Topic area 1: Introduction to health and safety in industry

Estimated Duration: 1 Hour

Objectives:

• To define the basis terminology of the subject area;
• To outline the reasons for a safe and healthy workplace;
• To show the accident trends in UK industry and the UK quarrying industry.

Lecture Plan

1. Basic definitions –

• Accident – undesired circumstances which give rise to ill-health or injury, damage to property, plant, products or the environment; production losses or increased liabilities.
• Incident – undesired circumstances and ‘near misses’ which could cause accidents.
• Ill health – Acute and chronic ill health caused by physical, chemical or biological agents as well as adverse effects on mental health.
• Hazard – The potential to cause harm. Harm including ill-health and injury, damage to property, plant, products or the environment, production losses or increased liabilities.
• Risk – the likelihood that a specified undesired event will occur due to the realisation of a hazard by, or during work activities or by the products and services created by work.
• Safety – the ‘control of accidental loss’.

2 Reasons for preventing accidents/incidents:

• Moral – No-one comes to work to get injured;
• Cost – Hidden costs and the ‘iceberg’ concept.
• Legal. – duties under the Health & Safety at Work Act, 1974 and associated Regulations

3 Accident statistics and trends

• UK Industry as a whole;
• UK Industry by type of accident;
• UK Quarrying Industry as a whole;
• UK Quarrying Industry by type of accident.

Suggested Reading & Other Resources

• Bird FE and Germain GL – Practical Loss Control Leadership, Institute Press, Loganville, Georgia, 1985
• HSE – The Costs of Accidents at Work, HS(G) 96, HSE Books, 1997
• Davies MV and Teasdale P – The Costs to the British Economy of Work Accidents and Work Related Ill Health, HSE Books, 1994.
• HSC – Health and Safety at Quarries – The Quarry Regulations 1999 Approved Code of Practice, HSE Books, 1999.

Course documents

• Lecture notes
• overheads
• powerpoint overheads

List of lecture courses

• Quarrying Related Degree Courses - Introduction
• General introduction to health and safety in industry
• Accident Prevention
• Accident Aetiology
• Health and Safety Management
• Risk Assessment and Risk Management
• Health Assessment & Surveillance
• Accident and Incident Investigation
• Managing the health and safety contractors
• The quarry health and safety document