Analysis of a historical accident in a Spanish coal mine

There has been a long history of coal mine accidents and these, usually, involve serious injuries, fatalities, and the destruction of facilities. In the seventies, an explosion killed 28 miners in a Spanish coal mine. This paper gives insight into the main factors of the accident by means of the causation mode, using two well-known alternatives: (1) the method from the Spanish Instituto Nacional de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo (INSST), where the causes and circumstances of the accident are classified into immediate causes and basic causes, and (2) the Feyer and Williamson method, where the classification is done using precursor events and contributing factors. The analysis identifies the lessons to be learned from the disaster. Both methods have given very similar results, verifying the goodness of the analysis. Methane emissions due to a variation in the exploitation method, the electrical installation, and a lack of safety procedures and training were the main causes of the accident. These findings explain the real causes of this accident and can be very valuable for the prevention of future accidents.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Predicting occupational accident at automotive manufacturing industry in Malaysia using decision tree technique

According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) in 2018, manufacturing industry accounted for 91.2% of temporary disability cases and 6.9% of permanent disability cases. Even though there is an increasing number of research on analyzing occupational accidents at automotive manufacturing industry in Malaysia, each research aimed for different purposes and methods. This study predicts the tendency of temporary and permanent disability by accurately identifying the characteristics of workplace accidents that occurred within automotive manufacturing in Malaysia. Decision Tree was used to build the predictive modelling of occupational accidents at automotive manufacturing industry. Decision Tree models were constructed with various algorithms (Chi-square, Gini Index and Entropy), numbers of tree branches (two and three) and data partitions (80/20, 70/30 and 60/40). The different models were compared to determine the best model for predicting and identifying the effects of occupational accidents. The best model was a three-branch decision tree model using Chi-Square as the nominal target criterion and 60/40 data partition. The testing accuracy value is 75.52%. The most important variables in the model were types of accident, cause of accidents and job types. This study produced a set of significant factors in explaining safety workplace system and built a predictive model for predicting effect of occupational accidents. It can be served as a guideline to safety management in automotive manufacturing industry in Malaysia

Review of the occupational health and safety of Britain’s ethnic minorities

This report sets out an evidence-based review on work-related health and safety issues relating to black and minority ethnic groups. Data included available statistical materials and a systematic review of published research and practice-based reports. UK South Asians are generally under-represented within the most hazardous occupational groups. They have lower accident rates overall, while Black Caribbean workers rates are similar to the general population; Bangladeshi and Chinese workers report lowest workplace injury rates UK South Asian people exhibit higher levels of limiting long-term illness (LLI) and self reported poor health than the general population while Black Africans and Chinese report lower levels. Ethnic minority workers with LLI are more likely than whites to withdraw from the workforce, or to experience lower wage rates. Some of these findings conflict with evidence of differentials from USA, Europe and Australasia, but there is a dearth of effective primary research or reliable monitoring data from UK sources. There remains a need to improve monitoring and data collection relating to black and ethnic minority populations and migrant workers. Suggestions are made relating to workshops on occupational health promotion programmes for ethnic minorities, and ethnic minority health and safety 'Beacon' sites

Defining What to Regulate: Silica and the Problem of Regulatory Categorization

This article examines the history of human exposure to silica, the second most common element on earth, to explore the problem of categorizing substances for regulatory purposes and the role interest groups play in developing policy. The regulatory history of silica teaches three important lessons: First, the most compelling account of the cycle of action and inaction on the part of regulators is the one based on interest groups. Second, knowledge about hazards is endogenous - it arises in response to outside events, to regulations, and to interest groups. Accepting particular states of knowledge as definitive is thus a mistake, as is failing to consider the incentives for knowledge production created by regulatory measures. Third, the rise of the trial bar as an interest group means that the problems of silica exposure and similar occupational hazards cannot simply be left to the legal system to resolve through individual tort actions. We suggest that by understanding market forces, regulators can harness the energy of interest groups to create better solutions to addressing the problems of silica exposure, as well as other workplace health and safety issues