2.5 Factors that assure a zero accident goal in construction organisations
2.5.1 Brief History of the “Zero Accident” Concept
If we go back in time, the concept of “every accident is avoidable” started in the early 1800’s and was introduced by the DuPont group of companies, due to the high rate of workplace accidents (Eichendorf, (n.d).
According to Zheng (2008:18), zero plans first appeared in the business world as a management ideology in the 1960’s. In 1962, zero defect management or zero shortcomings was first used by a division of the Martin Marita Company situated in Orlando in the United States of America (USA). In 1963, a zero defect program was carried out by a U.S General Electric Company within the whole company and increased the
…show more content…
This concept deals with hazards and problems of post through full participation and safety prediction to assure that workplace H&S are satisfied, in order to create a bright safety climate Zheng (2008:18). According to Farooqui (2011:33) the “Zero Injury” philosophy is based on the belief that all worker injuries for significant periods of time can be successfully prevented. The term “Vision Zero” according to Azim et al. (n. d.:1) is an image, that can be seen as mind-set shift, interpreted on the belief that it is ethically unacceptable for a person to be seriously injured or killed …show more content…
(2014:726) Heinrich made an important conclusion in 1931 “the direct causes of an accident are unsafe behaviour of people and the unsafe condition of objects, where the unsafe behaviour of people is the main cause”. They continued in saying that 50 years of the 20th century the U.S figured out that 2% casualties were caused by natural disasters and 98% within the capacity of people. This statement is confirmed by several parties as depicted in Table 2.6.
Table 2.6: Statistical results of accident causation Source: Fu et al. (2014:726)
2.6 How to achieve “zero accidents”
Identifying the reliability of the “zero accident”, measures must be taken to achieve this objective. According to Jenkins (2006:6); Mwanaumo (2013:50); Farooqui (2011:35) the U.S Construction Industry Institute (CII) commissioned a zero accident study and identified nine best techniques/types of activities that construction industry stakeholders and contractors can adopt if they are to promote H&S. These practices are as follow:
1. Demonstrated management commitment;
2. Staffing for Safety;
3. Safety planning – Pre-project and pre-task;
4. Safety training and education;
5. Worker involvement and participation;
6. Recognition and
Easterbrook explains why the program of road fatalities is being ignored by society (1). According to Gregg Easterbrook’s article, “Road Kill”, he writes that “the first fundamental difference between harm because of accidents and harm because of deliberate action; the second, society’s strange assumption that traffic fatalities cannot be avoided” (1). He writes that, because, unlike terrorism, car crashes were planned to cause harm. Easterbrook writes that
Just earlier this very year, there was a horrible fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory where 146 workers perished. Some died from the fire and others from jumping from the windows in order to escape it. Triangle Shirtwaist has brought the plight of these poor workers to the forefront as the public takes notice of the lack of safety measures in place at not just this factory, but many similar workplaces, and demands that something be done to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again. I believe one of the first steps to creating a safer workplace is having government regulations in place that prevent the mistreatment of workers and ensure that employees can escape in case of emergency. The regulations themselves should not be just broad, but address the many issues that workers face in order to give the workers the safest and healthiest working environment possible.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was an influential event in American history that caused workers and business owners all of the country to revisit their work-related regulations. Many dangers that occurred as a result of the factory owners’ actions caused the tragedy to be more harmful than necessary. Other preventable mistakes made by the firemen and their equipment added to the tragic nature of this event. America has learned that factories and businesses need safer rules and work environments to protect their employees. Because of this tragic event in the nation’s history, the government passed an abundance of laws to support the safety of workers and their work conditions.
The Industrial Revolution was a drastic time for anyone who was living during it. It was a hard time for those who had to live during it, or work through it. The Industrial Revolution was from the eighteenth to nineteenth century, and it started in England. The horrific living conditions were unbearable, and inhuman. Then, there was substandard working conditions, the rates of workers dying were unfortunately high.
While campus murders, non-negligent and negligent manslaughter, remain one of the rarest forms of criminal actions there is a variance between public and private institutions in this country involving the number of incidents reported on campus. Murder and non-negligent manslaughter is stated as being; “Any death caused by injuries received in a fight, argument, quarrel, assault or commission of a crime.” (Peterson’s, 2015, pg. 1) and the focus of this white paper includes bringing in non-negligent instances of manslaughter. The loss of life is serious no matter the circumstances; however, this instance of crime is relatively rare compared to all other forms of crime. Still it is important for universities to take measures including the use of background checks and security planning in association with local emergency resources can help mitigate such events from occurring.
There are many ways to prevent workplace head injuries. The employee must know their rights of the workplace. The worker must work on safe machines and wear safe personal protective equipment. The worker must also report all workplace injuries without being scared of retaliation. (Osha) OSHA is Occupational Safety and Health Administration and they create safe and healthful working conditions for men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance.
In “Magnificent Desolation,” author Elisa Gabbert seeks to explain how “spectacular mechanical feats beget spectacular mechanical failures,” and how we view them. Gabbert wrote this essay in the context of how we view life, but more specifically how we view and react to disasters. Gabbert wants to reach an audience of college educated readers and professionals who can examine in depth her ideas. Her purpose in writing this is to inform and entertain the reader with ideas about of how human nature interacts with disasters.
Child labor was a huge issue in the late 1800’s to the 1900’s. Children often worked through unfair, unhealthy, and unsafe. Children often worked hard for little pay. The children often contracted diseases and lost arms, hands and fingers in accidents and even died sometimes. Young workers had dangerous jobs like working in the coal mines.
Barton attended two years at SW Texas Jr. College in Uvalde and three years at Cisco Jr. College. He has a two-year associate’s degree. He doesn’t have any licenses or certifications in construction. From 1979-2008, he had his own company that built houses and some commercial projects. Tim Barton Construction started out as a sole proprietorship; he later formed Tim Barton Construction, LLC.
Furthermore, in order to grow fiscally, it was best for corporations to avoid paying for or adhering to safety precautions. For example, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of New York City in March 25, 1911, was a fire in which one hundred forty-six people died. The massive death count came from the lack of security precautions. For the company to keep a maximum amount of efficiency, workers wouldn’t be allowed breaks. To enforce this no-breaks rules, most doors in the building were locked, which trapped and killed most workers during the fire.
Historical data about on the job injuries will assist managers the training new employees how to avoid those risky behaviors while working. Historical data related to the incidents that lead up to an employee being injured on the job will establish the foundation for safety training for existing employees. Effective risk management policies regarding employee safety usually come from past incidents that the company would not to prevent in the future. The culture of Target should be a risk management culture based on prevention and identification of potential new risks by staff. Target is a customer centered organization that focuses less on price and more on the overall customer experience.
It contains six elements, to include management leadership and employee participation, workplace analysis, accident and record analysis, hazard prevention and control, emergency response, and safety and health training (Program, 1996). After evaluating each of these factors, a work center is given a score to reflect which areas are compliant, and which areas are non-compliant and require action to ensure proper health and safety (Program, 1996). By using this tool, Truss Construction Shop displays that efforts are in place to improve safe working conditions, in turn removing the company from the negative media
This paper will explore safety culture as management human error(internal) and legislation (external) that influence organisations or businesses way of doing things. It will explain the positive and negative effect of safety culture. In addition to a generally view on how safety culture can also play a role or influences regarding safety
TASK 1.1 Importance of operation management Operations management (OM) is the business function responsible for managing the process of creation of goods and services. It involves planning, organizing, coordinating, and controlling all the resources needed to produce a company’s goods and services. Because operations management is a management function, it involves managing people, equipment, technology, information, and all the other resources needed in the production of goods and services. Operations management is the central core function of every company. This is true regardless of the size of the company, the industry it is in, whether it is manufacturing or service, or is for-profit or not-for-profit.