Re-Thinking Human Safety- is the Industry Really Poised for Zero Accidents? - a Review

Abstract

Killing thousands of people at the workplace across the globe every year is a major concern and one wonders , whether ach iev ing zeroaccidents is a mere documentation exercise or is it really achievable for the industry? Unsafe or at-risk behaviours are considered to be theultimate cause of most workplace accidents. Zero accidents or zero unsafe behaviours is an occupational safety perspective that needsclarity for organizational emphasis. This paper challenges the management perspectives and actions on utilization of the existing safetysystems and programs in organizations that keep on disabling and killing people at work, thereby making zero accidents -injury situationsfar from being ach ievable. The author shares reflections of his longitudinal action research carried out in Ind ian multi-national compan iesextended over 15 years (1997-2013) for the benefit of the management practice of safety in organizations