Health & Safety Management Lecturing Resource

for
Quarrying Related Degree Courses

LECTURE NOTES:
INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH & SAFETY IN
INDUSTRY

Objectives of this Section

To define the basic terminology of the subject area.

To outline the reasons for a safe and healthy workplace.

To show the accident trends in the UK industry as a whole and the

quarrying industry in particular.

1.0

Basic Terminology of the Subject Area

As terminology used in relation to health and safety has different meanings in different
contexts within industry, it is useful to distinguish some commonly used terms that will be
used throughout this course.. The following definitions are those put forward by the HSE1.
Accident
undesired circumstances which give rise to ill-health or injury, damage to property, plant,
products or the environment; production losses or increased liabilities.
Incident
undesired circumstances and near misses which could cause accidents.
Ill health
Acute and chronic ill health caused by physical, chemical or biological agents as well as
adverse effects on mental health.
Hazard
The potential to cause harm. Harm including ill health and injury, damage to property, plant,
products or the environment, production losses or increased liabilities.
Risk
means the likelihood that a specified undesired event will occur due to the realisation of a
hazard by, or during work activities or by the products and services created by work
activities.

HSE (1997), Successful Health and Safety Management, HS(G)65, 2 nd Edition, HSE Books.

The concept of hazards and risk will be discussed in greater detail later in this course. The
relationship between these concepts is shown in the following diagram (from Glendon &
McKenna, 19952)
Hazards/Danger
Observable or predicted from knowledge

Risk
Not directly observable - probability of harm to system elements being realised from
exposure to hazards and danger.

Harm
Damage to system elements - long or short term

Accidents

Injuries
Ill-Health
Damage

Safety
Safety may be considered at the control of all the above elements but a more functional
definition is given by Bird & Germain 3(1985) which is the control of accidental loss.

Glendon AI & McKenna EF (1995), Human Safety and Risk Management, Chapman & Hall.
Bird FE & Germain GL (1985), Practical Loss Control Leadership, International Loss Control

Institute, Institute Publishing, Loganville, Georgia.

2.0

The Size of the Problem:

The increasing size and complexity of industrial processes creates increased scope for
major disasters, leading to greatly increased public concern about industrial safety. The last
two decades have seen a series of such disasters both world-wide (e.g. Bhopal, Seveso,
and Cheroybl) and the UK (e.g. Clapham Junction, Kings Cross, Piper Alpha, Herald of Free
Enterprise, Ladbrock Grove, Paddington).
It is estimated that each year there are 3 million fatalities resulting from accidents or
poisoning, the majority of which occur in under developing countries. Occupational
accidents, defined as those accidents that occur at the place of work, are also of major
concern. Each year 180 000 people are killed as a result of accidents at work, whilst 110
million are injured (Harms Ringdahl, 1992)4.
According to data collected in 1988 (Hoyos & Zimolong, 19885), in the USA a fatal accident
occurs every 6 minutes, a fatal occupational injury occurs every 46 minutes and a work
accident that results in an injury occurs every 17 seconds. In 1992, more then 86,000 people
died in the US.
In the UK, the 1990 Labour Force Survey stated that there were an estimated 1.6 million
accidents at work where 750,000 people suffered ill health caused or made worse by
working conditions. In all 30 million working days were lost in which 20 000 people were
forced to give up work.

Harms-Ringdahl, L. (1993), Safety Analysis Principals & Practices in Occupational Safety, Elsevier

Hoyos, C.G & Zimolong, B (1988), Occupational Safety & Accident Prevention, Elsevier

3.0

Reasons for Preventing Accidents

There are three main reasons for preventing accidents and ill-health, these are
moral/humane, cost and legislation.

Moral
No-body comes to work to get injured or to become ill. No-one likes getting injured or seeing
their colleagues or friends injured in accidents. Nothing is more important than the humane
aspects of accidental loss: injury, pain, sorrow, anguish, loss of body particles or functions,
occupational illness, disability and death. Employers and employees have a moral
responsibility to prevent accidents and ill-health at work.

Costs
Whether or not people are hurt, accidents do cost organisations money and the actual injury
or illness costs represent only a small part of the total. A recent study by the HSE 6 has
shown that for every 1 of insured costs (i.e. the actual cost of the injury or illness in terms of
medical costs or compensation costs) the uninsured (or hidden costs) varied between 8
and 36. This has been traditionally depicted as an iceberg as the largest part of an iceberg
is hidden under the sea.

HSE (1997), The Cost of Accidents at Work, HS(G)96, 2nd Edition, HSE Books.

Insurance Costs

8-36

Covering Injury,
health, damage

ill

Uninsured Costs
Product and material
damage.
Plant & building damage
Tool & equipment damage.
Legal costs
Expenditure on emergency
supplies.
Clearing site
Production delays
Overtime working and
temporary labour
Investigation time.
Supervisors time diverted
Clerical effort.
Fines
Loss of
expertise/experience

In October 1999 the HSE published new data 7 on the costs to the UK of workplace accidents
and work related ill-health in 1995/96 which estimated that:

The costs to employers is estimated at between 35 billion and 73 billion a year

(between 4% and 8% of all gross company trading profits).

Work related accidents & Illnesses cost between 2.1% and 2.6% of the Gross Domestic
Product each year equivalent to between 14.5 and 18.1 billion.

HSE (1999) The Costs to Britain of Workplace Accidents and Work Related Ill Health in 1995/96,

HSE Books.

Legislation
Organisations have a legal obligation to prevent accidents and ill-health. Health and Safety
Legislation in the UK consists of a number of Acts that are supported by subordinate
legislation in the form of Regulations.
The principal act is the Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974. This Act sets in place a system
based on self-regulation with the responsibility for accident control placed on those who
create the risks in the first instance. It also allows for the progressive replacement of existing
safety law so that the general duties set in the 1974 act could be backed by Regulations,
setting goals and standards for specific hazards and industries. Any breach of this statutory
duty can result in criminal proceedings.

4.0

Accident Statistics and Trends in the UK

The number of injuries to employees, self employed and members to the public that have
occurred and been reported over the last ten years are shown in the table below.

Fatal

1989/9
0

1990/9
1

1991/9
2

1992/9
3

1993/9
4

1994/9
5

1995/9
6

1996/9
7 (a)

1997/9
8

1998/9
9

681
(b)

572

473

452

403

376

344

654

667

625

Major

workers

21706

21222

18698

18053

17979

18354

17734

29320

30002

28821

Nonfatal

Public

11378

9981

11009

10669

11552

12642

13234

35694

28613

23588

+3 day

16710
9

16288
8

15433
8

14328
3

13745
9

14221
8

13297
6

12956
8

13577
3

13119
1

TOTAL

22087
4

19466
3

18451
8

17245
7

16739
3

17359
0

16428
8

19523
6

19505
5

18422
5

Notes:
(a) Figures from 1996/97 are higher than previous years because of changes in accident reporting
brought about by RIDDOR95 (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences
Regulation). Hence these figures cannot be compared with those of earlier years.
(b) This figure includes the 95 persons killed in the Hillsborough Stadium Disaster.

Accident Trends8

Fatals During the year 1998/99 the three most common causes of fatalities to
employees were falls from height, being struck by a moving vehicle, and being struck by
a falling object. However, the causes varied from sector to sector. In construction, most
deaths were caused by falls from height (46%). In manufacturing and the service sector,
falls from height accounted for 20% and 16% of deaths respectively. Within the service
sector, 40% of all deaths were caused by being struck by moving vehicles, up 33% the
previous year.

Non Fatal Major Injuries The four most common causes of major injuries to all
employees in 1998/99 were slips, trips and falls, falls from a height, being struck by a
moving or falling object, and being injured whilst handling, lifting or carrying. HSE figures
mention that an estimated 591 major injuries were caused by violence at work, this is a
reduction from the previous years number (680) but still represents 2 per cent of all
major injuries experience by employees.

Taken from an article in the Safety and Health Practitioner December 1999

+3 day Injuries Lifting, handling or carrying, slips, trips or falls, and being struck by a
moving or falling object were the three most likely ways in which employees were likely
to sustain over three day injuries during 1998/99. These figures also pick up the number
of injuries caused by violence in the workplace (4335) which is down on the previous
year.

Ill-health The most prevalent forms of work related ill-health in the UK are:
Musculoskeletal disorders an estimated 1.2 million people were affected in
1995 (including back-problems & RSI)
Stress an estimated 0.5 people were affected in 1995.

Both these conditions accounted for over three-quarters of people suffering from an illness
caused by their work. A significant number of people were suffering from a lower respiratory
illness, including asthma (an estimated 200,000) and ear conditions, including deafness (an
estimated 170,000) which were caused by their work.

5.0

Accident Statistics and Trends in the Quarrying Industry.

Accident Statistics
The Quarrying industry is a dangerous industry. It has injury rates that are greater then those
in construction and far higher than all industry rates which are shown in the table below 9
(Accident rates are expressed as per 100,000 employees):
Quarry Industry

Construction

All Industry

Fatal

20

Major

400

382

128

+3 Day

1,400

966

589

Over the past five years the actual number of fatalities, major injuries and +3 day injuries is
shown in the figure below. There has been little discernible improvement in the industrys
safety performance over this period.
250
200

193

150

144

100

115

108

124

Fatal
Major

50
0
1994/95

1995/96

3
1996/97

8
1997/98

5
1998/99

Accident Trends
Over the ten year period (1983-93) there were 81 fatal accidents in the quarrying industry in
the UK. At the time an analysis was undertaken into the types of accident and this is
presented below10.

Baker G (2000) Hard Targets, Paper presented to the Quarries National Joint Advisory Committee,

March.
10

Scott A (1995), Killing Off Errors, Mine & Quarry, May.

Types of Fatal Accident (1983-93)

Conveyors

OHL

Falling Objects

Vehicles

SFS
Crusher
Blockages

Other
Maintainence

OHL (3%)

Maintenance (5%)

Contact with Overhead Electricity Lines

While maintaining plant or equipment.

Other (11%)

Crusher Blockages (4%)

Other accidents involving machinery,

asphyxiation, burns or explosions.

While clearing crusher or feeder blockages.

Vehicles (41%)

SFS (13%)

Runover by a vehicle, vehicles running over

open edge of quarry face, bench or ramp,
trapped under vehicle body, vehicle
overturned on quarry floor or road, and
vehicles colliding with plants or other
vehicles

Stumbling Slipping or falling

Engulfed (4%)

Trapped between belt and head/tail drum

rollers.

Buried in material

Falling (8%)
Struck by falling objects or ground
Conveyors (11%)

There are also significant health problems within the quarrying industry, for example
respiratory diseases (arising from silica and other dusts), hand-arm vibration syndrome
(arising from the use of hand tools), hearing loss (caused by noisy plant and equipment) and
muscular-skeletal disorders (from lifting and carrying).