Incident characteristics, serious injury

Consequence The direcf undesirable result of an incident outcome, specifically the impacts resulting from a release of a hazardous material. Consequence is generally a function of the hazards of the material released, the extent of the release, and the presence of receptors (people, ecosystems, properly, etc.). Hazard Inherent properly or characteristic of a material, system, or process that has the potential for causing serious injury to people and/or property or environmental damage. 

A statistical history supports proposing that safety professionals pay particular attention to the characteristics of incidents resulting in serious injuries, particularly with respect to the nature of work being done and the job titles of injured personnel. 

One could ask the following Since the characteristics of serious injuries, the types of activities or exposures out of which many serious injuries occur, and the statistical trending concerning them have been known for some time, why have they not received more attention from the safety community There are two age-old beliefs, often promoted by safety professionals, that are barriers to making the necessary inquiry into the reality of design and engineering, operational systems, and cultural causal factors for incidents resulting in serious injury. Those beliefs, which derive from statements made in H. W. Heinrich s Industrial Accident Prevention, are ... 

The major theme of this chapter is encouraging safety professionals to identify the characteristics of the vital few incidents that result in serious injury and to propose the management actions necessary for minimizing the potential for their occurrence. Although the trending for incidents resulting in serious injuries has negative implications, it also provides opportunities. 

I have recorded the results of my research into the characteristics of incidents resulting in serious injuries in Chapter 3, Serious Injury Prevention. I wrote that a large proportion of incidents resulting in serious injury occur when workers are engaged in out-of-the-ordinary tasks, meaning when changes are taking place, such as ... 

Table 4 in the BLS report is titled Number of Nonfatal Occupational Injuries and Illnesses Involving Days Away from Work by Selected Injury or Illness Characteristics and Industry Division, 2000. Lor private industry as a whole, strains and sprains, carpal tunnel syndrome, and tendonitis were 46.3% of total cases. Similar figures are commonly expressed. Lor example. Dr. Lranklin Mirer, Director of the UAW Health and Safety Department, says that for about 700,000 auto workers, over 50% of all incidents reported are musculoskeletal. And the costs for musculoskeletal injuries tend to ran high, especially for serious back injuries. 

---