Journal of Occupational Accidents最新文献

Industrial tasks are a major cause of cumulative trauma disorders (CTD_s) of the upper extremity in the workplace. Thus, ergonomie job analysis was used in a manufacturing industry to identify five operations which posed employees to a high risk of CTDs. Moreover, the risk factors associated with these operations were recognized and quantified using physical ergonomics job design principles. Based on the analysis, engineering controls were recommended.

The slip resistance of thirteen deck and other underfoot surfaces commonly used in ships was assessed by measuring the kinetic coefficient of friction between these floorings, contaminated with glycerol, and three types of safety footwear. The floorings were used on decks, stairs and passages as well as in engine-rooms, kitchens and other indoor and outdoor facilities. The kinetic coefficient of friction (μ_k1) was measured with a prototype apparatus, which simulates the movements of a human foot and the forces applied to the underfoot surface during a sudden slip on the heel.

The measured average μ_k1s of the assessed floorings varied from 0.05 to 0.64. Four floorings were classified as very slip-resistant and one as slip-resistant. All the others were classified as slippery. The rough floorings were more slip-resistant than the smooth ones. The correlation between the arithmetical average roughness (R_a) and the average μ_k1 of the assessed surfaces was very significant (p < 0.001). When selecting deck and other underfoot surfaces and developing new flooring products, more attention should be paid to their surface texture. From the slip resistance point of view the adequate R_a value was 7–9 μm, so smoother surfaces should be avoided. A raised-pattern on floorings also improved the slip resistance compared to corresponding unpatterned floorings.

Work accidents in North America engender costs to the employer which are substantial and rising. Paradoxically, firms seem unable or unwilling to control such wastage. Motivation to engage in prevention activities can be viewed as either voluntary, incentive or coercive, with the first as a preferred source. An extensive cost classification is provided: prevention, accident and OHS costs; fixed and variable insurance costs; direct and indirect costs. The authors hypothesize an informational deficiency by which the typical employer underestimates his accident costs and therefore the potential profitability of prevention outlays. The hidden or indirect costs, which are uncaptured by the accounting system or not attributed to accidents, are grouped under six headings: wage costs, material damage, administrator's time, production losses, other costs and intangible costs. A new, graphical model is developed showing that the identification of indirect costs will motivate cost-minimizing employers to increase investment in accident prevention. Older empirical research (Heinrich, Simonds) finds substantial indirect costs while very recent studies are divided on the level of such costs and therefore on their ability to motivate firms into greater prevention expenditures. The present authors discovered over $1100.00 (Cdn.) per time-loss accident in Quebec in 1988 and in excess of $2900.00 (Cdn.) in the Canadian Road Transport Industry in 1989.

Co-operative tests were conducted by a working group of the “foot protection” ISO standardizing committee, with the participation of seven countries, using a total of 10 different testing methods for determining shoe anti-slip characteristics.

The friction coefficients, cof, thereby obtained were processed and condensed for statistical evaluation. Ten testing methods were compared, grouped into six testing machine variants, two sole-section methods and two test-person methods.

There are significant inter-relationships between the results of the various testing machines. This is especially true for the steel/glycerine floor/lubricant combination, for which a significant inter-relationship was shown between all testing machines.

No general relationship can be determined between the both sole-section methods on the one hand, and the testing machines on the other.

There are strong indications of a relationship between the test-person methods and the testing machines.

Freivalds, A. and Johnson, A.B., 1990. Time-series analysis of industrial accident data. Journal of Occupational Accidents, 13: 179–193.

Considering the cyclical nature of accident and injury data, it is reasonable to consider the use of time-series analysis for modeling these data. One approach involved fitting a Box-Jenkins, auto-regressive, moving-average model to the data and using the model to forecast future values. A second approach utilized sine or cosine models to fit the cyclical pattern. A comparison of the two models, for a set of injury data in a glass manufacturing facility, indicated a clear superiority of the Box-Jenkins approach; not only for fitting a seasonal cycle, but also for accommodating monthly trends.