Unsafe Acts of Employees

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UNSAFE ACTS OF EMPLOYEES

Human Behavior

INSTRUCTOR MANUAL
The information in smaller fonts is support information that is not
contained in the video transcript
WE HAVE INCLUDED SEVERAL MANUALS FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES
TO ASSIST YOU IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT SAFETY MANAGEMENT,
HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND UNSAFE ACTS

There's a lot of discussion today about accidents and injuries. Why do they happen? What causes accidents and injuries? The answer lies in statistics.

The Insurance Industry, Governmental agencies and the National Safety Council have analyzed employee accident investigations over the years and have determined that the over whelming cause of most industrial accidents and injuries are attributed to the unsafe acts of employees. That's a rather bold statement....putting the blame on employees.

There are hundreds...even thousands of accident causes that couldn't possibly be the employee's fault. Broken machinery, unsafe hazards and so on. What's the deal here? There is no deal, only cold hard facts. Let's take a look at some information, so you'll be able to better understand unsafe acts and how they contribute to accidents and injuries.

The word “accident” means an unplanned event that could not have been prevented. There are safety professionals who never use the word accident because accidents can be prevented. It is common knowledge the word “accident” means different things to different people, so let’ not get caught up in a verbal confrontation by using the word “accident”, as opposed to “incident”, as some people prefer.

First, let's explain the words "contribute to an accident". Let's say an employee is using a machine that is unsafe. Perhaps the machine isn't working properly, but the employee continues to operate the equipment, neglecting to notify the supervisor that the machine is not working properly. The employee is injured. What was the cause? Of course, one of the contributing factors to the cause of the accident was the improperly working machine, it should have been corrected. The second contributing cause of the injury was the employee's failure to notify the supervisor, so the machine could have been repaired. We call this a dual cause of the accident. Two things caused the accident.

Determining the Cause

It is critical to establish the root cause(s) of an incident/accident so that effective recommendations are made to correct the hazardous conditions and unsafe work practices, and make system improvements to prevent the incident from recurring. The incident/accident analysis team will use appropriate methods to sort out the facts, inferences, and judgments they assemble. Even when the cause of an incident appears obvious, the investigation team will still conduct a formal analysis to make sure any oversight, or a premature/erroneous judgment is not made. Below is one method to develop cause and effect relationships.

1. Develop the chronology (sequence) of events which occurred before, during, and after the incident. The focus of the chronology should be solely on what happened and what actions were taken. List alternatives when the status cannot be definitely established because of missing or contradictory information.

2. List conditions or circumstances which deviated from normal, no matter how insignificant they may seem.

3. List all hypotheses of the causes of the incident based on these deviations.

How about the employee who lifts incorrectly and injures his back? If you use the safe lifting technique, back injuries won't usually occur. The same principle applies when a person tries to lift too heavy a load. It's too much trouble to ask for assistance, so you go ahead and try to lift a heavier load than you should. This too is an unsafe act.

One of the most used tools in industry today is the box cutter. We prefer to call it a finger cutter, because that's usually what it does, when the tool is used incorrectly. It doesn't make any difference what type of finger cutter tool you use, but you must always keep your free hand out of the cutting path...... just in case the cutter slips off the box you're cutting. If your free hand is out of the cutting path...... you can't possible cut yourself. Of course, you have to keep your other body parts out of the cutting path as well. Is cutting your hand with a finger cutter an unsafe act? The answer is absolutely, positively, without any doubt what so ever.

Personal protective equipment, such as gloves, safety glasses and other protection won't do you any good unless you wear it. If you get an eye injury because you weren't wearing safety glasses an unsafe act? Absolutely, positively, without any doubt whatsoever.

Forklifts are used in a variety of industries and in a variety of ways, from food products, to metal casting, to moving almost anything. 99 percent of all forklift accidents are caused by employee actions. Rarely does a mechanical defect cause an accident, particularly a forklift accident. What causes forklift accidents? Speeding on forklifts is one major cause. Forklifts are designed to be driven at a slow speed. The truck is very heavy and has very high centers of gravity. You can't turn or stop quickly if you're speeding on a forklift. Not paying attention also causes accidents. Scraping storage racks, running into walls, doors, sprinkler pipes...... these and many more type accidents are caused by the unsafe acts of employees. Unsafe acts can mean many things, such as taking a short cut....not following company safety rules....disregarding established procedures.... or just not thinking about the job you're performing.

The word negligence often creeps into the unsafe act arena. How about running at work? Could this possibly be considered an unsafe act. If the building is on fire and you’re running for your life, probably not. However, if you're running to do something, you fall down or you knock someone else down...absolutely, positively, without any doubt whatsoever.

ACCOUNTABILITY. Accountability links responsibilities to consequences. As a business owner or manager, you are responsible for making your business a successful one. “Passing the buck” isn’t an option. When Harry Truman said, “The buck stops here,” he meant that he was responsible for his decisions and he accepted the consequences that followed them.

EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT. Effective safety and health programs involve employees who have a stake in the program’s success. One of the best ways to involve employees is through a safety committee: a group of employees — representing labor and management that is responsible for promoting workplace safety and health. Employees can volunteer to be part of the committee or their peers can elect them.

OK, you've gotten a fairly good idea about unsafe acts. Is it really an employee's fault ever time an accident occurs? Based upon statistics, 85 to 98 percent of all accidents are caused in whole, or partly by the unsafe acts of employees.

The second thing we want to discuss is the word fault. When an accident investigation is conducted, fault or blame is not used. Accident investigation is merely fact finding, to determine the CAUSE of the accident. When a cause is determined, corrective action can be taken. If the employee's unsafe act caused the accident, then corrective action can be taken, such as explaining the cause, and what action should be taken by the employee in the future to prevent a similar incident.

If it were a dual cause and a machine needed to be repaired, then this corrective action would also be taken. One of the most important aspects of accident prevention is to prevent accidents before they occur. The information gained during an accident investigation helps prevent future incidents by determining the cause and making corrections.

The next question you're going to ask is "why do I get written up when I cause an accident"? The answer is quite simple. In today's work environment, laws, OSHA and sound business principles, written documentation is a necessity. Don't look at it as being written up, look at it as training.

There have been thousands and thousands of injuries....directly caused by the unsafe act of employees and there have been no follow up, counseling, training or documentation on these injuries. The employees injured were short changed. Short changed because they never did learn what they did wrong, so they probably kept on doing the same thing because their supervisor didn't explain what corrective action was necessary.

Any employee who contributes to an accident or injury, should be given a safety counseling. This counseling should be written on a counseling form....explaining exactly what unsafe act contributed to the accident, what corrective action is expected of the employee and the employee should be given time in which to correct the unsafe act or behavior.

It's not disciplinary action, but training and understanding. Should an employee continue unsafe acts or unsafe behavior, disciplinary action maybe warranted because the company is responsible for all employees and cannot tolerate those persons who refuse to work and act safely. It's really simple. If you take safety seriously, follow safety rules and work and act safely, you won't have to worry about accidents and injuries.

Employee Involvement

The best worker safety and health protection occurs when everyone at the worksite shares responsibility for protection. Basic principles of excellence have shown that wise employers use employees' unique knowledge to help find problems and resolve them. In addition, no one else has as much at stake to avoid accidents as the employees who are likely to be injured. The more that employees are involved in a variety of safety-related activities, the more that they will appreciate the potential hazards that exist at the worksite, the more likely that they will avoid unsafe behaviors, and the more likely that the overall safety culture of the organization will strengthen. Without employees' involvement and cooperation, accidents are difficult to prevent.

What are the advantages of getting employees involved?

• Employees are the ones in contact with potential hazards and will have a vested interest.

• Group decisions have the advantage of the group's wider field of experience.

• Research shows that employees are more likely to support and use programs in which they have had input; employee buy-in for the needed changes is more likely.

• Employees who are encouraged to offer their ideas and whose contributions are taken seriously are more satisfied and productive.

• The more that employees are involved in the various facets of the program, the more they will learn about safety, what is causing injuries at their site, and how they can avoid be injured. The more they know and understand, the greater their awareness will be and the stronger the safety culture of the organization will become.

How can employees get involved?

• Participate on joint labor-management committees and other advisory groups.

• Conduct site inspections.

• Analyze routine hazards in each step of a job or process, and prepare safe work practices.

• Participate in developing and revising safety rules.

• Participate as trainers for current and new hires.

• Participate in accident/near miss incident investigations.

• Participate in decision making throughout the company's operations.

• Participate in pre-use and change analysis.

• Participate as safety observers and safety coaches.

• Report hazards and be involved in finding solutions to correct the problems.

If you see another employee working unsafely, remind them of the safe way to perform the job. Team work is the key. You have safety rules, job procedures and certainly can use your good judgment to perform your job in a safe, efficient manner. Safety isn't complicated, but it does require an effort on everyone's part. For safety to become second nature....you have to practice safety all the time. When you pick up a box cutter, think "finger cutter". By associating the hazard to the job, you automatically think about safety and how you're going to perform the task at hand..... safely.

When you operate your automobile, automatically put your seatbelt on, even if it's driving through the parking, lot. If you do this every time you get in your car, it becomes automatic.

When you lift something, think about those delicate discs in your back and keep your back in its normal curvature. If it's too heavy, get some help. When you operate a piece of machinery, think about the potential hazards and how you can perform the job without an injury. Operating a forklift....think safety. Working with chemicals....think safety. There isn't any job that can't be performed safely..... All you have to do is work and act safely and you'll be an accident free employee. Most of all, realize that most accidents are caused by unsafe acts or unsafe behavior of employees, then do your part by not engaging in this type of activity. Safety doesn't get any easier.