Causes of Workplace Accidents

CAUSES OF WORKPLACE ACCIDENTS 1. Definition of Workplace Accidents There are several definitions of Workplace Accidents according to experts. Basically, accidents do not happen by chance, but rather there is a reason. Because there is a cause, the cause of the accident must be investigated and found, so that later with corrective actions aimed at the cause and with further preventive efforts the accident can be prevented and similar accidents do not recur (Suma'mur, 2009). The World Health Organization (WHO) defines an accident as an event that cannot be prepared for in advance so that it results in real injury. A work accident is an unwanted and unexpected event that can cause loss of life and property (Minister of Manpower Regulation (Permenaker) Number: 03/Men/1998). According to (OHSAS 18001, 1999) in Shariff (2007), a work accident is a sudden, unwanted event that results in death, injury, damage to property or loss of time. Meanwhile, based on Law No. 1 of 1970 concerning occupational safety, a work accident is an unexpected and unwanted event that disrupts the process that has been arranged from an activity and can cause losses to both human victims and property. 2. Factors causing work accidents: Theory of Three Main Factors (Three Main Factor Theory) Of the several theories about the factors causing accidents that exist, one of the most frequently used is the theory of three main factors (Three Main Factor Theory). According to this theory, it is stated that there are three factors that cause work accidents. The three factors can be described as: a. Human Factors • Age Age must be considered because it will affect a person's physical, mental, work ability, and responsibility conditions. The age of workers is also regulated by the Labor Law, namely Law dated January 6, 1951 No. 1 Article 1 (Malayu S. P. Hasibuan, 2003:48). Young employees generally have stronger, more dynamic, and more creative physiques, but get bored easily, are less responsible, tend to be absent, and have low turnover (Malayu S. P. Hasibuan, 2003:54). It is common knowledge that some physical capacities, such as vision, hearing, and reaction speed, decline after the age of 30 or more. On the other hand, they are more careful, more trustworthy, and more aware of danger than young workers. The effects of aging on accidents are still being studied. However, there is a tendency that some types of work accidents, such as falls, occur more frequently in workers aged 30 or more than in middle-aged or young workers. 22 Also, the average severity of accidents increases with age (Suma’mur PK., 1989:305). • Gender The types of work between men and women are very different. The social division of labor between men and women causes differences in exposure received by people, so that the diseases experienced are also different. There are more cases of women than men (Juli Soemirat, 2000:57). Anatomically, physiologically, and psychologically, the bodies of women and men are different so that adjustments are needed in workload and policies, including pregnancy and menstruation. These two natural events for women require special policy adjustments. • Length of service Length of service is a period of time or the length of time a worker works in a place. Length of service can affect performance both positively and negatively. It has a positive effect on performance if the longer the length of service, the more experienced the personnel are in carrying out their duties. Conversely, it will have a negative effect if the longer the length of service, habits will arise in the worker. This is usually related to work that is monotonous or repetitive. The length of service is categorized into three, namely: 1. New Service Period: < 6 years, Medium Service Period: 6-10 years, Long Service Period: < 10 years (MA. Tulus, 1992:121). • Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) The use of personal protective equipment is the use of a set of tools used by workers to protect part or all of their bodies from potential hazards or work accidents. PPE cannot perfectly protect the body, but it can reduce the level of severity that may occur. The use of personal protective equipment can prevent work accidents greatly influenced by the knowledge, attitudes and practices of workers in the use of personal protective equipment. • Education Level Education is the process of a person developing abilities, attitudes, and other forms of behavior in the society in which he lives, a social process, namely people who are faced with selected and controlled environmental influences (especially those coming from schools), so that he can obtain or experience the development of optimal social and individual abilities (Achmad Munib, et al., 2004:33). Education is any planned effort to influence others, whether individuals, groups or communities, so that they do what is expected by the educator. The higher a person's level of education, the more they tend to avoid potential dangers that can cause accidents. • Behavior Behavioral variables are among the individual factors that influence accident rates. Attitudes toward working conditions, accidents, and safe work practices can be important because more problems are caused by careless workers than by machines or employee indifference. At one time, workers who were dissatisfied with their jobs were thought to have higher rates of workplace accidents. However, this assumption has been questioned in recent years. Although employee personality, attitudes, and individual characteristics appear to influence workplace accidents, a causal relationship is still difficult to ascertain. • Occupational Safety and Health Training Training is a part of education that involves the learning process to acquire and improve skills outside the applicable education system in a relatively short time, and with methods that prioritize practice over theory, in this case what is meant is occupational safety and health training. The occurrence of work accidents is usually the result of negligence of workers or companies. The damage that occurs, for example damage to machines or damage to products, is often not expected by the company or workers. However, it is not easy to avoid the possibility of accident and damage risks. it is not easy to avoid the possibility of accident and damage risks. If this often occurs, the most appropriate action that must be taken by workforce management is to conduct training. The purpose of training is to improve maintenance of work equipment. One of the goals to be achieved is to reduce the occurrence of work accidents, damage, and improve maintenance of work equipment. • K3 Regulations Legal regulations are provisions that require general working conditions, planning, construction, care and maintenance, supervision, testing and working methods of industrial equipment, duties of employers and workers, training, medical supervision, first aid and medical care. The existence or absence of K3 regulations greatly influences the occurrence of work accidents. For this reason, regulations should be made and implemented as well as possible to prevent and reduce the occurrence of accidents. b. Environmental Factors • Noise Noise is an unwanted sound/noise. Noise in the workforce can reduce comfort at work, interfere with communication/conversation between workers, reduce concentration, reduce hearing and deafness due to noise. In accordance with the Decree of the Minister of Manpower Number: KEP-51/MEN/1999 concerning the Threshold Limit Value of Physical Factors in the Workplace, the recommended noise intensity is 85 dBA for 8 working hours. • Air Temperature From an investigation, it was found that human work productivity will reach its highest level at a temperature of around 24°C-27°C. Cold temperatures reduce efficiency with complaints of stiffness and lack of muscle coordination. Hot temperatures mainly result in reducing worker work performance, reducing agility, prolonging reaction time and decision-making time, disrupting brain work accuracy, disrupting sensory and motor nerve coordination, and making it easier to be stimulated. Meanwhile, according to Grandjean, excessive ambient heat will result in fatigue and drowsiness, reduce stability and increase the number of work errors. This will reduce the human body's creativity to produce heat in very small amounts. • Lighting Lighting in the workplace is one of the light sources that illuminates objects in the workplace. Many work objects along with objects or tools and conditions around them need to be seen by workers. This is important to avoid possible accidents. Good lighting allows workers to see objects being worked on clearly, quickly and without unnecessary efforts. Lighting is important as a safety factor in the physical environment of workers. Several studies on the relationship between production and lighting have shown that adequate lighting and arranged according to the type of work to be done can indirectly reduce the number of accidents. Lighting factors that play a role in accidents include direct light glare, reflections from shiny objects and dark shadows (ILO, 1989:101). In addition, inadequate or dazzling lighting will tire the eyes. Eye fatigue will cause drowsiness and this is dangerous if employees operate dangerous machines so that it can cause accidents (Depnaker RI, 1996:45). • Slippery floor The floor in the workplace must be made of hard material, resistant to water and damaging chemicals (Bennet NB. Silalahi, 1995:228). Because slippery floors due to water spills, oil or oil resistance have a high potential for accidents, such as slipping. c. Equipment Factors • Machine Condition With machines and mechanical tools, production and productivity can be increased. In addition, the workload of human factors is reduced and work can be more meaningful. If the condition of the machine is damaged, and is not immediately anticipated, it can cause work accidents. The availability of machine safety equipment and mechanical tools is mainly secured by installing fences and machine safety equipment or called machine safety. The reduction in the number of work accidents by machines is a result of the widespread use of these safety devices. This application is a reflection of legal obligations, understanding from the parties concerned, and so on. • Machine location There is a reciprocal relationship between humans and machines. The function of humans in the human-machine relationship in the production chain is as a controller of the running of the machine. Machines and tools are arranged so that they are safe and efficient enough to do the job easily (AM. Sugeng Budiono, 2003:65). Also included in the layout in placing the position of the machine. The further the machine is from the worker, the smaller the potential danger that causes an accident. So that it can reduce the number of accidents that may occur.