Accident Avoidance
Safety and Accident Investigation
Accidents and injuries were once thought to be a part of doing business. Safety and how employers view it has changed over the years. Accidents and Injuries are no longer considered unavoidable, or a part of doing business. They are considered avoidable and unnecessary! Accident Avoidance – Through the use of proactive accident prevention process and accident investigation procedures more people are going home at the end of the day. Industry has incorporated the Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA) standards as a way of doing business. OSHA has adopted specific standards and regulations designed to help employers establish specific programs that monitor, and reduce hazards associated with working in an industrial or construction site environment. The OSHA standards cover many aspects of the work site. They include, but are not limited to: electrical hazards, lockout – tag out procedures, arc flash, machine guarding, electrical interlocks, machine design, powered industrial vehicles such as fork lift truck, personal carts, and cranes, personal protective equipment, exposure to chemicals, fire prevention, and evacuation procedures. OSHA has established training programs for many of these areas.
Unfortunately, exposure to potential accidents exists in our everyday life. In the industrial / manufacturing environment, at construction sites, on our highways, and in the air. Our homes also contain hazards that we sometime fall victim to. No matter where the accident occurs they share a common process to prevent their re-occurrence. A properly performed accident investigation process / procedure will identify the root cause of an accident and if the accident investigation is properly accomplished it will identify a process to eliminate the hazard involved.