Types and sources of fatal and severe non-fatal accidents in industrial maintenance

Abstract Due to the various work phases in disassembly and assembly, coupled with, for example, the pressure of time and working in close contact with machinery, industrial maintenance operations include several occupational risks. This article presents the results of an analysis based on real accident data. The data consisted of public Finnish accident reports describing fatal and severe non-fatal accidents in Finnish industry. The examination was limited to those accidents that involved full-time maintenance workers executing industrial maintenance operations. In the case of fatal accidents, the examination included the reports that were published during the years 1985–2004. The analysis of severe non-fatal accidents included the publication years 1994–2004. The accident types as well as their sources were examined in the light of Reason's theory on organizational accidents. During the reference periods, a total of 37 maintenance workers died in 33 accident cases. The respective number of victims among severe non-fatal accidents is 90. The findings indicate that the most typical accident types in both fatal and severe non-fatal accidents are crushing, falling, and accidents involving falling objects. The most frequently identified unsafe act leading to fatal accidents is dangerous working method (including conscious risk-taking), while the severe non-fatal accidents occur most often due to working at a running process. Within both types of accidents the most typical latent causes are defects in work instructions and machinery safety equipment. Based on the findings, the most essential roles in accident prevention are played by organizational factors, such as safety management and operations planning. Relevance to industry Analyzing accidents creates a basis for more effective safety and risk management, which can be expected to face new challenges as more and more maintenance operations become subcontracted. It also provides valuable information regarding machine and process design, and the planning of maintenance operations.