Accidents indirect causes

Similar remarks can be made about accident reports, it was observed that the focus of the majority is on the direct safety related deviations in the accident causation path, and almost no attention is given to the indirect safety related deviations. Indirect safety related deviations were mentioned but no attention was given to the fact that these deviations were in the causal path, re-occurring, and often present for a long time prior to the accident. Korvers (Korvers et al., 2002) gave some good examples by showing ten cases in which identical indirect safety related deviations present prior to accidents repeatedly caused similar accidents. 

Determining the cause of the accident, contributing factors, direct and indirect causes, getting information from people, conducting successful interviews, and filling out accident reports. 

Taking behavior-based accident causation 2-4 model as a theoretical base, the major and particular major flood accidents from 2005 to 2006 were systematically analyzed. (The choice of a certain period is because there is no major difference among accident patterns in some particular period of time, so the accidents happening from 2005 to 2006 are very representative.) Starting from the accident triggered by direct unsafe act, this paper attempts to find out the direct cause of accident in order to provide a reference for avoiding similar accident and give a reference to the indirect cause of accident. 

Types of causes Root cause Radical cause Indirect cause Direct cause Accidents Loss... 

Accidents are usually complex and are the result of multiple causes. A detailed analysis of an accident will normally reveal three cause levels basic, indirect, and direct. At the lowest level, an accident results only when a person or object receives the release of an amount of energy or exposure to hazardous material that cannot be absorbed safely. This energy or hazardous material is the direct cause of the accident. The second causal areas are usually the result of one or more unsafe acts or unsafe conditions, or both. Unsafe acts and conditions are the indirect causes or symptoms. In turn, indirect causes are usually traceable to poor management policies and decisions, or to personal or environmental factors. These are the basic causes. 

Long-term non-psychological health consequences are subject to the same uncertainties as the assessments from the Chernobyl accident, as discussed in Chernobyl Indirect Causes of the Accident above. Any long-term additional cancer mortality from the accident will not be discernible against normal cancer mortality. 

The risk of sudden death has been well documented both in the USA (Bass, 1970) and the UK (Watson, 1979 Anderson et al, 1985). Approximately half of the recognised fatalities appear to be caused by a direct toxic effect of the solvent, probably on the heart. The other half are attributable to more indirect causes such as aspiration of vomit, plastic bag suffocation, and accidents sustained while intoxicated (Anderson et al, 1985). 

On the basis of the studies on accidents and near accidents with numerically controlled machine tools, the indirect causes of accidents can be classified in the following way (Cf. also annex) ... 

Each occupational accident may involve several indirect causes. Every indirect cause is indicative of a critical point. Moreover, critical points can be recognized by the methods of risk analysis. 

The investigation of the direct and indirect causes of accidents is a reactive... 

As a basis for the analysis of human error, utilized are illustrative examples of accidents at work, in which the direct or indirect cause was human error. The cause was adopted from the findings of the post-accident teams which determine the cause of the accidents. As part of the identification of the causes of human error, used were SHERPA and HERCA classification methods. 

Avoiding any failure of structures, systems or components which could directly or indirectly cause accident conditions as a consequence of an external event, particularly with respect to reactivity control, cooling of radioactive material and confinement ... 

Unsafe acts (behavior) or unsafe conditions comprise indirect causes of accidents or incidents. These indirect causes can inflict injury, property damage, or equipment failure. They allow the energy or hazardous material to be released. Unsafe acts can lead to unsafe conditions and vice versa. Examples of unsafe acts and unsafe conditions are found in Table 8.2. 

Some accident investigations result only in the identification and correction of indirect causes, but indirect causes of accidents are symptoms that some underlying causes exist, which are often termed basic causes. By going one step further, accidents can best be prevented by identifying and correcting the basic or root causes. Basic causes are grouped into policies and decisions, personal factors, and environmental factors, as found in Tables 8.3 through 8.5. 

Thus, accidents have many causes. Basic (root) causes lead to unsafe acts and unsafe conditions (indirect causes). Indirect causes may result in a release of energy or hazardous material (direct causes). The direct cause may allow for contact, resulting in personal injury or property damage or equipment failure (accident). You can use the accident report form found in Figure 8.2 to identify and analyze these three causes. 

In Sweden, these examinations are carried out by certified doctors who are registered in primary care as independent professionals. These doctors send their results to a national agency. The level of regulation is low but there is zero tolerance there is a code of practice, continuous assessment of approved doctors with a reputation for being strict, and certificates are issued for a limited period (every accident involving a pilot results in a detailed examination of the aptitude files any failure by a doctor to detect a direct or indirect cause of the accident may constitute grounds for loss or non-renewal of his certified status). 

It is widely known that 70 % of accidents have a human cause related to operator errors. Equally, if one adds to this the contribution of designers and managers to what are called technical errors (breakdowns) or organisational errors (management decisions, social climate), 100 % of accidents actually have direct or indirect causes associated with human factors. 

Construction accidents on site, however, leads to much social costs which harm the society (Hallowell 2010). The adverse outcomes create the need for accident prevention that requires knowledge of accident causal factors, how these factors contribute to accident causation and the extent to which causal factors contribute to accidents (Manu et al. 2012). This chapter aims at reviewing the direct and indirect causes from literamre. 

There are many causes which lead to accidents. Generally speaking, we can classify them into two categories direct (immediate) and indirect (distant) causes. The direct causes refer to causes which have an immediate effect on workers safety condition, e.g., structural failures and insufficient PPE. Nevertheless, what gives room for these unsafe conditions on site depends on indirect causes such as poor organization and economic concerns (Fig. 1.1). 

Apart from the above indirect causes, direct causes refer to the causes which Anally lead to accidents on site. Site condition, for example, is one of the important safety factors. A good site layout, for example, is vital to ensure the safety of the working environment (Sanad et al. 2008)... 

Many construction accidents on site occur not because of one or two reasons but when one or more distant and immediate factors go wrong. Safety management, therefore, should not focus solely on the direct causes. The management should also spend effort on eliminating the indirect causes. Table 1.1 summarizes the factors leading to construction accidents. 

While accident investigations may have their negative side, there are far more positive aspects, and it is an often overlooked tool for reducing future losses and for cutting costs in the workplace. Accident investigation is a means of determining the obvious and direct causes and costs of an accident, but, even more importantly, it seeks to find the hidden and indirect causes and costs as well. (See the Business Case for Safety chapter of this manual for more information on injury costs.)... 

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