TABLE OF CONTENTS

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SUMMARY
An accident is an unforeseen and unplanned event or
circumstance often with lack of intention and necessity which
could arise as a result of carelessness, misconduct or
negligence. Accident prevention involves the identification and
elimination of causes before an accident occurs.Individuals and
companies should be concerned with accident prevention
because of the direct and indirect costs of accidents can
endanger a companys ability to compete in the cooperate
world.
This report intends to elaborate on accident prevention in
industries. This report also tries to highlight the types of
accidents, causes and general accident preventive measures.

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CHAPTER 1
WHAT IS ACCIDENT PREVENTION?
Accident prevention involves the identification and elimination
of causes before an accident occurs. Since an accident is an
unforeseen and unplanned event or circumstance often with
lack of intention and necessity.In law, the term is usually limited
to events not involving negligence, that is, the carelessness or
misconduct of a party involved, or to a loss caused by lightning,
floods, or other natural events (Act of God). Most stakeholders
practice investigation of the causes of the accident and then
implementing corrective actions to avoid a reoccurrence of the
accident. This helps in eliminating future incidents in the
workplace.
An employee who suffers an injury is likely to encounter
financial loss, disability, pain or in extreme cases death. The
employer should be concerned with accident prevention
because of the direct and indirect costs of accidents can
endanger a companys ability to compete in the cooperate
world. These costs include costs accruing from insurance
premium, lost production or disruption to production schedules,
damage to equipment and plant, loss of time for other
employees and the possibility of fines and adverse publicity are
all issues to consider. While some costs are insurable, there
also exist some costs that are uninsurable which exceed the
insurable costs.
In the increasingly competitive market place, it is becoming
common for clients to request for companies safety records as
part of tender analysis processes or prequalification.
This report intends to elaborate on accident prevention in
industries. This report also tries to highlight the types of
accidents, causes and general preventive measures

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CHAPTER 2
HOW TO PREVENT ACCIDENTS
Before we extensively dive into the field of accident prevention,
two important sub-headings will be explained and they are:
I.
II.

Types Of Accident
Causes Of Accident

II.1. TYPES OF ACCIDENT

Below are the types of accidents `
I.
II.
III.
II.1.1.

Physical accident
Non- physical accident
Accident by activity
Physical Accident

Physical accidents are accidents that have effects perceivable

to the five physical senses and can impact direct degradation of
these sense, this type of accidents include being injured by
touching something sharp, hot, or electrical, ingesting poisons
II.1.2.

Non- Physical Accidents

Non- physical accidents are accidents that do not affect the five
physical senses directly. These types of accidents include unintentionally revealing a secret, saying something incorrectly,
forgetting an appointment.
II.1.3.

Accident by activity

These are accidents that occur as during the execution of

work .It could also be regarded as a discrete occurrence in the
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course of work leading to a physical or mental occupational

injury. Accidents by activity are most times referred to as work
accidents e.g. miners lungs etc.

II.2. CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS

The basic knowledge of the causes of accidents will enable
stake holders to effectively and efficiently prevent accidents on
their facilities and assets. With this knowledge will help in
minimizing accidents in the workplace. Causes of accidents
include:
II.2.1.
Unsafe conditions: An unsafe condition simply consists
of hazardous conditions or circumstances that could lead
directly to an accident. Examples include: Operating equipment
at improper speeds, Operating equipment with authority, Using
equipment improperly, Using defective equipment, Failure to
wear PPE, Taking and improper working position, Servicing
equipment in motion, Defeating safety devicesetc
2.1.2
Unsafe Acts: Unsafe acts are acts that are performed
when workers ignore or arent aware of a standard operating
procedure for safe work practice designed to protect the worker
and prevent accidents. Examples include; Inadequate guards,
Defective tools or equipment, Congestion of working area, Poor
housekeeping, Excessive noise, Poor illumination, Poor
ventilation.

II.3. METHOD/TECHNIQUES FOR ACCIDENT PREVENTION

It is the duty of an employer, employee and self employed
persons to ensure their safety in their workplace. Compliance
with legislative requirements may assist in by providing either
performance based or perspective criteria to achieve required
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results. Various legislative requirements have a strong impact

on the safety of activities in the workplace.
Under general duty care legislation, employers have a duty to
ensure that their employees are provided with a safe working
environment with less exposure to hazards. Employers have the
responsibility of identifying work hazard, assessing them and
making necessary changes to reduce the risks to ensure the
reduction, prevention of accidents and suitability of the
workplace for employees.The three basic methods used in
accident prevention are:
I.
II.
III.
IV.

Process Safety.
Job Hazard Analysis.
Job Safety Analysis.
Written Accident Prevention Program.

II.3.1.
PROCESS SAFETY
Process safety can be defined as the control of those hazards
which are caused by mal-operation or malfunction of the
processes used to convert raw materials into finished products.
Process safety implementation can be divided into four
categories:
I. Identifying the hazard.
II. Assessing the hazard.
III. Controlling the hazard.
IV. Process Hazard Management.
II.3.1.1.
Identifying the Hazard: This process involves
recognising the causes of injury or harm to the health of an
individual e.g. flammable material, ignition sources or
unguarded machinery. Methods of identifying workplace
hazards include: developing a hazard checklist, conducting
walk-through surveys and inspections, reviewing information
from designers or manufacturers, analysing, unsafe incident,
accident and injury data, analysing work processes, consulting
with employees, examining and considering material safety
data sheets and product labels, and seeking advice from
specialist practitioners and representatives.
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Hazard identification has two aspects:

I.

Materials Hazards: These are hazards associated with

the materials which are being stored, transported or
processed. Such hazards include toxicity or flammability
of materials.
II.
Activity Hazards: These are hazards which are
associated with the operations which are carried out on
the materials. These hazards are primarily those of maloperation or malfunction.
II.3.1.2.
Assessing the Risk: This process involves looking at the
possibility of injury or harm occurring toan individual if exposed
to hazards. Risk assessment in other words will help to
determine the consequence and assist to identify methods to
reduce risk.Risk assessment should include:
1. Assessing the adequacy of training or knowledge required
to work safely.
2. Looking at the way the jobs are performed.
3. Looking at the way work is organised.
4. Determining the size and layout of the workplace.
5. Assessing the number and movement of all people on the
site.
6. Determining the type of operation to be performed.
7. Determining the type of machinery and plant to be used.
8. Examining procedures for an emergency (eg: accident, fire
andrescue).
9. Looking at the storage and handling of all materials
andsubstances.
II.3.1.3.

Controlling the Risk:

In this step, there is an introduction of measures to reduce the

risk of individuals being exposed to a hazard. The control
measures range from the more effective to the least
effective. The hierarchy of control is:
1. Elimination: removing the hazard or hazardous work
practice from the workplace. This is the most effective
control measure.
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2. Substitution - substituting or replacing a hazard or

hazardous work practice with a less hazardous one.
3. Isolation - isolating or separating the hazard or
hazardous work practice from people not involved in the
work or the general workareas, for example, by marking
off hazardous areas, installingscreens or barriers.
4. Engineering Control - if the hazard cannot be
eliminated,substituted or isolated, an engineering control
is the next preferredmeasure. This may include
modifications to tools or equipment,providing guarding to
machinery or equipment.
5. Administrative Control - includes introducing work
practices thatreduce the risk. This could include limiting
the amount of time aperson is exposed to a particular
hazard
6. Personal Protective Equipment - should be considered
onlywhen other control measures are not practicable or to
increaseprotection.
Control measures are not mutually exclusive. That is, there may
be circumstances where more than one control measure should
beused to reduce exposure to hazards.The higher level controls
generally eliminate, reduce or minimiserisk in a more reliable
manner than personal protective equipmentwhich is at the
bottom of the priority schedule.
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE)
1. Head: hard hats to protect the head from falling objects
and bangs
2. Face and eyes: goggles and shields protect the face and
eyes from sparks, flying chips, etc
3. Hands, arms and body: gloves and aprons to protect from
harm
4. Respiratory system: respiratory apparatus to protect
against inhalation of toxic fumes, dusts and gases

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5. Safety belts/lines: to be used when working at heights of

six feet or more
6. Working overhead: workmen below should be aware of
your presence when performing work overhead.
Barricades should be in place
II.3.2.
JOB SAFETY ANALYSIS
This method involves taking a specific job and identifying
basically the following:
I.
II.
III.

The sequence of basic job steps.

Potential hazards at each step.
Recommended action or procedure to correct the potential
hazards.
A job safety analysis is a very detailed exercise when the
supervisor and a worker skilled at the job are involved. This
exercise often ensures employee involvement and control over
their assignments in the workplace. High priority should be
given to jobs which are more exposed to hazards. Also jobs that
provide a high potential for accidents and property damage
should follow in the pecking order. It is very essential that job
analysis be conducted for newly created jobs.
Essentially what follows job safety analyses are PLANNED JOB
OBSERVATIONS EXERCISES. This is an opportunity for the job
supervisor to validate a JSA. A PJO is used to determine if a
worker is maximally efficient at his/her job. Some supervisors
perform PJO informally, distractions and interruptions and lack
of planning pose a threat to the supervisor gathering
information for proper evaluation of work performance. The
steps used to perform PJOs are:
I.

Worker and Job Selection

Workers should be selected for PJO based on thefollowing
priority:
1. New Workers.
2. Poor Performers.
3. Risk Takers.
4. Good Performers.

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Selecting jobs for PJO should focus on jobs with an accident

history, jobs with the potential for serious injuryor significant
property damage, and jobs with a highprobability of occurrence.
II.

Preparation
The supervisor must make a commitment to be prepared for
the PJO. The
supervisor should review the JSA and other workprocedures for
that specific job.

III.

Job Observation
When observing the worker, the guidelines listed below
shouldbe followed:
1. Try to be as discrete as possible
2. Do not distract the worker.
3. Do not interrupt the worker.
4. Do not allow others to interrupt your observation of
theworker.
5. Have a copy of the JSA with you to follow the jobprocess
step by step.

IV. Employee Review

1. Review your observations with the employee as soon as
practicalafter the PJO.

V.

Follow-Up
1. Follow-up includes making changes to procedures or JSAs
asappropriate to your observation, retraining on job
performance,or additional training not previously provided.
Ensure that youfollow-up with the worker or the value of the PJO
will be lost.

II.3.3.

ACCIDENT PREVENTION PROGRAM

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This is a program set up to evaluate the performance of an

organization in the area of safety and health management. It
also helps to outline the area of safety and health management
the organization can and need to improve. Basic information
the program should ascertain are:
1. Do we have a safety and health policy that well known in the
organization?
2. Are safety responsibilities clearly communicated to staff?
3. Do we have aneffective method of identifying workplace
hazards?
4. Do management and employee share overall responsibility
for identifying and resolving safety issues?
5. Are we effective in preventing, eliminating or controlling
hazards?
6. Are we prepared for an emergency?
7. Are staffs given effective and timely safety and health training?
STEPS IN ACCIDENT PREVENTION PROGRAM
1. To prevent accident, all hazardous installations should
comply with the same overall safety objectives
irrespective of size, location or other factors.
2. To prevent accident, management should establish an
ultimate goal of zero incidents providing the incentive to
achieve the best possible performance and ensures
continuous efforts towards greater safety.
3. To prevent accident, management of hazardous
installations have the primary responsibility for operating
installations safely and for developing the means to do so.
4. To prevent accident, all employees should share
responsibility for and have a role to play in the prevention
of accidents by carrying out their jobs effectively.
5. To prevent accident, public authorities are should set
general safety objectives, establish a clear and coherent
control framework and ensure, through appropriate
inspection and enforcement measures.
6. To prevent accident, management should encourage, and
facilitate the reporting by all employees (including
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(sub)contractors) of any chemical accident and near-miss,

in order to learn from experience
7. To prevent accident, management should periodically
monitor and review safety performance in hazardous
installations.
8. To prevent accident, management should co-operate with
public authorities to assist the authorities in meeting their
responsibilities.
II.4. OTHER SAFETY RULES
1. Hand tools: always use the right tools for the job at hand.
2. Ladders: only ladders should be used for climbing and
they must be in good condition before use.
3. Electrical equipment: only authorised personnel shall
connect, disconnect, repair or adjust any electrical
equipment. Do not use water hose to clean around
turbines and electrical switchboards.
4. Storing and piling equipment: safe and proper methods
must be used to stockpile materials to avoid fall.
5. Personal hygiene: a high standard of personal hygiene is
required at all times. Wash all clothing regularly.
6. Ensure that all electric al appliances are switched off
before leaving your work station.
II.4.1.
FIRST AID
All injuries sustained on the job should be reported to the
companys assigned first aider. Serious medical cases
should be treated at the companys designated hospital.
II.4.2.
FIRE DRILLS
Compliance to all fire drills is mandatory. All employees
should quietly assemble at the Muster Point and await
further instructions
II.4.3.
INCIDENT/ACCIDENT
INVESTIGATION
AND
REPORTING
The HSE unit is responsible for all safety issues of the company.
All safety/health-related issues should be reported to the unit
as soon as identified

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CONCLUSION
Accident prevention is the duty of every individual. Safety
measures and practices should not be over looked in our
everyday life because accidents lead to loss of life and property
of every stakeholder involved. It is imperative that every
individual to mitigate the effects of accidents in the workplace
by means of applying stipulated accident preventive measures
to protect precious lives and assets and in turn increase
productivity, efficiency and effectiveness in their task .
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