Occupational Safety: Progress in Understanding the Basic Aspects of Safe and Unsafe Behaviour

Abstract

La technologie moderne a engendré une demande accrue de systèmes aux sécurités renforcées en raison de la complexité, de la capacité et des coûts croissants. Les conséquences d'une absence de fiabilité des équipements et des opérateurs sont devenues de plus en plus graves. Les situations dangereuses font peser une demande spécifique sur les hommes: le contrôle des risques. On rend compte, dans cet article, des travaux qui ont été pour‐suivis ces dernières anndes sur ce sujet par l'auteur et ses collaborateurs. L'accent a été mis sur la nécessité pour l'opérateur de prendre conscience des risques existant à son poste de travail et de traiter les informations disponibles en relation avec l'eventualité de l'accident et les possibilités de contrôle du risque. Une recherche portant sur des mécaniciens automobile et des ouvriers du bâtiment a mis en évidence des lacunes importantes dans les connaissances relatives à la sécurité. Les résultats de telles recherches ont servi àétablir des instructions de sécurite fondées sur le comportement qui purent être appliquées avec succès pour lutter contre les comportements dangereux des ouvriers. Les données recueillies sur les comportements sûrs et dangereux ont permis de créer un outil pour analyser la sécurité, le “Safety Diagnosis Questionnaire” qui a été exploité dans 70 usines environ. Quelques résultats sont exposés. Modern technology has created a greater demand for increased system safety due to greater capital costs, complexity, and capacity. The consequences of unreliable behaviour of equipment and humans have become increasingly severe. Dangerous situations create extra responsibilities for the workforce, including the need to control hazards. In this paper, studies will be reported which have been carried out recently on this topic by the author and his associates. The emphasis was on the demands to the workforce to perceive the hazards present at the workplace, and to process the information available with respect to injury risk and possibilities for hazard control. A study on safety knowledge of car‐repair workers and construction workers revealed critical deficits of safety‐related knowledge. Results from such studies were fed into behaviourally based safety instructions, which could be applied with success to reduce unsafe behaviour of workers. Using knowledge about safe and unsafe behaviour, an instrument for safety analysis entitled “Safety Diagnosis Questionnaire” was established, and applied in about 70 plants. Some data will be reported.

A qualitative exploration of work-related head injury: vulnerability at the intersection of workers’ decision making and organizational values

“…The majority of workers across sectors in our study expressed an awareness of the risks associated with performing their work tasks, which appears to support the assumption that workplace accidents and injuries are the consequence of unsafe worker practices [ 5 , 36 , 37 ]. Yet, in many cases, the accounts of workers suggest that the failure to adopt safe working practices was more a function of the organization itself failing to facilitate a safety climate.…”

Improving the Safety Performance of Nigeria Construction Workers: A Social Ecological Approach

“…Thus, since the frequency of technological failures in industry has diminished, the role of human behaviour has become more apparent. Safety experts estimate that 80-90% of all industrial accidents are attributable to 'human factors' [44]. To this end, Guo and Yiu [45] aver that the existing safety performance indicators in the construction industry had failed to capture the reality of safety.…”

Influencing Factors, Mechanism and Prevention of Construction Workers’ Unsafe Behaviors: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Hoyos [ 14 ] believed that it is important and necessary to conduct in-depth research on the causes of construction accidents as this helps propose preventive measures used to improve the safety performance of construction projects. A close examination of the historical studies in the “unsafe behaviors of construction workers” field found that three sub-topics were heavily explored historically, including the factors affecting workers’ unsafe behaviors, the formation mechanism of construction workers’ unsafe behaviors, and pre-control measures of construction accidents.…”