Occupational Accidents

In a voluntary national effort, U.S. industry, education, labor, and government have initiated the development of standards for job skills and competencies in jobs in 15 economic sectors. The aim of the skill standards is to maintain a globally competitive workforce. Efforts to include occupational safety and health knowledge and skills as core elements in these standards are described. The first skill standards to include occupational safety and health competencies were developed for the manufacturing sector, evaluated by 3,800 workers in 700 companies, and published. National skill standards can stimulate extensive training in occupational safety and health, with resultant application to a larger percentage of workers than ever before.

The shift from an industrial to a service-based economy has seen a decline in work-related injuries (WRIs) and mortality. How this relates to migrant workers, who traditionally held high-risk jobs is unknown. This study examined deaths and hospital admissions from WRI, among foreign and Australian-born workers. Tabulated population data from the 1991 to 2011 censuses, national deaths 1991-2002 and hospital admission for 2001-10. Direct age standardised mortality and hospital admission rates (DSRs) and rate ratios (RRs) were derived to examine differences in work-related mortality/hospital admissions by gender, country of birth, employment skill level and years of residence in Australia. DSRs and RRs were generally lower or no different between Australian and foreign-born workers. Among men, mortality DSRs were lower for nine of 16 country of birth groups, and hospital admissions DSRs for 14 groups. An exception was New Zealand-born men, with 9% (95%CI 9-13) excess mortality and 24% ...

On April 17, 2013, a fire and subsequent explosion occurred at the West Fertilizer Company plant in West, Texas, and caused extensive damage to the adjacent neighborhood. This investigation described the fatal and nonfatal injuries caused by the explosion. Persons injured by the fertilizer plant explosion were identified through death certificates, medical examination reports, medical records, and survivor interviews. Data on patient characteristics, type of injury, and location of injury were collected. Medical record review indicated that 252 individuals sought medical care for nonfatal injuries directly related to the explosion immediately after the explosion. Fifteen patients died of injuries sustained by the blast. Almost one-quarter of patients were admitted for treatment of injuries. Injuries sustained in the explosion included abrasions/contusions, lacerations/penetrating trauma, traumatic brain injuries/concussions, tinnitus/hearing problems, eye injuries, and inhalational ...

Safety management practices not only improve working conditions but also positively influence employ-ees' attitudes and behaviours with regard to safety, thereby reducing accidents in workplace. This study measured employees' perceptions on six safety management practices and self-reported safety knowledge, safety motivation, safety compliance and safety participation by conducting a survey using questionnaire among 1566 employees belonging to eight major accident hazard process industrial units in Kerala, a state in southern part of India. The reliability and unidimesionality of all the scales were found acceptable. Path analysis using AMOS-4 software showed that some of the safety management practices have direct and indirect relations with the safety performance components, namely, safety compliance and safety participation. Safety knowledge and safety motivation were found to be the key mediators in explaining these relationships. Safety training was identified as the mo...

For most property owners the first line of defense in preventing slips and falls is the wet floor sign.  Several years ago the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI) conducted a study on the use of wet floor signs with surprising results.  It was found that 65% of the time wet floor signs were displayed, the floors were not wet.  It was also found that most pedestrians simply ignored the signs and in some cases actually moved them from where they were originally placed.  Although wet floor signs are an important first line of defense, they are not a cure-all for preventing slips and falls.  What can a property owner do when a wet floor sign is not enough?

Background: In spite of science and technology developments and their application in different industries, accidents occur in many work environments. Thus, this study was conducted in order to investigate factors affecting constructional accidents.

Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, all workers who were injured in building construction during 2009-2010 and were registered in the Labor and Social Welfare Corporation were investigated. The data was collected through a checklist, and then, entered into SPSS software and analyzed using descriptive statistical methods.

Results: Most of the accidents (about 40%) have occurred in the 24-29 year age group. Improvidence and nonuse of protective and safety instruments are the cause of 42% and 30% of accidents, respectively. The most injured parts of the body were the head (about 60%) and hands (about 45%). The least number of injured individuals was in the insulation and formatting sections (each one about 5%). Most injured persons were hired for less than 1 month (40%) and had job experience of less than 5 years (45%). Approximately 0.5% of injured persons have died and 35% of events have caused bone fracture in different parts of the body.

Conclusions: The instructions related to protection, conforming to the related principles during work, and suggestion of solutions in order to prevent nonchalance, particularly for individuals with low job experience, will help to prevent accidents.

Unintentional injuries (injuries for which there is no evidence of a predetermined intent) are one of the leading causes of death worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Although evidence demonstrates unintentional injuries are preventable it is a public health challenge for many LMICs such as the Solomon Islands. Occupational therapists are well placed to contribute to injury prevention, as they have specialised skills to analyse the accessibility and safety of the environments within which people conduct their daily occupations. While the role of occupational therapy in unintentional injury prevention is well known in high-income countries, it is unfamiliar in LMICs, especially in the Solomon Islands. This integrative review aimed to explore the incidence of common unintentional injuries, and the burden in the Solomon Islands; and explore the potential role of occupational therapy in unintentional injury prevention in the Solomon Islands, based on curr...

EXAMINATION OF OCCUPATIONAL ACCIDENTS OCCURRED IN SHIPYARDS: A RISK ANALYSIS IN PERSPECTIVE OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
The first aim of occupational safety applications is to provide security of workers and prevent accidents. In this respect, job accidents are focus points of occupational safety process. In order to prevent job accidents effectively, it is required to define and analyze risk factors of these accidents. In this research, it was aimed to compare job accidents occurred in Marmara Region with both national and international similar job accidents, and to analyze risks of our country.
In the research selected shipyard job accidents in 2015 were examined, and evaluations based on regional and office based were performed. Afterwards, job accidents were evaluated according to risk factors and reported.
According to results of the study, accidents at regions did not show statistically significant difference based on age, experience, education and job type (p>0,05). In determining of accident frequency number of accidents, lost workday, total workers, monthly workday, monthly accident frequency and accident weights form a statistically significant model (p<0,05). Research results show that there are important lacks in ship construction industry, and data collection process is insufficient.

ABSTRACT
Although machines have replaced human labour following the industrialization period, in the meantime human labour has still an important role in production. Despite various regulations enacted on occupational safety and workers' rights, workers today continue to lose their lives in order to sustain their lives. According to data by ILO, each year approximately 317 million occupational accidents occur and as a result of either these accidents or occupational diseases each year, about 2.3 million workers are losing their lives (ILO, 2004a). Whether in the form of an organization consisting of workers in a particular business area or consisting of people coming together for a different purpose, all groups create their own culture over time. Understanding this culture is very important to make the “safety culture” become a part of the “organizational culture” and create jobs which are in line with the definition of "decent work". This can only be possible with the cultural approach which considers the organization as not only a structure that manufacturing goods / providing service but rather it states a culture which interacts with its members. In order to achieve this goal, the most appropriate way is to handle the issue in a manner based on a holistic approach by taking into account the diversity of cultures and keeping in mind that the culture changes or can be changed. "

ÖZET

"Sanayileşme ile beraber insan emeğinin yerini makineler almaya başlasa da aradan geçen zaman içerisinde insan emeği hala üretimde önemli bir yer teşkil etmektedir. İş güvenliği ve işçi hakları ile ilgili çeşitli düzenlemeler yapılmasına rağmen günümüzde hayatını idame ettirebilmek amacıyla alın teri döken işçiler hayatlarını kaybetmeye devam ediyorlar. ILO verilerine göre her yıl yaklaşık 317 milyon iş kazası meydana gelmekte ve gerek bu kazalar sonucu gerekse çalışma hayatından kaynaklanan hastalıklar nedeniyle her yıl yaklaşık 2.3 milyon işçi hayatını kaybetmektedir (ILO, 2014a). İster belirli bir iş alanında faaliyet gösteren işçilerden oluşan bir örgüt şeklinde olsun, isterse de daha farklı bir amaç için bir araya gelen insanlardan oluşsun, tüm gruplar zaman içinde kendine özgü kültürlerini yaratırlar.  Ortaya çıkan bu kültürü anlamak, “güvenlik kültürü”nün (safety culture) “örgüt kültürü”nün (organizational culture) bir parçası haline getirilmesi ve işçilere “insanca iş” (decent work) tanımına uygun iş imkânlarının açısından oldukça önemlidir. Bu ise ancak örgütü sadece mal üreten/hizmet sağlayan bir yapı olarak görmeyip, onun üyeleriyle etkileşim içerisinde olan bir kültürü ifade ettiği gerçeğinden hareket eden kültürel yaklaşımla ele alınması ile mümkün olabilir. Bu hedefe ulaşılabilmesi için sorunun, kültürün değiştiğini/değişebildiği göz önünde bulundurularak, kültürün farklılıklarını dikkate alan ve onunla uyumlu bir şekilde bütüncül bir yaklaşımla ele alınması en uygun yol olacaktır.

Traffic accidents are a major public health problem, leading to death and disability. Although pertinent studies have been conducted, little data are available in Iran. This study explored the experiences of truck drivers and their perspectives regarding factors contributing to traffic accidents. Eighteen truck drivers, purposively sampled, participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. A main theme, lack of ability to control stress, emerged as a factor influencing the incidence of traffic accidents. This main theme was found to have three subthemes: poor organization of the job, lack of workplace facilities and proper equipment, and unsupportive environment. Although several factors were found to contribute to traffic accidents, their effects were not independent, and all were considered significant. Identifying factors that contribute to traffic accidents requires a systematic and holistic approach. Findings could be used by the...

Evaluation of the impact of preplacement assessments is important given the resources companies and occupational health nurses allocate to screening and the ambiguity of the literature about the effectiveness of such assessments. This study examined the effects of preplacement assessments on employee injuries. All individuals screened by an occupational health clinic in the upper Midwest and given work restrictions during a 3 year period were identified as cases (n = 67). Cases were matched with controls without work restrictions (n = 264) on the basis of employer, gender, and job. Age was controlled for statistically. Chi-square analysis, used to test differences in percent distribution of injuries between cases and controls, found no statistically significant differences in musculoskeletal injuries between the groups. Work restrictions recommended as a result of preplacement assessments appear to protect vulnerable workers.

Work done on construction sites is considered to be high risk, resulting in instances of occupational accidents that impact the physical, mental and social integrity of the workers as well as company productivity. Therefore, the objective of this article is to analyze the causes and consequences of occupational accidents occured in the second semester of 2012 in two construction projects in Neiva, Colombia. The approach is documentary, supported by information sources of occupational accidents reported to the Administration of Occupational Accidents (ARL in Spanish); the model developed by Frank E. Bird was used to determine the causes of these accidents. A total of 117 accidents were analyzed, detecting 195 failures of control, 136 personal factors, 112 work related factors, 151 unsafe acts and 54 unsafe conditions; some accidents had more than one cause. In this manner, the authors conclude that the largest percentage of occupational accidents were caused by lack of control, followed by unsafe acts. Therefore, the use of programs of risk management priorities is recommended, based on the proper identification of hazards, allowing the mitigation and control of risk; likewise developing a culture of self-care in workers is recommended.

Few studies have been aimed at describing organizational and psychosocial conditions of the Italian workforce by occupational group, and they have been mainly conducted within specific occupations. The present study aimed at identifying specific groups of occupations which have unfavourable profiles from the point of view of exposure to specific organizational factors and psychosocial risks, and to physical, chemical and ergonomic risks, and analyzing their distribution by worker age. The analysis was conducted on a sample of 4,195 workers in the Piedmont Region who were members of the CGIL Trade Union (Italian General Confederation of Labour), who answered a self-administered questionnaire in 2000, aimed at assessing chemical, physical, and ergonomic risks, accidents, and psychosocial factors connected with work organization and work tasks. Psychosocial risks were assessed via three scales aimed at measuring the degree of control, psychophysical demands, and worker satisfaction. Th...

Background: There is a high prevalence of  occupational injuries due to accidents in construction industries which affect human health. Therefore, the exploration and analysis of contributing factors of such accidents can lead to their prevention and the reduction of their consequences. This study was conducted with the aim to identify factors related to occupational injuries and the severity of their consequences on large construction sites in Iran.

Materials & Methods: This study was an cross-sectional investigation on five-sequential-year accidents on large construction sites. Data includeds the information of 500 human injuries due to accidents. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS statistical software and statistical tests such as linear regression, independent sample t-test, and one-way ANOVA.

Results: The mean accident frequency rate and accident severity rate was 4.71 and 216.28, respectively. The average age and job experience of injured workers were 29.18 ± 7.67 and 4.67 ± 3.9 years respectively, and had significant statistical difference with accident frequency rate and accident severity rate (P < 0.05). The association between accident indices and all factors related to accident type, equipment-related factors, unsafe condition and act and accident nature was found to be significant (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the results showed that accident frequency rate and accident severity rate had a significant association with all factors related to health, safety, and the environment (HSE) training, housekeeping and HSE control measures (P < 0.05).

Conclusions: The results indicate that the occurrence and severity of construction accidents were due to the combination of failures in a collection of different contributing factors including demographical and organizational factors, accident type, factors related to work conditions and equipment, unsafe actions and conditions, nature of accidents, HSE training and control measures, and accident time and place. Therefore, to prevent and reduce the rate of such accidents, all these factors should be regarded.

The 2.4 billion working people in the developing countries often have to endure employment conditions, which do not meet even basic occupational safety and health (OSH) standards. The lack of work safety, excessive work loads, and occupational physical, chemical and biological exposures result in occupational diseases, injuries and as many as 1.2 million fatalities each year. Furthermore, as little as 15% of workers in the developing countries have access to occupational health and safety services. Some collaboration between the industrialized and developing countries in the field of OSH has been practiced for 30 years but its volume has been modest compared to other sectors of development assistance. The lessons learned from 30 years of experience are that the most important OSH improving factors in developing countries include legal and policy instruments, national OSH programs, infrastructure for OSH implementation, and OSH services. The establishment of OSH expert human resource...