Most accidents at work cause by human factor

Human Factors in Project Management

The majority of workplace accidents are caused by human factors rather than by machine faults, making safety consciousness, training and procedures the key element in promoting safety and health at work.

Eighty-eight percent of accidents that occur in the workplace are attributable to human factors. Only 6% of workplace accidents are caused by machines and their layout.

Environmental factors, such as poor visibility, heat, noise, dust and wet conditions, are responsible for 4% of workplace accidents. The other 2% of accidents are attributed to unavoidable natural events known as acts of God.

Most of the country’s health and safety legislation is designed to prevent unsafe conditions, such as environmental dangers and machinery faults.


Ninety-five percent of accidents due to human factors can be blamed on inadequate supervision or management of safety issues.

However, almost 90% of accidents attributable to human error or human behaviour, there is a growing awareness globally of the importance of worker education and supervision in efforts to reduce the number of accidents at work.

The trend these days in industry, particularly among big international companies, is to employ safety, health and environmental (SHE) professionals to drive safety, health and environmental protection.

The importance of safety and health at workplaces is recognised by these large companies, which pride themselves on their safety and health records. High accident rates at workplaces adversely affect a company’s profitability and reputation.

SHE professionals, who are not engineers, co-ordinate all safety, health and environmental programmes including the general promotion and awareness of safety, health and environmental issues, behaviour-based interventions, hazard and operability studies, due diligence, training and induction of workers, auditing, inspection and implementing corrective and preventative measures.

There are many accidents that can occur through negligence — not wearing safety equipment, for instance. It is important, therefore, not only to have safety and health regulations and procedures in place and for employees to be educated on these procedures and their importance but for managers and supervisors to insist on adherence to the company’s laid down safety and health regulations,
Injuries to hands and fingers account for approximately 25% of work injuries. Most of these are due to their being crushed, punctured, burnt or lacerated. Often the injuries occur because of both employee carelessness and unguarded or improperly guarded machinery.

There are many other ways in which fingers and hands can be injured, including through sharp objects or electricity. Many of these injuries can occur as a result of a failure to take sufficient care or wear protective gloves.

Use of machinery and welding equipment, carrying heavy loads, working from heights, dealing with electricity and many other work activities can all be hazardous and require safety consciousness and adherence to regulations and procedures, which may include the use of safety equipment.

The SHE concept enables companies to come up with their own safety and health policies, regulations and procedures.

When employees are able to see that the company is concerned about safety and health issues they are likely to respond positively.

The concept embraces not only safety, but health issues, including health issues that may not be due to work but have a bearing on employees’ health and consequently performance at work.
Some companies, for instance, run a clinic and include within their SHE programme a programme to tackle HIV.

However, the main focus is on accident and disease prevention at the workplace. Environmental issues are also important.

The SHE department develops and implements safety procedures and policies. This includes promoting safe practices among employees, ensuring safety equipment is provided and that employees understand the importance of wearing safety equipment and adhering to safety procedures.

Whether or not a company has a SHE department, it is important for every company to ensure that a culture of occupational safety and health awareness permeates the company.

Promoting and ensuring safety at work is the joint responsibility of both employers and employees.

Ignoring safety procedures, failing to provide or wear safety equipment and failing to exercise caution when dealing with dangerous equipment is likely to lead to personal injuries where employees are concerned and loss of productivity and reputation where the employer is concerned.

Safety and health at work is everyone’s concern — business owners, management and employees.

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Source : News Day