What are the 3 Es of safety and how they are used to develop accident prevention programs.

Development of Accident-Prevention Programs In the modern workplace, there are many different types of accident-prevention programs, ranging from the simple to the complex. Widely used accident-prevention techniques include failure minimization, fail-safe designs, isolation, lockouts, screening, personal protective equipment (PPE), redundancy, timed replacements, and many others. These techniques are individual components of broader safety programs that have evolved since the late 1800s.

In the early 1800s, employers had little concern for the safety of workers and little incentive to be concerned. Consequently, organized safety programs were nonexistenta situation that continued for many years. However, between World War I and World War II, industry discovered the connection between quality and safety. Then, during World War II, troop call-ups and deployments created severe labor shortages. Faced with these shortages, employers could not afford to lose workers to accidentsor for any other reason. This realization created a greater openness toward giving safety the serious consideration that it deserved. For example, around this time industry began to realize the following:

Improved engineering could prevent accidents.

Employees were willing to learn and accept safety rules.

Safety rules could be established and enforced.

Financial savings from safety improvement could be reaped by savings in compensation and medical bills.

With these realizations came the long-needed incentive for employers to begin playing an active role in creating and maintaining a safe workplace. This, in turn, led to the development of organized safety programs sponsored by management. Early safety programs were based on the "three Es of safety": engineering, education, and enforcement. The engineering aspects of a safety program involve making design improvements to processes. By altering the design of a process, it can be simplified and, as a result, made less dangerous. Making the workplace safer for all workers is OSHA's goal, FigureI-2.

FigureI-2 Construction workers are safer because the OSH Act was passed.

Source: Riccardo Arata/Fotolia

The education aspect of a safety program ensures that employees know safe work practices, the importance of following them, and management's expectations regarding adherence to safety regulations, FigureI-3. Safety education typically covers the what, when, where, why, and how of safety.

FigureI-3 Education is one of the three "Es" of safety.

Source: Monkey Business/Fotolia

The enforcement aspect of a safety program involves making sure that employees abide by safety policies, rules, regulations, practices, and procedures. Supervisors and fellow employees play a key role in the enforcement aspects of modern safety programs.

Today, the NSC is the largest organization in the United States devoted solely to safety and health practices and procedures. Its purpose is to prevent the losses, both direct and indirect, arising out of accidents or from exposure to unhealthy environments. Although it is chartered by an act of Congress, the NSC is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit public service organization.

OSHA is the government's administrative arm for the OSH Act. Established in 1970, OSHA sets and revokes safety and health standards, conducts inspections, investigates problems, issues citations, assesses penalties, petitions the courts to take appropriate action against unsafe employers, provides safety training, provides injury-prevention consultation, and maintains a database of health and safety statistics.

Another governmental organization is the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). This organization is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIOSH is required to publish annually a comprehensive list of all known toxic substances. NIOSH also provides onsite tests of potentially toxic substances so that companies know what they are handling and what precautions to take.

Integrated Approach to Safety and Health The integrated approach has become the norm that typifies the health and safety movement of today. OSHA reinforces the integrated approach by requiring companies to have a plan for doing at least the following: (1)providing appropriate medical treatment for injured or ill workers, (2) regularly examining workers who are exposed to toxic substances, (3) providing a qualified first aid person during all working hours, and (4) assigning specific safety-related duties to a competent person.

Smaller companies may choose to contract out the fulfillment of these requirements. Larger companies often maintain a staff of safety and health professionals. The health and safety staff in a modern company may include the following positions:

Industrial hygiene chemist or engineer. Companies that use toxic substances may employ industrial hygiene chemists periodically to test the work environment and the people who work in it. In this way, unsafe conditions or hazardous levels of exposure can be identified early, and corrective or preventive measures can be taken. Dust levels, ventilation, and noise levels are also monitored by individuals serving in this capacity.

Radiation control specialist. Companies that use or produce radioactive materials employ radiation control specialists, who are typically electrical engineers or physicists. These specialists monitor the radiation levels to which workers may be exposed, test workers for levels of exposure, respond to radiation accidents, develop company-wide plans for handling radiation accidents, and implement decontamination procedures when necessary.

Industrial safety engineer or manager. Individuals serving in this capacity are safety and health generalists with specialized education and training. In larger companies, they may be devoted to safety and health matters. In smaller companies, they may have other duties in addition to safety and health. In either case, industrial safety engineers and industrial safety managers are responsible for developing and carrying out the company's overall safety and health program, including accident prevention, accident investigation, and education and training.

Other positions that might be included in the team are ergonomist, risk manager, occupational physician, and occupational nurse.

New Materials, New Processes, and New Problems The field of safety and health is more complex than it has ever been. The materials from which products are made have become increasingly complex and exotic. Engineering metals now include carbon steel, alloy steel, high-strength low-alloy steel, stainless steel, maraging steel, cast steel, cast iron, tungsten, molybdenum, titanium, aluminum, copper, magnesium, lead, tin, zinc, and powdered metals. Each of these metals requires its own specialized process.

Nonmetals are more numerous and have also become more complex. Plastics, plastic alloys and blends, advanced composites, fibrous materials, elastomers, and ceramics also bring their own potential hazards to the workplace.

In addition to the more complex materials being used in the modern construction industry and the new safety and health concerns associated with them, modern construction processes are also becoming more complex. As these processes become more advanced, the potential hazards associated with them often increase.