Step Three: Conduct Cause Analysis
We can arrange the causes of accidents into four basic categories: unpreventable acts, hazardous conditions, unsafe/inappropriate behaviors, and system design/performance weaknesses.
You must analyze the surface symptoms to discover the underlying root causes.
Studies are all over the map as to the specific percentages for each cause category, so we will generalize the degree to which each category causes accidents in the workplace.
- Unpreventable acts: A very small percentage of all workplace accidents are thought to be unpreventable. Heart attacks and other events that could not have been known by the employer are examples of unpreventable acts. Unfortunately, some companies try to place most of their injuries into this category. They justify these beliefs with such comments as: "He just lifted the box wrong and strained his back. What could we do?" Unfortunately, they are excuses for not looking into the "root cause" of the injury.
- Hazardous conditions (surface causes): Hazardous conditions (OSHA violations) account for a larger percentage, but well under 50% of all accidents. Because OSHA rules primarily address preventing hazardous conditions in the workplace with rules, those rules do not have a big impact on decreasing accidents. Rules influence, but may not successfully control or eliminate the role of human factors in causing accidents. For example, safety rules can be either followed or disregarded by employers and employees.
- Unsafe behaviors (surface causes): Inappropriate or unsafe employer/employee behaviors, by far, represent the most common surface causes for accidents in the workplace. Unsafe behaviors may cause accidents whether workplace conditions are safe or unsafe. Estimates for this category typically range from 80-95%.
- System design/performance weaknesses - (root causes): SMS failures contributing to workplace accidents ultimately account for almost all workplace accidents. System management and leadership failures refer to the inadequate design or performance of safety policies, programs, written plans, processes, procedures, practices, rules, training, resources, enforcement, and supervision.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
2-4. Which of the following accident cause categories was to shown to result in almost all workplace accidents?
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