National Safety Survey: Accidents Happen ... Or Do They?

A record number of more than 1,200 EHS professionals responded to EHS Today's annual National Safety Survey to share information about themselves, their work environments and their views on the current state of workplace safety.

With survey questions addressing issues including ergonomics regulation, OSHA's performance and the implications of disasters like the Upper Big Branch Mine explosion and the BP oil spill, some of the comments grew heated. There was no doubt about it, EHS leaders were ready to talk — but not necessarily agree.

THE ACCIDENT ARGUMENT

When asked, “What lessons could the EHS community learn from some of the deadly disasters in 2010, such as the Upper Big Branch Mine collapse and the BP oil spill?” responses were mixed. The hundred of EHS professionals who keyed in answers to this question unwittingly created a sort of debate: Is every workplace accident preventable?

Various survey respondents claimed “Accidents are going to happen” or pointed out that preparing for every possible scenario just isn't realistic.

“Accidents happen! It is not possible to prevent ALL contingencies from occurring without causing a paralyzing impairment to industry,” one respondent wrote. “The oil industry has spent billions of dollars for spill response preparedness. The management problems that led to the gulf incident were not predictable and their consequences could not be predicted.”

This survey participant, however, went on to add: “The Big Branch mine incident appears, on the outside, to be an act of negligence and misdirection by an individual. Methods of outside reporting and enforcement might have averted the disaster.”

“ACCIDENTS happen!!” asserted another respondent, who followed up with a plea for more training to “conquer the unexpected disaster.”

Many safety stakeholders, however, would argue that there is no such thing as an accident, and that these tragic events — as well as more minor workplace incidents that occur every day — can be prevented. As one survey participant pointed out, “Accidents don't just happen. There are several steps that lead up to them and are usually preventable.”

“It's imperative that we all maintain an approach that is focused beyond compliance and that works to be two steps ahead of potential problems. This requires diligence, communication and concern at all times,” explained one EHS leader. “Even so, a tragic event may happen to any of our organizations at any time even when we're confident that we're on our guard and prepared. Those are the defining moments of our careers. We can either lay down and give up or find the underlying cause(s) that initially escaped our detection and anticipation. We have to look at national safety tragedies with a heart for the victims involved and a determination to learn from them in a constructive way that will help tragic events from occurring at our facilities.”

In order to prevent these large-scale workplace catastrophes, one respondent suggested that companies need to do a better job of developing and implementing site-specific, worst-case-scenario plans; regulatory agencies must step up inspection and enforcement efforts, especially for companies with repeat violations; and regulatory agencies should be willing to shut down these bad actors. Others agreed that facilities should be shut down entirely, rather than getting away with a fine, if they have exhibited unsafe environments.

“You cannot keep doing the same things, the same way, and expect different results,” one EHS leader wrote.

Severay respondents suggested that money was considered more important than safety leading up to these catastrophes, with one stating: “Complacency, greed and self interests run the political and industrial fields. Big Brother only watches over you … after you make a mistake, not correct it before it happens.”

“How about a little preplanning instead of reacting?” asked another respondent.

Many EHS leaders offered the simple directive to “prepare” or “plan ahead.” Or, as one respondent so succinctly put it, “Be prepared for the BIG one!”

OSHA RATINGS

Respondents rated OSHA as the occupational health and safety agency they considered most effective in meeting its statutory responsibility, with 38 percent casting their vote for the agency. (The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health came in second with 26 percent of the vote, followed by EPA with 17 percent and the U.S. Chemical Safety Board with 15 percent. MSHA was marked lowest, with only 4 percent of respondents considering it most effective.)

In addition, most respondents viewed new OSHA Administrator Dr. David Michaels favorably, with 3 percent rating his performance excellent, 24 percent rating his performance good and 27 percent saying he was average. Four percent considered his performance poor.