Advanced technique for the in-depth analysis of occupational accidents

In spite of the growing attention towards Occupational Safety and Health OS&H, the enforcement of ECC directives, regulations and technical standards, and the improvements in techniques and technologies, in Italy an average of 3 daily work related fatalities is still recorded, mostly in not relevant risk industrial activities and at construction sites. Since the limited knowledge of accident root causes, slapdash remedies, and occasional inspections are clearly inadequate to highlight and control the criticalities of complex activities, the first target should be an unbiased analysis of the causal chain of events that led to the accident. The paper deals with the results of an extensive research work aimed to develop an original technique: the Computer-aided Cause Consequence for Prevention, evolved by a combination of Event Tree and Fault Tree Analysis. CCCP leads to focus on the intermediate and root causes of work-related accidents, reducing the possibility of errors due to subjective judgment or hasty evaluation, and the too easily reached conclusion of incorrect behavior of the victim. The computer assisted approach allows the user: to a) identify the input data useful for the analysis, b) realize the sequence of the causes, c) identify flaws in the design and in the risk assessment, the non-compliances to regulations, and the lack of prevention measures. Effective and suitable measures for prevention, both technological and organizational, can be introduced for similar cases or industrial situations.