Domino Theory of Accident Causation: Construction Material Supplier

Construction Product Company (CPC) is a distributor of lumber, pipe, and concrete products. Its customers are typically small building contractors. CPCs facility consists of an office in which orders are placed and several large warehouses. Contractors place their orders in the office. They then drive their trucks through the appropriate warehouses to be loaded by CPC personnel. Because the contractors are small operations, most of their orders are also relatively small and can be loaded by hands. Warehouse personnel go to the appropriate bins, pull out the material needed to fill their orders, and load the materials on customers trucks. Even though most orders are small enough to be loaded by hands, many of the materials purchased are bulky and cumbersome to handle. Because of this, CPCs loaders are required to wear such personal protection gear as hard hats, padded gloves, steel-toed boots, and lower-back-support belts. For years CPCs management team had noticed an increase in minor injuries to warehouse personnel during the summer months. Typically, these injuries consisted of nothing worse than minor cuts, scrapes, and bruises. However, this past summer had been different. Two warehouse workers had sustained serious back injuries. These injuries have been costly to CPC both financially and in terms of employee morale. An investigation of these accidents quickly identified a series of events and a central causal behavior that set up a domino effect. The investigation revealed that CPCs warehouses became so hot during the summer months. Discussions: 1. What are causes of the accident? 2. What is your suggestion to avoid similar accident in the future?

Human Factors Theory of Accident Causation: ABC Steel Contractor

Asian Builder Company (ABC) is a factory contractor. After ten years of steady, respectable growth in Hong Kong market, ABC saw its sales triple in less than six months. This rapid growth was the result of ABC successful entry to China market. The growth in volume, although welcomed by both management and employees, quickly overloaded and, before long, overwhelmed the companys production facility. ABC responded by adding more workers and engineers, and approving unlimited overtime for highly skilled workers and engineers. Shortly after the upturn in production, ABC began to experience a disturbing increase in accidents and injuries. Accident investigations were carried out by ABCs safety manager. He identified several reasons causing accidents. The project management was in rush to complete the project within the time frame to avoid penalty, and this means that workers were pushed to produce beyond their personal limits and their capabilities. Stress, insufficient training of new employees, and fatigue all contributed to the overload. In some accidents, the safety manager found that safeguards were removed from rebar cutter and table saw. Based on interviews, workers removed the safeguards because they have to finish the job as soon as possible. In other cases of accident, he found that due to the growth of china construction market, most of the new workers are unskilled; they are farmers who consider that the wage in construction industry is higher than in agriculture sector. He found out that some accidents happen to the new workers. Discussion 1. What are the causes of accident? 2. Classify the accident causation using the human factors theory 3. What recommendations can be proposed to avoid similar accidents?

Accident/Incident Theory: Building Contractor

Gameon is a building contractor. In past five years, a lot of accidents happen due to fall related to height. Due to government concerns to enforce safety and health regulation, Gameon recruited a professional safety engineer, Tom Harmonn who is an accredited safety engineer and an active member of the safety organization. Tom did a study to solve this problem. He conducted a lot of trainings to educate workers to identify hazards, remove hazards and use PPE. He also has developed a good safe working on roofs and at heights procedure. He trained supervisors on how to use the procedure. In addition, he developed an inspection procedure and form to ensure that safety plan is implemented. Last year, the company proudly informed that accident related to fall has been reduced significantly from 20 injuries/200,000 man-hours/year to 1.5. Due to this success, Tom was awarded as the Safety Man of the year by the association, and elected as the chairman of the association. As a chairman, Tom has a lot of assignments, he has to seriously maintain the members and activities of the association. He has done a lot of contribution such as developing handbooks and guidelines related to Occupational Safety and Health. Of course, this took a lot of his time, and he had to use much of his working time to deal with association matters. Eight months after he was elected as the chairman, a serious problem happened on one of Gameons construction sites. Five workers died on the site! They fell from 10 th floor. After investigation, the investigator reported that they was assigned to install a roof steel trust without adequate protection. Tom felt guilty about this case because he thought that he had fixed the problem by creating excellent safe work procedure and training, and he was confident that accidents related to fall will never happen to this company again. Discussion: 1. What was the main causation? 2. What is your recommendation?

Epidemiological Theory Case Study

Janet Andrews was the newest member of the production unit for Precast Concrete Manufacturer (PCM) which produces interlocking bricks for rapid house construction. She and the other members of her unit were responsible for producing 10,000 bricks every morning for different projects. It was physically demanding work, and she was the first woman ever selected by PCM to work in the production unit. She had gotten the job as part of the companys upward mobility program. Since she is the only female worker in this unit, she is trying her best to show that female can also work in this physically demanding unit so that in the future more female workers can be assigned to this unit. Before beginning work in the production unit, according to the safety orientation program, new workers must complete two days of training on proper lifting techniques, which includes back injury, crane, forklift, etc. The use of back-support belts is mandatory for all loading dock personnel. Consequently, Andrews became concerned when the production manager called her aside on her first day in the unit and told her that the key success of this unit is productivity speed. Andrews was surprised to see the existing workers in this unit work without following safety procedures just to keep up the productivity target. The manager warned Andrews that her productivity rate was much slower than the others. Feeling pressure, Andrews copied the way they work, fast but unsafely. As a result, the group was happy and accepted Andrews as part of their team. However, after four months of working in this unit, she began to experience persistent lower-back pain. Andrews felt sure that her hurried lifting techniques were to blame, but she valued the approval of her manager and other members in the production department. Finally, one day while transporting the bricks, Andrews fell to the pavement in pain and could not get up. Her back throbbed with intense pain, and her legs were numb. The company doctor said that she had two ruptured discs. Discussions 1. What are the factors causing this injury? 2. What can be done to prevent similar injury?

Systems Theory Case Study

Precision Tooling Company (PC) specializes in difficult orders that are produced in small lots, and in making corrections to parts that otherwise would wind up as expensive rejects in the scrap bin. In short, PTC specializes in doing the types of work that other companies cannot, or will not, do. Most of PTCs work comes in the form of subcontracts from larger manufacturing companies. Consequently, living up to its reputation as a high-performance, on-time company is important to PTC. Because much of its work consists of small batches of parts to be reworked, PTC still uses several manually operated machines. The least experienced machinists operate these machines. This causes two problems. The first problem is that it is difficult for even a master machinist to hold to modern tolerance levels on these old machines. Consequently, apprentice machinists find holding to precise tolerances quite a challenge. The second problem is that the machines are so old that they frequently break down. Complaints from apprentice machinists about the old machines are frequent. However, their supervisors consider time on the old ulcer makers to be one of the rites of passage that upstart machinists must endure. Their attitude is, we had to do it, so why shouldnt you? This was where things stood at PTC when the company won the Johnson contract. PTC had been trying for years to become a preferred supplier for H. R. Johnson company. PTCs big chance finally came when Johnsons manufacturing division incorrectly produced 10,000 copies of a critical part before noticing the problem. Simply scrapping the part and starting over was an expensive solution. Johnsons vice-president for manufacturing decided to give PTC a chance. PTCs management team was ecstatic! Finally, they had an opportunity to partner with H. R. Johnson company. If PTC could perform well on this one, even more lucrative contracts were sure to follow. The top managers called a company-wide meeting of all employees. Attendance was mandatory. The CEO explained the situation as follows:
Ladies and gentlemen, we are faced with a great opportunity. Ive just signed a contract with H. R. Johnson Company to rework 10,000 parts that their manufacturing folks produced improperly. The rework tasks are not that complicated, but every part has go to go through several manual operations at the front end of the rework process. This means our manual machining unit is going to have to supply the heroes on this job. Ive promised the manufacturing VP at Johnson that we would have his parts ready in 90 days. I know thats a lot to do in so short a period of time, but Johnson is in a real bind here. If we can produce on this one, they wont forget us in the future.

This put PTCs apprentice machinists on the spot. If PTC didnt perform on this contract, it would be their fault. They cursed their old machines and got to work. The CEO had said the rework tasks would not be that complicated, but, as it turned out, the processes werent that simple either. The problem was tolerances. Holding to the tolerances specified in the Johnson contract took extra time and a special effort on every single part. Before long, the manual machining unit was behind schedule, and management was getting

nervous. The situation was made even worse by the continual breakdowns and equipment failures experienced. The harder the unit supervisor pushed, the more stressed the employees and machines became. Predictably, it wasnt long before safety procedures were forgotten, and unreasonable risks were being taken. The pressure from management, the inexperience of the apprentice machinists, and the constant equipment failures finally took their toll. In a hurry to get back on schedule, and fearing that his machine would break down again, one machinist got careless and ran his hand into the cutter on his milling machine. By the time the machine had been shut down, his hand was badly mutilated. In the aftershock of this accident, PTC was unable to meet the agreed-upon completion schedule. Unfortunately, PTC did not make the kind of impression on H. R. Johnsons management team that it had hoped. Discussions: 1. What are the factors causing the accident? 2. If you were in the management, what could have been done to secure the contract and avoid accidents? 3. Can you recommend any management action to improve the situation for future contract? Modified from: Goetsch, D. L. (2002), Occupational Safety and Health for Technologists, Engineers and Managers, New Jersey, Prentice Hall.