Safety Meeting Toolbox Topics and Tailgate Talks
Whenever an accident occurs, someone always asks, “How did it happen?” Accidents do not “just happen”—they are caused. These events can almost always be traced to an unsafe act, an unsafe condition, or a combination of both. If we are going to eliminate accidents we must have some idea of what causes unsafe acts and conditions.
Consider this statistic: 80 out of every 100 accidents are the fault of the person involved in the incident. Unsafe Acts cause four times as many accidents & injuries as unsafe conditions. Accidents occur for many reasons. Management can be linked to many incidents, through improper new-hire orientation, task training, or equipment training. Supervisor accountability of in place safety processes can also be linked to incidents.
Years ago a gentleman by the name of Bird completed a major study of in accident and injures. This study reviewed over 1.7 million reported accidents. These accidents were reported in 300 companies representing 21 different industries. Collectively, these companies reported over 3 billion employee-hours worked during the period of the study. The studies conclusion was that events occur in certain ratios.