Introduction
CHAPTER 1 – COST OF ACCIDENTS: WHY SAFETY IS IMPORTANT
CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety
Introduction
Accidents
CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety
Oxford English Dictionary• An occurrence, incident, or event. • Anything that happens without foresight or expectation; an
unusual event, which proceeds from some unknown cause, or is an unusual effect of a known cause; a casualty, a contingency
Accidents cause damage to employees, property, equipment, and morale as well as company’s bottom line.– Prevailing view: Accident prevention programs are too
costly.– Contemporary view: Accidents are too costly, accident
prevention makes sense economically.
Introduction
Accidents
4th leading cause of death in the U.S. after:– Heart disease– Cancer– Strokes
Natural Disasters ~ 100 deaths/year Workplace Accidents ~ 10,000
deaths/year On average, 11 accidental deaths and 1,030
disabling injuries per hour.
CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety
Introduction
Accidental Death Causes
CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety
The NSC periodically computes death total and death rates in the following categories (all numbers are averages per year):– Motor Vehicle Accidents –47,000
– Falls – 13,000
– Poisoning of Solids and Liquids – 6,000
– Poisoning of Gases and Vapors – 1,000
– Drowning – 5,000
– Fire-related – 4,000
– Suffocation (ingested object) – 4,000
– Firearms – 2,000
– Others – 14,000 (medical complications arising out of mistakes made by healthcare professionals, air transport injuries, interaction with machinery, mechanical suffocation, and the impact of falling objects)
Introduction
Causes of death – Prime working years
CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety
Heart disease, cancer and strokes tend to be concentrated among people at or near retirement age.
Prime working years: 37 years of age or younger
Accidents are No. 1 cause of death among people in prime working years.
Employers can have a significant impact on preventing accidents.
Introduction
The causes of death for persons from 25 to 44 years of age:
CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety
Causes of death – Prime working years
Accidents 27, 500
Motor Vehicle 16, 500
Poison (Solid, Liquid) 2, 700
Drowning 1, 500
Falls 1, 100
Fire – related 900
Cancer 20, 300
Heart Disease 16, 000
Introduction
Deaths in Work Accidents In a typical year, there are 10, 400 work deaths in
the U.S. Percentages of total work deaths attributable to
selected causes:
CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety
Motor Vehicle 37.2%
Falls 12.5%
Electric Current 3.7%
Drowning 3.2%
Fire 3.1%
Air Transport 3.0%
Poison (solid, liquid) 2.7%
Water Transport 1.6%
Poison (gas, vapor) 1.4%
Other 31.6%
Introduction
Work Injuries By Type
Overexertion– Working beyond physical limits
– Leading Cause (31%)
Impact accidents– Worker being struck by or against an object
– Second prominent cause
Falls– Third Prominent Cause
CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety
Introduction
Work Injuries by Type
CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety
Bodily Reaction to Chemicals Compression Motor Vehicle Accidents Exposure to Radiation or Caustic
Chemicals Rubbing or Abrasions Exposure to Extreme Temperatures
Introduction
Death Rates By Industry
CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety
Ranking order of most dangerous industries (Workplace deaths)
1. Mining and quarrying
2. Agriculture
3. Construction (Ranks first in workplace injuries)
4. Transportation/public utilities
5. Government
6. Manufacturing
7. Services
8. Trade
Introduction
Parts of Body Injured on Job in Construction
CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety
From most frequent to least1. Back
2. Legs and fingers
3. Arms and multiple parts of body
4. Trunk
5. Hands
6. Eyes, head, and feet
7. Neck, toes, and body systems
Introduction
Chemical Burn
CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety
Highest incidences in construction and manufacturing. Acids, alkalies, cleaning compounds, calcium
hydroxide (cement and plaster), potassium hydroxide (drain cleaners), sulfuric acid.
46% of the chemical burns occur while cleaning equipment, tools and vehicles.
High percentage of chemical burns occur despite the use of personal protective equipment, the provision of safety instruction, and the availability of treatment facilities.
Introduction
Chemical Burn
Strategy to prevent chemical burns:– Familiarize yourself, the workers, and their supervisors
with the chemicals that will be used and the inherent dangers.
– Secure the proper personal protection equipment for each type of chemical that will be used.
– Provide instruction on the proper use of personal protective equipment and then make sure that supervisors confirm that the equipment is used properly every time.
– Monitor workers who are wearing personal equipment and replace it when it begins to show wear.
CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety
Introduction
Heat Burn
Present challenge to construction employees Causes: flame (includes smoke inhalation
injuries), molten metal, petroleum asphalt, steam and water.
Common activities: Welding, cutting with a torch, working with tar and asphalt, etc.
Employees should be familiar with the hazards, should know the appropriate safety precautions, and should have and use the proper personal protection equipment.
CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety
Introduction
Heat Burn
Construction professionals who understand the following negative factors are in a better position to prevent heat burn injuries:– Employer has no health and safety policy regarding heat
hazards.
– Employer fails to enforce safety procedures and practices.
– Employees are not familiar with the employer’s safety policy and procedures concerning heat hazards.
– Employees fail to use or improperly use personal protection equipment
CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety
Introduction
Heat Burn
– Employees have inadequate or worn personal protection equipment.
– Employees work in too small a space.
– Employees attempt to work too fast, or are pushed to.
– Employees are careless.
– Employees have poorly maintained tools and equipment.
CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety
Introduction
Occupational disease (illness)
An occupational disease is defined as a condition produced in the work environment over a period longer than one workday or shift. Usually an illness is due to repetitive factors over a period of time. It may result from systemic infection, repeated stress or strain, exposure to toxins, poisons, fumes, or other continuing conditions of the work environment.
Introduction
Cost of Accidents
Overall cost of accidents in the U.S. = $800 billion annually.
These costs include lost wages, medical expenses, insurance administration, fire-related losses, property damage, and indirect costs.
CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety
Accident Type Cost (in billions of dollars)
Motor vehicle Accidents 722
Workplace Accidents 48
Home Accidents 18
Public Accidents 12
Introduction
Work Accident Costs and Rates
CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety
Between 1912 and 2001, accidental work deaths per 100,000 population were reduced from 21 to 4
In 1912, over 18,000 people lost their lives In 2001, in a workforce 3x as large producing 11
times the goods and services, there were approximately 10,000 deaths
• $420 per worker in U.S.
• $610,000 per death• $18,000 per disabling injury• 35 million lost work hours
Introduction
Categories of Accidents Cost
38
2429 27
10
23
$0$5
$10$15$20$25$30$35$40Billions
Introduction
Cost of Accidents
Cost Type Cost Category (in billions of dollars)
Wages Lost 38
Medical Expenses 24
Insurance Administration 29
Property Damage (motor vehicle) 27
Fire Losses 10
Indirect Costs of Accidents 23
CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety
Introduction
Indirect Costs of Accidents Incurred directly by the employer Not charged, as a rule, to the injury itself Not easy to quantify (~20% of direct costs) Indirect losses from Work accidents consists of costs
associated with responding to accidents. Such as:– Giving first aid– Filling out accident reports– Handling work slowdowns, etc.– Reduced worker morale– Reduced company image– Lost job opportunities for the firm
Introduction
Indirect Costs of Accidents
Accidents have devastating effect on employee morale.– Colleagues of the injured employee think, “That
could have been me”
Employee morale is a less tangible factor which may affect the productivity significantly.
Employees with low morale do not produce up to their maximum potential.
CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety
Introduction
Time Lost Because of Work Injuries According to the National Safety Council,
approximately 35 millions hours are lost due to accidents in a typical year.
This is the actual time lost from disabling injuries and does not include additional time lost for medical checkups after the employee returns to work.
Accidents that occurred in previous years often continue to cause lost time in the current year.
CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety
Introduction
Estimating the Cost of Accidents
CEE 698 – Construction Health and Safety
Accidents are expensive, however to be successful, safety-minded construction professionals must be able to show that accidents are more expensive than prevention.
Lost work hours• Involves compiling the total number of lost hours for the period in
question and multiplying the hours times the applicable loaded labor rate.
Medical costs Insurance premiums and administration Property damage Fire losses Indirect costs
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