The document discusses unsafe and unhealthy acts and conditions in the workplace, noting that 88% of preventable accidents are caused by unsafe acts of workers and 10% by unsafe workplace conditions. Unsafe acts are defined as human actions that violate safety procedures, like not wearing PPE, while unsafe conditions refer to physical hazards like slippery floors. The document emphasizes identifying specific unsafe acts and conditions to effectively recommend solutions to management.
The document discusses unsafe and unhealthy acts and conditions in the workplace, noting that 88% of preventable accidents are caused by unsafe acts of workers and 10% by unsafe workplace conditions. Unsafe acts are defined as human actions that violate safety procedures, like not wearing PPE, while unsafe conditions refer to physical hazards like slippery floors. The document emphasizes identifying specific unsafe acts and conditions to effectively recommend solutions to management.
The document discusses unsafe and unhealthy acts and conditions in the workplace, noting that 88% of preventable accidents are caused by unsafe acts of workers and 10% by unsafe workplace conditions. Unsafe acts are defined as human actions that violate safety procedures, like not wearing PPE, while unsafe conditions refer to physical hazards like slippery floors. The document emphasizes identifying specific unsafe acts and conditions to effectively recommend solutions to management.
The document discusses unsafe and unhealthy acts and conditions in the workplace, noting that 88% of preventable accidents are caused by unsafe acts of workers and 10% by unsafe workplace conditions. Unsafe acts are defined as human actions that violate safety procedures, like not wearing PPE, while unsafe conditions refer to physical hazards like slippery floors. The document emphasizes identifying specific unsafe acts and conditions to effectively recommend solutions to management.
• 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.
Accidents
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
Costs of accidents
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. 3. Loss of productivity among supervisors because instead of focusing on managing people and the work flow, 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.
Accident causation
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 abovementioned 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.
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 surface.
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.
Can accidents be prevented?
Herbert William Heinrich, an American industrial safety pioneer who worked as an
Assistant Superintendent of the Engineering and Inspection Division of Travelers Insurance Company, did a study on the insurance claims. After reviewing thousands of accident reports completed by supervisors, who generally blamed workers for causing accidents without conducting detailed investigations into the root causes, Heinrich found out that 98% of workplace accidents are preventable and only 2% are nonpreventable. Of the 98% preventable accidents, 88% is due to unsafe/unhealthy acts or “man failure” and 10% is due to unsafe/unhealthy conditions. This study explains the rationale for focusing interventions on changing the behaviors and attitudes of workers and management towards safety and health.
How do you prevent yourself from performing unsafe/unhealthy acts that will cause unsafe/unhealthy conditions at work?
It is important to raise everybody’s consciousness to such a degree that we all begin
to realize that our actions affect other people in the workplace, even if these appear to have nothing to do with them. If you agree that we are part of the problem, then, probably we can be part of the solution, too. OSHC believes that Filipinos are inherently responsible workers. Given the proper education, training, and the right motivation, we can do our part in making a safe and a healthy workplace. That is why we are conducting this BOSH Training Course. Below are additional references you can check out to learn more about this module
