Accidents hurt more than workers

following as the underlying causes of most work related accidents.

o Lack of management support and control for organization, planning, training and education.

o Unsafe conditions caused by poor and defective equipment, overworked employees, exposure to unnecessary hazards.

o Poor environmental conditions.

o Improper supervision, resulting in unsafe acts by employees and workers who do not follow directions.

Most companies have safety guidelines in place, Ptak emphasizes, but they nray be outdated or not adhered to. He reconrnrends that safety guidelines be reveiwed, revised and updated on a regular basis. Poor guidelines result in accidents. Accidents affect productivity and, ultimately, result in bottom line losses in profit margin.

Management reviews of safety guidelines should take into account accidents or near accidents which have occurred recently. Proper investigation of an accident nlust include recommendations for prevention, Ptak cautions.

When an accident occurs on the job, enrployers are quick to provide health care and support to an injured worker. However many enrployers and conrpanies fail to provide a proper investigation of the accident itself.

Senior management should require that all accidents or "near misses" be investigated by a nranager not involved with the accident. It is the investigator's job to search for the root causes of the problenr.

The Merchant Magazlne

"Rack failure" or "carelessness" are symptoms, not causes of accidents. The real question is "what caused the rack to fail?" or "why was the worker careless?"

Fault is not an issue, Ptak stresses. Workers and area supervisors will be nrore cooperative if they realize the object is to prevent future accidents, rather than to lay blame.

An investigator should not jump to conclusions. Most close calls and accidents are the result ofa contbination of unsafe acts and unsafe conditions. All causes should be identified to prevent similar injuries.

The following basic tips are recommended by Ptak for investigating an accident: o Speed is important. Quickly talk to the injured person and all witnesses while the details of the accident are still fresh in their nrinds. o Listen to the conversation around you. What you overhear ntay tell you nrore than direct questioning. Ask workers for their recontnrendations on preventing future accidents. o Study the situation by working the accident backwards, looking for all possible causes.

. Report to senior managentent with a written document which includes recomnrendations for preventing similar accidents.

. I.-ollow up each report by requesting approval and implenrenting your recommendations, a critical step flrequently forgotten.

To help insure that accidents do not regularly occur, senior nranagenrent should exanrine accident records and reports regularly. [:ach conrpany should appoint a safety supervisor to keep an account of the nunrber of accidents per nronth and the direct cost ofeach. These records will show the financial benefits of a properly adnrinistered safety program.

In the end, Ptak concludes, everybody wins at a conrpany which makes safety a top priority.

Story at a Glance

Check list for company safety plan... how to handle accident investigations.. ways to cut losses.

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