Often the human element in accident causation is misunderstood. The short articles below are intended to briefly describe the often complex issue of accident causation.

HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN ACCIDENT CAUSATION

The direct and indirect causes of the majority of accidents are at-risk behavior. The reason(s) for the unsafe behavior can be attributed to a number of factors that influenced the errant behavior.

At-risk behavior that results in an accident occurs when the individual:

• is not aware of the hazard
• does not fully understand the potential adverse consequences
• believes the likelihood of the adverse consequences occurring is very low
• is willing to risk the adverse consequences because the perceived benefit is more probable and more immediate

Examples of reasons the above situations occur are:

• insufficient warning or instructions or inadequate training
• inadequate warning sign/label/information and/or inadequate training
• this is especially true if the person exhibited the unsafe behavior before or witnessed others doing it without adverse consequences
• being able to finish a task faster, avoid angering a boss or to avoid having to find the correct tool or PPE provides a more immediate and definite perceived benefit than the risk of injury

Extensive training and experience is required to identify the root causes of at-risk behavior. It is essential however if effective action is to be taken to prevent future accidents and identify responsible parties. General Health & Safety Services has over 30 years experience in root cause analysis. Our experts can perform the analysis or train your staff to perform it. We also employ a process that can proactively identify at-risk behavior before an injury occurs, thus making the root cause analysis even more beneficial.

HUMAN FACTORS IN ACCIDENT CAUSATION

The article on At-risk Behaviors in Accident Causation briefly explained the reasons people sometimes exhibit at-risk behavior. This short article will address what is called the ‘human factors element’.

The study of human factors in the United States got its start in the Air Force. Pilots who flew aircraft often under stressful conditions would occasionally flip the wrong switch or push the wrong button, resulting too often in significant or even total loss of the aircraft. It was discovered through exhaustive causal factor investigation that the design of the instrument panel and controls were very confusing. Furthermore, the location and appearance of some critical switches were not consistent in all of the aircraft.

We learned from the Air Force experience and years of subsequent study that the design and construction of products, machines, equipment, etc. plays an important role in accident causation….. or preferably, accident prevention.

At General Health & Safety Services, we evaluate the design of products, displays, control panels and other material components to minimize the potential for human error.