Sec 1

• The overall costs of accidents in the United States exceeds $800 billion annually
• The direct and indirect costs of accidents that occur on and off the job
• Leading causes of accidental deaths in the US

  • Motor vehicle accidents
  • Workplace accidents
  • Home accidents
  • Public accidents
• Direct costs of accidents

  • Wages lost
  • Medical expenses
  • Insurance administration
  • Motor vehicle damage
• Death by category for people between 25 and 44 years of age


  • Accidents
  • Cancer
  • Heart disease
  • Motor vehicle
  • Poison
  • Drowning
  • Falls
  • Fire-related
• Approximately 35 million work hours are lost annually as a result of accidents
• This is actual time lost from disabling injuries and does not include additional time lost to medical checkups after the injured employee returns to work
• Leading causes of work injuries

  • Overexertion
  • Impact accidents
  • Falls
  • Bodily reaction
  • Compression
  • Motor vehicle accidents
  • Exposure to radiation and caustic chemicals
  • Rubbing or abrasions
  • Exposure to extreme temperatures
• Death rates by industry (from highest rate to lowest)

  • Mining and quarrying
  • Agriculture
  • Construction
  • Transportation and public utilities
  • Government
  • Manufacturing
  • Services
  • Trade
• Common accident examples on construction sites

  • Victim fell from a scaffold 60 feet to a concrete surface
  • Victim was buried in an excavation
  • Victim was crushed between two backhoes
  • Victim was working on a circuit breaker when he was electrocuted
  • Victim was struck in the head by a crane that was moving
  • Victim was installing roofing and fell 40 feet to the ground
  • Victim was welding a water tank when the tank collapsed on him
  • Victim was backed over by a dump truck
  • Victim was working on a platform that collapsed
  • Victim was operating a nail gun when his foot was impaled
  • Victim was operating a power saw when he cut off a finger
  • Victim was hit in the head by a falling object
  • Victim sprained his back while attempting to pick up a heavy box
  • Victim slipped and fell on a wet spot on a concrete subfloor
  • Victim was severely burned when he spilled a barrel containing a toxic chemical
• Injuries to specific parts of the body (from most frequently injured to least)

  • Back
  • Legs and fingers
  • Arms and multiple parts of body
  • Trunk
  • Hands
  • Eyes
  • Head
  • Feet
  • Neck, toes, and body systems
• Chemicals most frequently involved in chemical burn injuries

  • Acids and alkalies
  • Soaps
  • Detergents and cleaning compounds
  • Solvents and degreasers
  • Calcium hydroxide
  • Potassium hydroxide
  • Sulfuric acid
• Most frequent causes of heat burn injuries

  • Flame
  • Molten metal
  • Petroleum
  • Asphalt
  • Steam
  • Water
• Theory of Shoring

  • Shoring prevents cave-ins
  • Prevents movements of the excavated walls
• Competent Person

  • required training and knowledge
  • able to identify hazards and have authority to eliminate hazards
• What is the minimum distance that excavated materials, tools, and other supplies be kept back from the excavation’s edge?

  1. 1 foot b. 2 feet c. 7.5 feet d. 25 feet

  b. 2 feet
• At what depth must a ladder, ramp, steps, or runway be present for quick worker exit:

  a.4 feet b. 5 feet c. 10 feet d. It is never required

  4 feet
• What is the greatest hazard facing a worker while working in a trench:

  1. Hazardous atmospheres b. Falls c. Cave-ins d. Falling Objects

  Cave-ins
• Unless made in entirely stable rock, at what depth is a protective system required for a trench:

  1. Any depth if the competent person says so. b. 5 feet deep and greater c. Both a and b d. A protective system is never required in trenches

  both a and b