Unsafe act: what's behind it? by José Aparecido Leal and Rafael Mansani

Uncertain Act: What’s Behind It?

The prevention of accidents at work has evolved significantly over the years. However, some traditional concepts still require critical analysis, especially the so-called “unsafe act.” For a long time, this expression was used to assign the worker direct responsibility for the occurrence of accidents, which can oversimplify the investigation and prevent the identification of the true causes of the event.

Is the Act of Insecurity Really Exist?

Human behavior can contribute to the occurrence of accidents. However, an error, a fault or an inappropriate attitude should not automatically be classified as an unsafe act. Before this conclusion, it is necessary to verify that the worker was actually in a position to choose a safe way to carry out the activity.

In order for a certain conduct to be considered an unsafe act, there must be a conscious decision before known and available alternatives. This presupposes proper training, knowledge of risks, the existence of a safe procedure, appropriate resources and autonomy to perform the task differently.

The accident must be analyzed beyond the behavior.

An adequate investigation cannot be restricted to the moment immediately preceding the accident. The working method, the conditions of the equipment, the organization of the activity, the production pace, the training, the supervision and the environmental conditions should be evaluated. In many situations, what is initially identified as “worker’s mistake” can be a consequence of existing failures in the work system itself.

The lack of training or sufficient information also directly interferes with decision-making capacity. It is not technically appropriate to assign responsibility exclusively to the worker when he has not received sufficient knowledge to recognize the risk and select the correct conduct.

ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS

Hierarchical relationships, productivity pressure, meeting goals, short deadlines, and the need to meet higher determinations can also influence behavior. Therefore, the investigation must ask not only what the worker did, but why he did it, what conditions were available and if there was a safe and viable alternative.

 

WHEN IS AN UNSECURE ACTO EFFECTIVE?

The characterization becomes more consistent when it is demonstrated that all the conditions necessary for safe execution were available, that the worker had knowledge and training, knew the risks, had adequate method and resources and, still, deliberately chose to perform the activity in an insecure way, without operational need.

From Blame to Prevention

The purpose of accident investigation should not be to find a culprit, but to identify the causes and prevent the repetition of the event. Conclusions limited to expressions such as “inattention”, “imprudence” or “unsafe act”, without investigation of the basic and organizational causes, tend to produce insufficient corrective measures.

Training, lectures, and guidance can be important, but they do not replace interventions on inadequate design, process failures, lack of collective protection, poor maintenance, inadequate work organization, or operational pressure.

CONCLUSION

The modern investigation of accidents must seek to understand why the event occurred. The behavior of the worker is only one element of the causal chain. Before classifying it as an insecure act, training, procedures, equipment, supervision, work organization and other human and technical factors involved should be analyzed.

An efficient prevention is not built by the simple transfer of guilt, but by the technical identification of the real causes and by the implementation of measures capable of preventing their repetition. This change of focus strengthens Occupational Safety as an effective tool for preventive management of occupational risks.

Thank you for reading and until the next article.

Keep up with our weekly articles. For topic suggestions, please contact (42) 99997-4979.

José Aparecido Leal and Rafael Mansani