Health & Safety Management Lecturing Resource
for
Quarrying Related Degree Courses
LECTURE NOTES - TOPIC 2:
ACCIDENT PREVENTION
Objectives of this Topic

To outline the difference between reactive and pro-active means of
accident prevention;

To provide a general overview of the different types of accident
prevention measures common in industry today;

To define the hierarchy of risk control.
1.0
Introduction
Accident prevention requires the creation and maintenance of a safe working environment,
and the promotion of safe behaviour.
Accident prevention began as a reactive process. This was based largely on waiting for
accidents or ill health to happen and then devising and implementing some form of control to
prevent these types of accident or ill health from reoccurring in the future. As a result, such
controls that are found in industry have been very much reactive in their creation. A
simplified view of this traditional approach is given in the figure below1:
Accident
Investigate accident – process and outcome
steered by the pre-conceptions of the
investigators about accident causation.
Attribute primary cause to
shortcomings in the behaviour of the
injured person (unsafe acts)
Attribute primary cause to
shortcomings in the physical working
environment (unsafe conditions)
Devise a RULE forbidding the
behaviour identified to prevent a reoccurrence of the unsafe act.
Devise a TECHNICAL solution (e.g.
guards, PPE) to make the conditions
safe to protect people from the
hazard.
Typical examples of unsafe acts and conditions in quarrying operations are:
Unsafe Acts








1
Unsafe Conditions







Operating equipment at improper speeds
Operating equipment with authority
Using equipment improperly
Using defective equipment
Failure to wear PPE
Taking and improper working position
Servicing equipment in motion
Defeating safety devices
Inadquate guards
Defective tools or equipment
Congestion of working area
Poor housekeeping
Excessive noise
Poor illumination
Poor ventilation
ASCNI Human Factors Study Group (1993): 3rd Report- Organising for Safety, HSE Books.
2
In general it was noticed that employers followed the unsafe acts pathway on the diagram,
whilst safety inspectors tended to promote technical improvements and regulations.
Similarly in the past health and safety legislation, was generally devised and implemented
following a major accident or incident. As a result such legislation tended to be very
prescriptive, stating the absolute standards that need to be adhered to.
ACSNI (1993) states that one of the principal problems with such an approach to safety was
that rules and safeguards devised in the aftermath of such accidents tended to be overzealous, and conflict with the needs of both employers and employees to get the job done.
Moreover, the measures taken to prevent one specific accident may conflict with the
measures adopted to prevent a different accident as a result rule books (and indeed
legislation) drawn up in this way are likely to become in time both incomprehensible and
contradictory.
In 1974 in the UK, the Robens Committee produced a report that formed the basis of the
Health and Safety at Work Act. This Act set in place a system of self regulation with the
responsibility for risk control on those who create the risk in the first instance. The principal
idea of the new law was to promote proactive accident prevention, and that employers, in
consultation with their workforce, should identify hazards, assess risks and implement the
necessary preventative measures, before accidents and ill-health arise. This was reinforced
in 1992 with the introduction of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations
which requires all employers to undertake such a process, commonly known as a risk
assessment (This subject is covered in detail later in this course). Proactive accident
prevention can be defined as identifying potential accidents and taking measures to prevent
them from occurring in the first instance.
3
2.0
Control Measures
In industry today, including the quarrying industry, safety is controlled through a combination
of engineered measures such as the provision of safety protection i.e. guarding and warning
systems, and operational measures in training, safe work practices, operating procedures
and method statements, along with management supervision.
These measures (collectively) are commonly known in health and safety terms as control
measures. Some of these more common measures will be explained in more detail below.
‘Engineered’ Control Measures
The most common types of ‘engineering’ control measure are guards and safety devices on
machinery. A guard implies a physical barrier whereas a safety device is defined as any
other ‘non physical’ measures for providing the desired level of protection, such as
interlocks, pressure sensitive trips etc. In all new machines, guards should be designed in
as an inherent part of the machine, while in existing machines guards should be designed so
as to provide the necessary protection while allowing the machine to be operated with the
minimum of disruption.
Operating procedures/Safe System of Work
Operating procedures are probably the most common form of control measure used in
industry today and may be the most economical and in some cases, the only practical way of
managing a particular risk. They should allow for methodical execution of tasks. The
development of safe operating procedures should address the hazards that have been
identified in the risk assessment. Under Section 10 of the Quarry Regulations, 1999, it is the
duty of the quarry operator to ensure that rules and procedures are in place for reasons of
health and safety.
A safe system of work is a method of doing a job which eliminates identified hazards,
controls others and plans to achieve the controlled completion of the work with minimum
risk. It may include a range of precautions from simple ‘lock off’ procedures and protective
equipment through to a full written permit to work system.
Safe systems of work are fundamental to accident prevention and should fully document the
hazards, precautions and safe working methods. Bamber2, (1999) provides a basic
2
in Ridley J, Channing J (ed) (1999) Safety At Work, 5th Edition, Butterworth Heinemann.
4
framework for developing and maintaining safe systems of work. This is shown in the Table
below.
1. Safe design;
2. Safe installation;
3. Safe premises and plant;
4. Safe tools and equipment
5. Correct use of plant, tools and equipment
6. Effective planned maintenance of plant and equipment (via training and supervision);
7. Proper working environment ensuring adequate lighting, heating and ventilation;
8. Trained and competent employees;
9. Adequate and competent supervision;
10. Enforcement of safety policy and rules;
11. Additional protection for vulnerable employees;
12. Formalised issue and proper utilisation of all necessary protective clothing;
13. Continued emphasis on adherence to the agreed safe method of work
14. Regular (annual) reviews of all systems of work to ensure:-compliance with current legislation;
-systems are still workable in practice;
-plant modifications are accounted for;
-substituted materials are allowed for;
-new work methods are incorporated into the system;
-advances in technology are exploited
-proper precautions in light of any accidents are taken;
-continued involvement in and awareness of the importance of written safe
systems of work
14. Regular feedback to all concerned.
Maintenance
As a control measure, maintenance is concerned with the reliability of machines or
equipment. Maintenance is essential to protect people and the operation and is an essential
element of operational activities (HSE, 19923). Any machine, equipment or plant developed
for long term use will require maintenance, either preventative or corrective, in order to keep
it in a safe and reliable condition.
Permits to Work
A Permit to Work system is a formal ‘safe system of work’ to ensure that the system of work
is properly planned and implemented for jobs which are potentially highly dangerous (such
as maintenance, working with electricity, working in confined spaces etc). They should not
3
HSE (1992), Dangerous Maintenance: A Study of Maintenance accidents and how to prevent them,
HMSO.
5
generally be used for low risk operations. Permit to Work Systems are required by
Regulation 18 of the Quarry Regulations, 1999.
Before any work starts, instructions in writing have to be issued detailing the work, hazards
and precautions to be taken. A competent person must sign the permit before and after the
work is undertaken.
The essential elements of a permit to work scheme are:
Full explanation of the hazards involved to the workforce;

The work to be carried out is properly detailed and understood by both sides;

the area in which the work to be carried out is properly detailed and understood by both
sides;

The area is which the work is to be carried out is clearly identified and made safe, or the
hazards are highlighted;

The workmen must sign the permit to say that they fully understand the work that is to be
carried out, and the hazards and potential risks to be faced.

When the work is finished, the workmen must sign off the permit to say that they have
completed the specified work and left the operation in a suitable state.
Training
Training helps people acquire the skills, knowledge and attitudes to make them competent in
the health and safety aspects of their work. There are generally two types of safety training:
Specific safety training (or on the job training) which aims at tasks where training is
needed due to the specific nature of such tasks. This is usually a job for supervisors,
who by virtue of their authority and close daily contact, are in a position to convert safety
generalities to the everyday safe practice procedures that apply to individual tasks,
machines, tools and processes.

Planned training, such as general safety training, induction training, management
training, skill training or refresher courses, that are planned by the organisation, and
relate to managing risk through policy, legislative or organisational requirements, that are
common to all employees.
6
Before any employee can work safely they must be shown safe procedures for completing
their tasks. The purpose of safety training should be to improve the safety awareness of
employees, and show them how to perform their jobs employing acceptable safe behaviour.
Personnel Protective Equipment
Personnel protective equipment (PPE) may be broadly divided as follows:

Hearing protection

Respiratory protection

Eye and face protection

Protective clothing
PPE is different from other control measures it that it does nothing to stop the hazard at
sources, but simply provides protection to reduce the severity of the potential accident. It is
only an effective control if worn and so any organisation which provides for the issue of PPE,
such as the quarrying industry, should:

carry adequate stock;

be accessible at appropriate times;

can respond to changing demands;

have a system for exchanging equipment

be managed to ensure its effective running.
This last factor is most important and should consist of the following:

training/coaching emphasising the hazards and risks

management and supervisors leading by example

careful and consistent monitoring and advice for those seen not wearing protection.
The following table gives details of PPE and the essential requirements and considerations
necessary to effectively manage a PPE system.
PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS (1)
WHERE
Eye
Head
7
Foot/Toe
NEEDED
Where machines or
Where there is danger
In areas where there is
operations present a
from impact and
a potential for foot or
danger from flung
penetration from falling
toe injuries.
objects, direct or
or flying objects or from
reflected brightness,
limited electric shock.
hazardous liquids, or
injurious radiation.
TYPES
OF Goggles, full face
Safety hats full brim,
Impact and
PRO-
shields, safety glasses,
brimless, limited voltage
compression
TECTION
side-shields, welders’
protection, no voltage
resistance, metatarsal
lenses (should meet
protection, (should meet
protection, puncture
standards).
standards).
resistance, electrical
hazard resistance,
conductive (should
meet standards).
FITTING
Comfortable fit (not
REQUIRE-
interfere with
MENTS
movement).
SUGGESTED
RECORDS
Comfortable, proper fit.
Proper fit.
Date issued, reissued,
Date issued, type
Date issued, amount
type issued, instructions
issued, instructions
reimbursed, instructions
given
given (need to wear,
given (need to wear,
(need to wear, cleaning
maintenance,
maintenance,
needs, maintenance,
disciplinary action).
disciplinary action).
conservation,
disciplinary action,
fitting).
EXAMINA-
Visual acuity, depth
TIONS
perception.
NEEDED
PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS (2)
WHERE
Hand
Hearing
8
Respiratory
NEEDED
Danger of cuts, or from
Noise exposure that
In areas that present a
handling corrosives,
equals or exceeds 85
limited breathable
solvents, or other
dBA in an 8-hour time-
environment or the
chemicals.
weighted period.
possibility of an
oxygen-deficient
environment or air
contamination.
TYPES OF
Cotton/leather gloves;
Full muffs, disposable
Air-purifying respirators,
PROTECTION
gauntlets; heat-resistant
plugs, Swedish wool,
chemical cartridge
gloves; barrier creams;
non-disposable plugs.
respirators, air-supplied
chain mail gloves; haly-
(Should meet
respirators,
gloves; rubber gloves.
standards).
combination
(Should meet standards).
respirators, self
contained breathing
devices. (Should meet
standards).
FITTING
Proper fit.
REQUIRE-
Proper fit, correct type
Significant fitting
for noise exposure.
requirements.
MENTS
SUGGESTED
Date issued, reissued,
Audiometric exam, date
Date issued, reissued,
RECORDS
type issued, instructions
issued, instructions
type issued,
given, (need to wear,
given (need to wear,
instructions given
maintenance,
effects of noise,
(respiratory hazards
conservation, disciplinary
cleaning, conservation,
present; functions; fit
action.)
fitting, disciplinary
testing; proper
action.)
utilisation, cleaning and
maintenance;
conservation,
disciplinary action).
EXAMINA-
Audiometric
TIONS
(baseline and annual).
NEEDED
9
Pulmonary function.
3.0
Hierarchy of Control Measures
The following is a summary of the preferred hierarchy of risk control principals as outlined in
the HSE publication “Successful Health and Safety Management4”.
Eliminate risk by substituting the dangerous for the less dangerous, e.g.

Use less hazardous substances;

Substitute a type of machine which is better guarded to make the same product;

Avoid the use of certain processes
Combat risks at source by engineering controls and giving collective protective measures
priority, e.g:

Separate the operator from the risk of exposure to a known hazardous substance by
enclosing the process;

Protect the dangerous parts of a machine by guarding;

Design process machinery and work activities to minimise the release, or to suppress or
contain airbourne hazards;

Design machinery which is remotely operated and to which materials are fed
automatically, thus separating the operator from danger areas.
Minimise risk by:

Designing suitable systems of working;

Using personal protective clothing and equipment, this should only be used as a last
resort.
The hierarchy reflects that risk elimination and risk control by the use of physical engineering
controls and safeguards can be more reliability maintained than those which rely solely on
people.
4
HSE (1997), Successful Health & Safety Management, HS(g) 65, HSE Books.
10
Where a range of control measures are available, it will be necessary to weigh up the
relative costs of each against the degree of control each provides, both in the short and long
term. Some control measures, such as eliminating a risk by choosing a safer alternative
substance or machine, provide a high degree of control and are reliable. Physical
safeguards such as guarding a machine or enclosing a hazardous process need to be
maintained. In making decisions about risk control, it will therefore be necessary to consider
the degree of control and the reliability of the control measures along with the costs of both
providing and maintaining the measure.
11