Author - Tom Harrell
Submitted By -How Accidents Happen
Tom Harrell - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 03 Dec 1997
As I have read the stories about accidents and near misses that are posted here, there seems to be a common theme that should be identified and discussed among all of us in the line trades. The theme
I refer to is most clearly seen in the story about the bucket truck's leveling cables that broke, throwing the lineman out to the ground.
As I read the story, I noticed that there were a whole series of events that occurred, any one of which, when removed from the scenario, change the outcome - which was an accident. When broken down to simple form, the events look like this: (1) when the bucket truck was rebuilt, the
leveling cable was incorrectly installed; (2) when the bucket began leaning and the problem was pointed out, the mechanics diagnosed and treated the symptom of the problem rather than the problem itself. The evidence of this is that the mechanics who examined the leveling cable stated that it appeared to have stretched, but did not attempt to determine why; (3) the cable broke; (4) the bucket operator was not wearing a body belt or harness.
Now, if any one of these events is changed or removed the outcome is also changed. For example: (1) If the leveling cable had been installed correctly, it would not have experienced premature wear and broken, dumping the operator; (2) If the mechanics who worked on fixing the leaning bucket had looked for the root cause of the problem rather than simply tightening the leveling cables (which probably only hastened the cable failure) they might have found the cause of the problem which was
the incorrect installation of the leveling cable. If that had been discovered, it could have been corrected before an accident occurred; (3) If the bucket operator had been wearing a body belt or harness, the operator might not have fallen to the ground.
The events that lead to an accident are like links in a chain. When any one of them is removed or broken, the "chain" breaks down and the accident is often avoided or prevented. This idea is very important because it points out the rarity of a random, or freak, accident. In almost every case,
accidents result from a series of events, each one compounding the possibility of the accident occurring. Every lineman needs to know that an action performed, or an action that is NOT performed can be one of the links in the chain of events that leads to an accident - and it doesn't
really matter who does or doesn't perform the action. Often there are other people involved in the series of events that lead to an accident, so, linemen should not assume that everything is within their realm of control.
This concept - that an accident is usually the result of a series of small events - needs to be known and understood by every lineman. When people (like the lineman or the truck mechanic) know this concept, understand how it occurs, and are willing to take the initiative or the strong positions necessary to break the chain of events, then they all contribute to the prevention of accidents rather than the causes.