UP Copyrights 2009

Faculty of Applied Engineering and Urban Planning Civil Engineering Department 2nd Semester 2008/2009

CH 1: Injury Accidents and Their Causes

Lecture 3 - Week 2

Eng: Eyad Haddad

Construction Safety Management

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Injury Accidents and Their Causes Accidents don't just happen; they are caused.
An Accident defined as :
Un planned event which this event is undesirable ,unexpected ,and no controlled . Accident dose not necessarily result in an injury , Accident that can result in damage to equipment and Materials

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Final Comments :
There have been many attempts to explain the causes of worker accidents ?

Of the various theories that have been posited, there is general agreement that accidents do not just happen.

1. The physical conditions in the workplace 2. The states of mind of the workers. 3. Managers and supervisors 4. The mental state of each worker.
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why Do Accidents Occur? Effective accident prevention depends on an understanding of the reasons accidents occur. Why then do accidents occur? Some of the theories of accident causation will be discussed in this chapter 1- Accident-proneness (Personal factors)

2- Goals-Freedom- Alertness (management should let a worker have a welldefined goal and should give the worker the freedom to pursue that goal)

3- Adjustment-Stress (safe performance is compromised by a climate that

diverts the attention of workers)

4- Chain-or-Events. 5- Distractions theories .

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1- The Accident-Proneness Theory

Perhaps the oldest and best - known theory of accident causation is the accident-proneness theory.
This theory is focused on personal factors related to accident causation. It is based on the assumption that when several individuals are placed in similar conditions, some will be more likely than others to sustain an injury. Essentially the advocates of the theory contend that accidents are not randomly distributed or that sustaining an injury is not simply a chance occurrence.

They assert that some persons have permanent characteristics that predispose them to a greater probability of being involved in accidents. Research Studies : - Vernon ( 1918 ) - Farmer and Chambers (1929) - Shaw and Sichel ( 1971) - Schulzinger ( 956 ) - De Reamer ( 1958 ) 5 - Denning ( 1983 )

The Accident-Proneness Theory

Vernon 1918 : One of the first researchers on this topic stated that accident proneness could be traced to personality traits . Farmer and Chambers (1929) : - Defined accident proneness as "a personal idiosyncrasy predisposing the individual who possesses it in a marked degree to a relatively high accident rate." Shaw and Sichel 1971 -This theory has the underlying assumption that even when exposed to the same conditions, some people are more likely to be involved in accidents because of "their innate propensity for accidents . Several researchers have concluded from such studies that injuries are not randomly distributed and that some individuals sustain more injuries than would be predicted by chance a1one 6

2. The Goal Freedom- Alertness Theory

Was first suggested by Kerr (1950, 1957) :The theory states that
safe work performance is the result of a psychologically rewarding work

environment

He believed that
"great freedom to set reasonable attainable goals is accompanied
typically by high quality work performance.

The essence of the theory is that management should let a worker have a
well- defined goal and should give the worker the freedom to pursue that goal.
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The Goals Freedom - Alertness Theory (cont.)

According to the goals-freedom-alertness theory, managers and

supervisors should be trained to make the work more rewarding for workers.

They might do so through various managerial techniques, including participative management, clear work assignments, positive reinforcement, and goal setting.
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3- Adjustment - Stress Theory

Kerr explain accident causation : The adjustment-stress theory states that

safe performance is compromised by a climate that diverts the attention of workers .

The goals-freedom-alertness theory states that workers will be safe in a

fulfilling or positive work environment, the adjustment-stress theory sets forth
the conditions under which a worker will not be safe.

It contends that "unusual, negative, distracting stress"

placed on workers increases their "liability to accident or other low quality behavior"

This theory emphasizes the nature of the work climate as a major factor in
accident occurrence.
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Adjustment-Stress Theory cont.

Kerr referred to the theory as a climate theory.

The climate or environment conditions can be assumed to be either: 1. Internal
(fatigue , alcohol consumption , loss of sleep , drugs,
disease , or such psychological stresses as worry, personal problems , or anxiety ).

2. external.
(noise , illumination , temperature, or excessive physical strain )

If the worker cannot adjust to the stress, the chance of injury is increased.
In other words, stress diverts a workers attention during work hours and that diversion increases the susceptibility to injury.
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Adjustment-Stress Theory cont. For example :

read a road map while driving a car (not safe )

a driving when there is time Spare ( very safe )

Many of the sources of stress are:

1. attributable to management 2. job security 3. A stressful situation can arise between a worker and a supervisor 4. Family 5. Personal sources of stress include substance abuse, bodily pain, fatigue, and lack of sleep

Supervisors should be sensitive to their workers and should be able to tell

when a worker appears to be particularly distraught.
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Kerr's Estimates of Relative Merites of Different Accident Theories in Explaining Accident Occurrence
Goalsfreedomalertness 35%

Accident proneness 10%

Adjustment stress 55%

Figure 1.1

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Typical project Organizational Structure of a General Contractor

Project manger Project Superintendent

General Formal Foreman

Worker

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Organizational Chart on a Construction Project

Owner

Designer

general Contractor Subcontractor Subcontractor Worker Worker Worker Worker Worker

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** Final Comments : There have been many attempts to explain the causes of worker accidents ? Of the various theories that have been posited, there is general agreement that accidents

do not just happen.

1. The physical conditions in the workplace 2. The states of mind of the workers are invariably the primary factors
under consideration.

3. Managers and supervisors certainly have the ability to influence the

physical conditions.

4. The mental state of each worker.

- Managers and especially supervisors should try to identify such situations and respond accordingly. - It is also incumbent on managers and supervisors to recognize that their actions can exert an unfavorable influence on the mental states of workers , Workers of

not want to be injured, so a cooperative spirit should exist with regard to

safety.
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Review Question : 1. Defend and criticize the past research that has attempted to test the validity of the accident-proneness theory. 2. Explain how the distractions theory can be used to point out management's role in accident prevention. 3. Describe the different theories of accident causation. 4. which theory of accident causation gives the most consideration to the physical conditions at the place of work? 5. Compare the adjustment-stress theory with the distractions theory. 6. Does the chain-of-events theory place the blame for accident on management? 7. How are the goals-freedom-alertness and adjustment-stress theories related? 8. Describe conditions under which the distractions theory would suggest that safety and productivity are in conflict. Conversely, describe conditions under which the distractions theory would suggest that safety and productivity are not in conflict but are simultaneously achievable. 9. why is the chain of events considered a conceptualization of accident causation rather than a theory? 10. How does management playa role in the chain of events of accident causation? Give examples.
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