Key Factors in Crane-Related Occupational Accidents in the Spanish Construction Industry (2012–2021).

The construction industry is one of the riskiest sectors worldwide, with crane operations being one of the most dangerous activities. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the key factors involved in crane-related occupational accidents in the construction industry in Spain. To this end, 1314 accidents involving cranes were analyzed from a total of 241,937 accidents that occurred in the construction of buildings. The data were collected from the Spanish gov-ernment’s occupational accident statistics corresponding to the years 2012–2021. The results evidenced a statistically significant relationship between cranes as the material agent and the size of the company, with 95% of cases corresponding to small- or medium-sized companies (less than 250 employees). Additionally, it shows how the crane operator is identified as a ma-terial contributor to crane accidents in the construction industry, and may be considered a key component to these accidents. In conclusion, improving the knowledge gained about the key factors in crane-related accidents at work in the construction industry provides essential in-formation that helps to design and implement appropriate preventive measures to avoid the recurrence of unwanted events with these machines.We acknowledge the support of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation of the Government of Spain through the project “Complexity and resilience: a systemic approach for the monitoring and improvement of safety management in construction” with the code number PID2020-114502GB-I00. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Malaga/CBUA

Analysis of investigation reports on occupational accidents.

The investigation of accidents is an occupational safety analytical tool aimed at discovering the causes of an accident. Conducting these investigations properly is essential to obtain useful information that helps avoid these accidents in the future. To prepare this study we analysed 567 investigations, conducted by OHS technical advisors, on occupational accidents occurring in Spain from 2009 to 2012 in industries such as construction, manufacturing, agriculture and services, in order to obtain information to improve the use of this technique. In this study we analyzed how accident investigation reports are made identifying main flaws and omissions. Accident investigations lack details as they often do not consider the variables in the ESAW (European Statistics on Accidents at Work) Project. Likewise, they lack depth in determining the causes associated to active faults, preferably to latent faults, and to the company management and organisation systems. Similarly, they do not comply with the standards recommended by experts. Finally, in the conclusions we recommend two priorities: having a harmonised European model to conduct occupational accident investigations, as well as being able to access databases that collect accident investigation reports of this kind

Pilot study on the influence of stress caused by the need to combine work and family on occupational accidents in working women

The influx of a large number of women into the workforce involves the need for these women to combine family and work responsibilities. Multiple roles lead to work–family conflict. This study analyzes the influence of work–family conflict on the causes of minor occupational accidents suffered by working women. A survey was done on working women in the Madrid region, who had suffered a minor occupational accident in 2004. The main finding was that nearly half of the women with children considered that the stress and fatigue caused by trying to combine work and family played a part in the accident; 21% of the respondents whose accidents took place while traveling to or from work and 11% the respondents who suffered the accident in the workplace said that family reasons played a part. Additionally, 50% of the women suffered after-effects as a result of the accident; children had to change their routine in almost 1 in 4 cases; nearly a quarter of the respondents said their work situation had been temporarily modified. This point to a need for polices that encourage men and employers to contribute more to solve work–family conflicts

Framework for the use of official occupational accident investigations as a learning tool: analysis of a public programme for accident investigation in the manufacturing sector

Accident investigation is a useful tool for safety science. The use of accident investigation as a learning tool at the macro level necessitates specific requirements quite different from the usual needs at the company level. A proper codification system and information on the accident scenarios are needed to let safety practitioners identify if the information is useful for the organisations they are assessing. In the same way epidemiological tools have been applied to the analysis of circumstances of accidents, the epidemiological statistical tools can help to draw conclusions for a set of investigated accidents. Our case study includes the description of the dataset used in a programme for learning from accidents in Andalusia: ‘Pudo haberse evitado’ (this can be translated as ‘This could have been prevented’). This paper covers the requisites for a macro-level learning programme and the possibilities of analysis of the dataset in a ‘research to practice approach’

Prevention of falls to a lower level: evaluation of an occupational health and safety intervention via subsidies for the replacement of scaffolding

The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of a subsidy policy for construction companies in Andalusia (Spain), which enables them to acquire new scaffolds. The rate of falls from scaffolds within the Andalusian construction sector in the period 2009–2011 was analysed. A randomised controlled trial was not possible as the subsidy was granted according to a public and competitive call. A quasi-experimental design based on an intervention group (subsidised companies) and a control group was chosen. Companies in the control group were selected from the social security census of companies in order to avoid selection bias. The subsidy policy has led to an overall 71% decrease in the rate of accident involving falls to a lower level in the companies that received grants in the period 2009–2011. The confidence interval for the comparison for the before–after difference in rates between the intervention group and the control group is found significant (confidence 95%, p = 0.05). The improvement of scaffolds was effective in reducing rates of accident with falls to a lower level. This intervention should be a priority in public policies. The process of standardisation of equipment with high accident risk should be developed further

Analysis of the average duration of sick leave due to electrical contact in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors in Spain (2013–2019).

El análisis del impacto económico de la salud y la seguridad en el trabajo se ha dejado de lado durante muchos años. Diversos estudios han reconocido la importancia de analizar la gravedad de los accidentes en función del número de jornadas perdidas por lesiones sufridas en dichos accidentes en diferentes sectores económicos. En este estudio comparativo longitudinal se analiza la duración media de las bajas laborales asociadas a 4.098.520 accidentes ocurridos en España entre 2013 y 2019, y más concretamente a 5.724 accidentes por contacto eléctrico directo e indirecto. A partir del número de jornadas perdidas, se explora la relación entre la gravedad de los accidentes eléctricos y los sectores económicos en los que se producen a través de tablas de contingencia en las que se ha calculado el valor estadístico Chi-cuadrado (χ2). Los principales resultados obtenidos muestran que la duración media de las bajas muestra una tendencia interanual al alza en los tres sectores económicos. Además, los accidentes por contacto eléctrico directo e indirecto se producen en todos los sectores, y las lesiones producidas en este tipo de accidentes son más graves que las producidas en la suma de todos los accidentes en España. Nuestros datos muestran que la mayor duración de las bajas laborales se produce en el sector primario, seguido del terciario y del secundario. Estos resultados deben impulsar a las autoridades competentes a exigir a las empresas el mantenimiento en buen estado de los equipos e instalaciones, así como a implantar programas de supervisión eficaces que garanticen el cumplimiento de las medidas impuestas y reduzcan las graves consecuencias de los accidentes eléctricos

Análisis y evaluación de la investigación de accidentes laborales como técnicas preventivas en España

Es por esto que resulta necesario definir criterios que permitan ayudar a los técnicos o analistas a adoptar la metodología más idónea dependiendo del contexto y el alcance del accidente en cuestión. Respecto al análisis de los informes de investigación examinados, se determina que solo 1 de cada 4 informes de investigación de accidentes de trabajo realizados por técnicos pertenecientes a alguna de las modalidades organizativas se realizaron siguiendo los criterios de calidad recomendados por los expertos en la materia. Sin embargo, 3 de cada 4 de las investigaciones oficiales de accidentes de trabajo contemplan la totalidad de dichos criterios básicos de calidad. En base a las conclusiones extraídas, y dado las importantes diferencias observadas, se propone crear un modelo común Europeo de informe de investigación de accidente de trabajo con el objetivo de favorecer el aprendizaje a nivel global, y poder difundir de forma homogeneizada los resultados obtenidos en estas investigaciones. Este modelo debe contemplar todos los criterios de calidad básicos para la correcta realización de las investigaciones de accidentes de trabajo tanto en su estructura formal completa como en sus aspectos particulares.El objetivo de esta Tesis Doctoral es ofrecer una visión acerca del estado de la investigación de accidentes de trabajo en España. Este objetivo se fundamenta en el hecho de que la eficacia preventiva de las investigaciones de accidentes de trabajo realizadas por numerosos y variados agentes: Administración Pública, técnicos de servicios de prevención, responsables directos de una investigación en línea, etc., es susceptible de ser aumentada de manera significativa. Esta tesis se encuadra dentro del ámbito de la seguridad y salud laboral. La investigación de accidentes es una técnica analítica de seguridad laboral que tiene por objetivo el análisis de causas que dan lugar a los mismos. Que estas investigaciones se realicen adecuadamente resulta esencial para obtener información útil que ayude a garantizar la no repetición de dichos accidentes. Por ello, partiendo de los distintos criterios de calidad establecidos por expertos en la materia, se efectúa una revisión de la literatura científica que ha tratado la investigación de accidentes de trabajo con el objeto de identificar, clasificar y describir las principales metodologías empleadas en las mismas. Así mismo, se realiza un análisis de investigaciones de accidentes de trabajo realizados por Técnicos en Prevención de Riesgos Laborales de nivel superior. En primera instancia se analizaron 567 investigaciones realizadas por técnicos integrados en alguna de las modalidades organizativas para el desarrollo de las actividades preventivas, sobre accidentes ocurridos en España entre los años 2009 y 2012. Posteriormente se evaluaron 98 informes oficiales de investigación de accidentes de trabajo emitidos por la Autoridad Laboral de Andalucía en el último trimestre de 2014. De acuerdo al análisis realizado se identifican múltiples metodologías. No obstante, la dificultad estriba en elegir la más adecuada

A new paradigm for SpeckNets:inspiration from fungal colonies

In this position paper, we propose the development of a new biologically inspired paradigm based on fungal colonies, for the application to pervasive adaptive systems. Fungal colonies have a number of properties that make them an excellent candidate for inspiration for engineered systems. Here we propose the application of such inspiration to a speckled computing platform. We argue that properties from fungal colonies map well to properties and requirements for controlling SpeckNets and suggest that an existing mathematical model of a fungal colony can developed into a new computational paradigm