7 OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES

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 7 OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES

7.1 The notion of occupational injuries and

diseases
7.2 Causes of industrial injuries
7.3 Occupational injuries analysis

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Injuries (trauma) is damage to anatomic

integrity of the human body or its functions
caused by harmful industrial factors.

Occupational Diseases is a pathological

condition caused by long-term work in harmful
working conditions which is connected with the
body overstrain or unfavourable impact of
industrial factors
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Depending on impact character, the following

types of injuries are distinguished:

mechanical (bruises, fractures);

thermal (scalds, fire-burns, chilblains);
chemical (poisoning, chemical burns);
electrical (electrical burns, electrical marks,
electric ophthalmia, etc.);
mental (shock, fright). 4
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Depending on the gravity of consequences, the working

capacity loss falls into:

 temporary - the person renewed the working capacity after

injury and resumed work;
 permanent- temporary - the person renewed the working
capacity after injury and resumed work but the
consequences of the injury remained (for instance, finger
loss or lameness);
 permanent - permanent loss of working capacity (first-
degree disability).

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The employer organizes the investigation of an

accident at the enterprises.
In case of an accident, the employer must right away
create a commission to investigate the accident.
Commission to investigate the accident is created in
the squad of at least three people.
Commission to investigate the accident within five
days must write the act of investigating an accident
on the Form H-1, where the accident is recognized as
being associated with production (industrial) or not.

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Special accident investigation carried out in the case of:
1) fatal accidents;
2) group accidents;
3) cases of employees died in the course of their work (job) duties;
4) acute occupational diseases (poisoning) that have caused serious or fatal
consequences;
5) accidents, the occurrence of which is established in court, and the enterprise
(institution, organization) at which they occurred, liquidated without a
successor;
6) accidents that have caused grave consequences, including the possible
disability of the victim;
7) cases of disappearance of an employee while performing his / her duties
(duties);
8) accidents with persons working under the terms of a civil contract, on other
grounds provided by law, individuals - entrepreneurs, persons pursuing the
independent professional activity, members of the farm;
9) accidents that have occurred with persons actually admitted to work
without the conclusion of an employment contract (contract).
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7.2 Causes of industrial injuries

1. TECHNICAL CAUSES
2. ORGANIZATIONAL CAUSES
3. THE PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CAUSES

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1. TECHNICAL CAUSES
1) Faulty technological processes and equipment.
2) Failure of equipment and communication facilities.
3) Constructive shortcomings or faulty tools and devices
(repair, service).
4) Lack of protective fencing, railing, etc. and preventive
equipment.
5) Improper spacing between pieces of equipment,
devices, etc.
6) The poor state of the working environment
(exceeding maximum permissible concentrations (levels)
of dangerous and harmful factors). 9
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2. ORGANIZATIONAL CAUSES

1) Malfunctioning or lack of OSH management systems (OSH

management system);
2) Deficiencies during training in safe methods of work,
including:
– lack of or poor training;
– access to work without training and testing on OSH;
3) Inadequate regulations on labour protection or lack thereof;
4) Lack of job descriptions that define the functional
responsibilities of the safety;
5) Violation regime of work and leisure;
6) Lack of or poor medical examination (physical preparation);
7) Non-use of PPE (Personal protective equipment); 10
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8)Work with defective alarm systems, ventilation, lighting,
etc.
9) The job of workers is not a speciality (profession);
10) Violation of the technological process;
11) Violation of safety during operation of equipment,
vehicles, machinery;
12) Traffic violations;
13) Non-use of individual and collective protection (if any);
14) Violation of labour and production discipline, including
- failure to fulfil duties;
- non-compliance with safety instructions.

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3) THE PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CAUSES
1) Alcohol, drugs, toxicological poisoning
2) Low neuro-psychological stability
3) The Poor physique or health
4) The poor psychological climate in the team
5) Injury as a result of illegal actions of others
6) Personal negligence of the victim

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7.3 Occupational injuries analysis
 
For the analysis of occupational injuries and
occupational diseases are used the following methods:
1) Statistical
3) Technical
4) Monographic
5) Operational
6) Economic
7) topographical
8) The method of expert estimations
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The most common injury analysis methods that

complement each other are: statistical and
monographic. Today more and more important
are economic and ergonomic methods.

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The statistical method

A statistical method based on analysis of
statistical data accumulated over several years in
the enterprise or in the industry, enables to
quantify the level of injuries by using the
following indicators:
the coefficient of frequency of injuries (Cf),
the coefficient of difficulty of injury (Cd),
the coefficient of production costs (Cpc) .
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This method consists of three steps:
1. The collection of material
2. Its processing
3. Analysis
 
Materials are grouped by certain features:
- the sex
- the age
- the profession
- experience
and recorded in the statistics table.
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The coefficient of frequency of injuries - shows the

number of accidents in enterprises in a given period
(quarter, semester, year), per 1,000 of the
personnel, and is calculated as follows [1]:
  Т
С  1000 ,
f (1.1)
N

where T - the number of recorded accidents at work

in the period of disability for one or more days;
N - number of employees during the
reporting period.
 
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The coefficient of frequency of injuries does not

describe the level of difficulty of injury, and
therefore is applied the coefficient of difficulty of
injury, that characterizes the average disability in
days per victim during the reporting period:
  D
Сd  , (1.2)
Т
where D - the total number of working days lost
during the reporting period as a result of
accidents.
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If in the enterprise there have been accidents

with fatalities, the formula for the calculation is
as follows:
 D
Сd  , (1.3)
Т F
where F - number of cases with a fatal outcome.

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Integrated assessment of occupational injuries is

carried by formula (the coefficient of production
costs):
 
 
C  С С .
pc f d

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The indicator of the frequency of diseases is
defined as the number of cases per 100 workers
N illness 100
  C fillness  ,
N
where N - the number of diseases for the
period.
Defined similarly difficulty of disease
Dillness
C dillness  ,
N illness
where D - the total number of days of disability.

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The minus of the statistical method is that its implementation
is possible only after the accumulation of a large amount of
information about the occupational injuries and occupational
diseases, but does not prevent them.
 
Statistical analysis allows to establish the dependence of injury
on many factors:
1. Age. The highest value of Cf for young workers, although
they have good health, good response, but they are often at risk
and lack of experience. The minimum value of Cf observed at
the age of 33 years and thereafter slightly increased.
2. Time. Most injuries observed between 3 and 5 o'clock in the
morning - it's hard to focus. After a weekend rate of injury
increases slightly
3. Gender. The frequency of injuries in women less than men. 22
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Topographical method
This method is based on the fact that on the
map of enterprise (the company) should be
marked the place where the accident occurred.
This allows you to clearly see the places with
high risk, requiring careful examinations and
preventive measures.

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Monographic method
It consists of a detailed study of production equipment, production
environment to identify hazardous and harmful factors that can lead to
accidents. In this case, the team conducted medical research, analyze the
technical state of equipment, analysis of industrial hygiene.
The probability of accidents is determined by mathematical statistics,
where the danger is rated by category:
1) probable;
2) possible;
3) unlikely.

This method can detect not only the causes of accidents but also, more
importantly, helps identify potential dangers and hazards that can affect
on the people.
This method can also be used to develop measures of labour for the
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production, which is only projected.
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Economic methods
The economic method is to determine the economic damage
caused by accidents and aims to clarify the economic efficiency
costs of development and implementation of labour protection.
Material costs are determined by the formula:
 
M=P+E+S

where P - the cost of production due to accidents;

E - economic costs (for the development and
implementation of measures to prevent accidents, accidents
occupational diseases);
S - the social costs (for the victims) in accordance with
the collective agreement. 25
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Technical method
Is to define a technical reliability of machines and
mechanisms, which are closely related to accidents
and injuries.

 
The method of expert estimations
Sets the major causes of injury based on estimates
offered by experts. To use this method is previously
developed a list of possible causes (factors) injuries.
Experts give their assessment for each factor taking
into account its importance. 26