severity, Durability and Degree of Injury:
1. Minor Accidents
● Less harmful in nature to the worker.
● Preventing employees from working for the period less than 48 hours from the time of accident.
● Not necessary to report to higher management.
2. Reportable Accidents
● Injuries caused to the worker prevent him from working for the period of 48 hours or more.
● Supervisor should do reporting to the higher management.
● Accident is little complicated than the minor accident.
3. Fatal Accidents
● It results into death of the employee.
● Its reporting to the top management, legal bodies and police is must.
4. Accidents due to dangerous occurrences
● Explosion, fire, leakage may be the reasons for such accidents.
● Man as well as property can be damaged.
● Extent if more, it gives greater loss to the industry.
5. Internal Accidents
● Injury without showing external signs (e.g. fractured bone) are called as internal Accidents.
6. External Accidents
● Injury with external signs of it, is called as external accident.
7. Major Accident
● Accident causing death /permanent /prolonged disability to the injured employee is called major accident.
8. Temporary Accident
● Injury after accident disables a worker for a short period/a day/a week.
9. Permanent Accident
● Injury after accident disables the affected worker forever.
(B) Based on Place of Accident
1. Construction accident:
● Accident occurs at construction site. These accidents are often happening and injuries are serious.
2. Chemical plant accidents:
● Exposure to chemicals is a real and everyday danger.
3. Industrial plant accidents:
● Industries busy in manufacturing have machineries and moving parts. Accidents occur may be due to mistakes by worker, management or situation.
4. Mining accidents:
● Mines are seriously dangerous sites Collapses of soil layers, suffocation, poisonous gases, etc, are the reasons
CAUSES OF ACCIDENT
● Arrangement of machines, equipments in accident prone manner.
● Heavy mental pressures on workforce.
● Lack of safe procedures,
● Poor discipline of work at workplace.
● Less control on habits of workers, employees behaviour, their movements etc.
● No provision of safety equipments.
● No plans for plant protection.
● Bad electrification.
● Faulty equipments.
● Wrong assignments of work i.e. incorrect person working at sensitive jobs.
● Unguarded moving parts.
● Overcrowding of machines at shop floor.
● Overcrowding of persons near to the work places.
● No alternative arrangements of escape at the time of accidents.
● No arrangement for accident control and dampening.
● Lack of safety awareness.
● Careless management approaches.
(c) Causes of Accidents due to Unsafe Working Conditions:
● Poor workplace layout.
● Oily surfaces, slippery floor.
● Poor illumination
● Suffocation at work.
● Bad house keeping
● Unnecessary slopes and steps on shop floor.
● Un noticeable turns and crossings.
● Weak machine foundations.
● Poor electrification
● Exposure to moving parts
● Chemical leakages
● Storage of explosives without proper care.
● Humidity at workplace.
● No consideration of human factor while designing chairs, tables, operating systems of machines etc.So inconvenient working arrangements.
● Irregular floor heights, unscientific gangways, galleries and staircases.
● Psychological pressures due to bad work culture.
● No support at work by others.
● Negative competition jealousy factor and groupism at work place. It causes mental imbalance of many, while working
● Unavailability of basic facilities near to workplace.
(d) Natural Causes of Accidents:
● Earthquake
● Floods
● Cyclones
● Temperature strokes
● Snow falls
● Land slide collapse
● Heavy rains etc.
EFFECTS OF ACCIDENTS
Following are the effects of accidents on various elements of society
1. Effect on worker.
2. Effect on industry.
3. Effect on family
4. Effect on management.
1. Effect on Worker:
i) Injury to body
ii) Loss of skills
iii) Loss of job.
iv) Leave for recovery.
v) In case of fatal accident,loss of life.
vi) Confidence level gets hampered.
vii) Growth in career may get affected:
viii) Financial loss
2. Effect on Industry:
i) Production stoppage.
ii) Bad message to other workers.
iii) Reputation is lowered.
iv) Financial loss for compensating the affected worker.
v) Extra cost on recovery of machine/ place/building,
3. Effect on Management:
i) Time to solve the case.
ii) Issues related to court, police, hospital and compensation.
iii) Status among competitors is affected.
iv) Faith of workers gets disturbed.
v) More attentiveness becomes necessary in future.
4. Effect on Family:
i) Loss of earning member
ii) Hospitalisation related time and money losses.
iii) Attention to patient needs.
iv) Stability of family is disturbed.
v) Other family members may loose working hours/study hours after accident of their family member.
vi) Feeling of insecurity.
These are effects of accidents on nearby society.
Example: Mr. Raju got an accident while working on drilling machine. He lost his right hand finger. Due to this he is hospitalised for 12 days. For him, it is difficult to work like before. Now he is feeling insecure. His confidence is collapsed. His wife was on leave for all the days. His daughter in SSC is feeling tensed while caring her father as well as study. Company name was there in newspapers on the next day accident and management is trapped in police, court and compensation related routine work. On that day, the drilling machine on which Mr. Raju was working was stopped for all the shifts.
