INTRODUCTION TO SAFETY,

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

PREPARED BY:
DR IRNIS AZURA ZAKARYA
04-9797769
irnis@unimap.edu.my
You be able to analyze human behavior
and working environment that cause the
accidents
You be able to justify the best accident
causation theory to predict and prevent
accidents at workplace
SAFETY AT CONSTRUCTION SITE-
Frisomat
1. Domino theory
2. Human factors theory
3. Accident/ incident theory
4. Epidemiological theory
5. System theory
6. Behavioral theory
7. Birds triangle

5 factors accident sequence

No. Factor Explanation
1 Ancestry and social
environment
The negative character traits that may lead people to behave in
an unsafe manner may be inherited (ancestral) or acquired as a
result of the social environment.
2 Fault of person Negative character traits whether inherited or acquired are the
reasons behind why people behave in an unsafe manner and why
hazardous conditions exist ( e.g. smoking in an area which
contains flammable materials).
3 Unsafe act/ mechanical and
physical hazards
Unsafe acts committed by a person and mechanical or physical
hazards are the direct causes of accidents (e.g. negligence)
4 Accident Accidents lead to injuries and will have a negative effect on the
performance and image of organisation.
5 Injury Accident injuries may range from minor cuts and scratches to
serious ones such as loss of limb or other disability. Injuries such
as lacerations and fractures have a negative effect on workers
performance.
A B C D E
1. Overload
2. Inappropriate response
3. Inappropriate activities

Overload imbalance between a persons
capacity at any given time and the load being
carried by a person
Factors environmental (noise, distractions,
etc)
- internal (personal problems, emotional
stress, worry)
- situational ( level of risk, unclear
instructions)
Inappropriate response
how a person responds in a given situation can cause
or prevent an accident.
If a person detects a hazardous condition but does
nothing to rectify it, he has responded inappropriately.
Inappropriate Activities
Human error
Is undertaking of a task that a person does not know or not
familiar
Is misjudging the degree of risk involved in a given task
Such activities can lead to accidents and injuries

Accident/
incident theory
Overload
Ergonomic
trap
Human error Accident
Injury/
damage
Decision to err
Systems
failure
Overload
Pressure
Fatigue
Motivation
Drugs
Alcohol
worry
Ergonomic trap
Incompatible
workstation
Incompatible
expectations
Decision to err
Misjudgment of the
risk
Unconscious desire
to err
Logical decision
based on the
situation

System failure
Policy
Responsibility
Training
Correction
standards
Is the study of causal relationships between
environmental factors and disease.
2 characteristics
Predisposition
Susceptibility of people
Perceptions
Environmental factors
Situational
Risk assessment by individuals
Peer pressure
Priorities of the supervisor
Attitude
Can cause or prevent accident conditions
Person (Host)
Machine (Agent)
Environment
Collect
information
Weight
risks
Make
decision
Machine

Person

Environment
Interaction
Task to be
performed
Always referred as behavior-based safety.
Behavior-based safety is application of
behavioral theories from the field of
psychology to field of occupational safety.
7 basic principles of behavioral theory
1. Intervention that is focused on employee behavior
2. Identification of external factors that will help understand and
improve employee behavior ( safety in the workplace)
3. Direct behavior with activators or events antecedent to the
desired behavior, and motivation of the employee to behave as
desired with incentives and rewards that will follow the desired
behavior
4. Focus on the positive consequences that will result from the
desired behavior as a way to motivate employees
5. Application of the scientific method to improve attempts at
behavioral interventions
6. Use of theory to integrate information rather than to limit
possibilities
7. Planned interventions with the feelings and attitudes of the
individual employee in mind

Showed a relationship between major,
minor and no-injury accidents
Frank Bird found all the near miss accident
must be investigated analyzed immediately
A near miss accident is an unexpected or
unplanned incident which occurs but does
not cause any injuries or damage to
properties.
1
Serious
permanent injury
10
Minor injury
30
Damage to property
600
Near miss accident without injury or property
damage
600: tend to lead employers to be careless
and be overconfident
30, 10: if tend to ignore the near miss ,
lead to this level
1: if still unchecked involves serious or
permanent injuries


What is the Human Factors Theory? What are the human
factors that lead to workplace accidents?

Give three examples of occupations that may cause
overload to workers.

By referring to the Epidemiological Theory, explain how
the work stress factor can increase the risk of workplace
accidents.

Based on the Accident/Incident Theory, systems failure is
one of the causes of workplace accidents. Explain this in
brief.