2017

5.

Accidents are defined as unplanned occurrences which result in injuries, fatalities, loss of
production or damage to property and assets. Preventing accidents is extremely difficult in
the absence of an understanding of the causes of accidents. Many attempts have been
made to develop a prediction theory of accident causation, but so far none has been
universally accepted. Researchers from different fields of science and engineering have
been trying to develop a theory of accident causation which will help to identify, isolate and
ultimately remove the factors that contribute to or cause accidents. In this article, a brief
outline of various accident causation theories is presented, followed by a structure of
accidents.

Accident Causation Theories

1) The domino theory:

According to W.H. Heinrich (1931), who developed the so-called domino theory, 88% of all
accidents are caused by unsafe acts of people, 10% by unsafe actions and 2% by “acts of
God”. He proposed a “five-factor accident sequence” in which each factor would actuate the
next step in the manner of toppling dominoes lined up in a row. The sequence of accident
factors is as follows:

1. ancestry and social environment--eg Drugs , alcohols, behaviour and upbringing etc.
2. worker fault-- eg. reckless, heedless, carelessness etc.

[Link] act together with mechanical and physical hazard---eg performing task without
proper tools.

4. accident ---- caused as result of above

5. damage or injury.---- outcome of above factors.

In the same way that the removal of a single domino in the row would interrupt the sequence
of toppling, Heinrich suggested that removal of one of the factors would prevent the accident
and resultant injury; with the key domino to be removed from the sequence being number 3.
Although Heinrich provided no data for his theory, it nonetheless represents a useful point to
start discussion and a foundation for future research.
2)Multiple causation theory:

Multiple causation theory is an outgrowth of the domino theory, but it postulates that for a
single accident there may be many contributory factors, causes and sub-causes, and that
certain combinations of these give rise to accidents. According to this theory, the
contributory factors can be grouped into the following two categories:

Behavioural. This category includes factors pertaining to the worker, such as improper
attitude, lack of knowledge, lack of skills and inadequate physical and mental condition.

Environmental. This category includes improper guarding of other hazardous work elements
and degradation of equipment through use and unsafe procedures.

The major contribution of this theory is to bring out the fact that rarely, if ever, is an accident
the result of a single cause or act.

3)The pure chance theory:

According to the pure chance theory, every one of any given set of workers has an equal
chance of being involved in an accident. It further implies that there is no single discernible
pattern of events that leads to an accident. In this theory, all accidents are treated as
corresponding to Heinrich’s acts of God, and it is held that there exist no interventions to
prevent them.

4) Biased liability theory:

Biased liability theory is based on the view that once a worker is involved in an accident, the
chances of the same worker becoming involved in future accidents are either increased or
decreased as compared to the rest of workers. This theory contributes very little, if anything
at all, towards developing preventive actions for avoiding accidents.

5) Accident proneness theory:

Accident proneness theory maintains that within a given set of workers, there exists a subset
of workers who are more liable to be involved in accidents. Researchers have not been able
to prove this theory conclusively because most of the research work has been poorly
conducted and most of the findings are contradictory and inconclusive. This theory is not
generally accepted. It is felt that if indeed this theory is supported by any empirical evidence
at all, it probably accounts for only a very low proportion of accidents without any statistical
significance.

6) The energy transfer theory (HADDON THEORY):

Those who accept the energy transfer theory put forward the claim that a worker incurs
injury or equipment suffers damage through a change of energy, and that for every change
of energy there is a source, a path and a receiver. This theory is useful for determining injury
causation and evaluating energy hazards and control methodology. Strategies can be
developed which are either preventive, limiting or ameliorating with respect to the energy
transfer.

Control of energy transfer at the source can be achieved by the following means:

 Elimination of the source

 Changes made to the design or specification of elements of the work station
 Preventive maintenance.

The path of energy transfer can be modified by:

 Enclosure of the path

 Installation of barriers
 Installation of absorbers
 Positioning of isolators

The receiver of energy transfer can be assisted by adopting the following measures:

 Limitation of exposure
 Use of personal protective equipment.

7) The “symptoms versus causes” theory:

The “symptoms versus causes” theory is not so much a theory as an admonition to be

heeded if accident causation is to be understood. Usually, when investigating accidents, we
tend to fasten upon the obvious causes of the accident to the neglect of the root causes.
Unsafe acts and unsafe conditions are the symptoms—the proximate causes—and not the
root causes of the accident.

Structure of Accidents :
The belief that accidents are caused and can be prevented makes it imperative for us to
study those factors which are likely to favour the occurrence of accidents. By studying such
factors, the root causes of accidents can be isolated and necessary steps can be taken to
prevent the recurrence of the accidents. These root causes of accidents can be grouped as
“immediate” and “contributing”. The immediate causes are unsafe acts of the worker and
unsafe working conditions. The contributing causes could be management-related factors,
the environment and the physical and mental condition of the worker. A combination of
causes must converge in order to result in an accident.

Summary :

Accident causation is very complex and must be understood adequately in order to improve
accident prevention. Since safety lacks a theoretical base, it cannot be regarded as being a
science yet. This fact should not discourage us, as most of the scientific disciplines—
mathematics, statistics and so on—passed through a similarly tentative phase at one time or
the other. Accident causation study holds great promise for those who are interested in
developing the pertinent theory. At present, theories of accident causation are conceptual in
nature and, as such, are of limited use in preventing and controlling accidents. With such a
diversity of theories, it will not be difficult to understand that there does not exist one single
theory that is considered right or correct and is universally accepted. These theories are
nonetheless necessary, but not sufficient, for developing a frame of reference for
understanding accident occurrences.

6.
Unsafe Act can be defined as any activity by workers which are not as per the
prescribed safety standard or practice and which can cause or likely to cause
accidents or risk for self or others at workplace, damage equipment’s and bring
losses in terms of reputations and revenue to employer. Such human acts can be
due to callous attitude of workers or lack of awareness on safety measures or not
following safe work practices.

For example:
We have mentioned earlier about the incident of road accident. Let us imagine the
accident involved by driving a bike. There are quite a few reasons we can conclude
for the cause of accidents.
The bike can be faulty. Here there are two reasons for this. One, the bike may not
be maintained well by the owner and two, there can be some mechanical failure due
to which the bike became faulty.
Not having competency and training to drive the bike
Not following traffic rules
Driving beyond the safe speed limit
Not using helmet
Turning without decreasing the speed or without giving warning or indication
Parking at unauthorized or unstable surface
Driving under inebriated condition
Driving bike when not feeling well
Similarly, if you want to know about unsafe acts in workplaces, we have plenty to
share:
Some of the reasons are:
Handling a machine without competency or training
Operating a faulty machine
Lack of awareness on safe practices: for example, removing safety guard while
operating the machine.
Operating machines beyond their prescribed speed limits or work hours.
Scant regard to safety procedures and practices.