ACCIDENT DEFINITION

An accident is defined in different ways

             Dictionary meaning of ‘accident’ is an unexpected event or mishap. It is defined as an event that is not expected, intended or imagined. It refers the event not the result or effect.

             An accident is an unplanned event that interrupts the completion of an activity and that may (or may not) cause damage to person, property or environment.

                       Unintentional injury is the preferred term for accidental injury in the public health community. It refers to the result of an accident.

             An accident is unintended, unplanned event or its sequence caused by unsafe condition(s) or/and unsafe act(s) and may result in immediate or delayed undesirable effects.

                       An accident is an unplanned and uncontrolled event in which the action or reaction of an object, substance, person, or radiation results in personal injury or the probability thereof.

 It is also defined as an unexpected, unintended or unforeseen event that causes injury, loss or damage.

                       An accident is any unplanned, sudden event, which causes or is liable to cause or is liable to cause an injury to man materials (including plant) or environment.

            An accident is any occurrence that interrupts or interferes with the orderly progress of the activity which causes or likely to cause injury with or without damage to property or environment.

             An accident is the result of carelessness, casualness or any fault known or unknown.

                       An accident is an unwanted transfer of energy beyond the threshold limits. In case of accident to a person, physiological energy loss is an accident while in other cases it may be an energy loss from material.

             It is an event, which is unexpected, unavoidable, unintentional act resulting from the interaction of host (accident victim), agent (injury deliverer) and environmental factors within situations, without involve risk taking and perception of danger – Suchman.

             An accident is an unexpected, unplanned event which has a probability of causing personal injury or property damage or both. It may result in physical harm (injury or disease) to person(s), damage to property, loss to the company, a near miss or any combination of these effects including delayed effect.

 An accident is an unexpected, unplanned event in a sequence of events, that occurs through a combination of causes, it results in physical harm (injury or disease) to an individual, damage to property, equipment, building etc., a near miss, loss to the company, or any combination of these effects.

 An accident is an unplanned, not necessarily injurious or damaging event that interrupts the completion of an activity. It is invariably preceded by an unsafe act or an unsafe condition or their combination.

 An industrial (occupational) accident is also defined a san undesirable event that result in a certain length of disability and stoppage of work and time loss due to the effect of a production-related dangerous factor or a combination of such factors.

 An occupational accident is presently regarded as an index or a symptom of dysfunction in a system formed by a production unit, such as a factory, a workshop, a shift or a workplace.

 Occupational accident is also defined as “any organic or functional injury or damage to body, limbs or health or psychic disorder due to an external, sudden or violent cause occurring during work or due to work itself and resulting in death or total or partial, permanent or temporary incapacity for work” Fata accident or death from accident is an accident that results in one or more deaths within one year from the date of accident.

 Philosophy of accident: it should be noted from above definitions of ‘accident’ that-

 1.         In accident phenomenon, which includes event and its effect, ‘event’ is more important then its ‘event’ Event or consequence may or may not be there. For example, a person getting chemical splash (exposure), struck by falling body, falling by striking against object, falling from height, getting electric shock or meeting with road accident may not get any injury or his normal activity may not be interrupted. Here event has taken place but it has not a notable effect. Even then this is an accident for the purpose of finding the ‘cause’ of event and remedial measures to prevent its recurrence.

 2.         Event may be one or more. One thing falls or may things fall one by one, only fire takes place or explosion follows the fire, events of primary and secondary explosion, collision of many vehicles, one persons die or more persons die in a sequence or due to different injuries in one accident may constitute one accident.

 3.         Idea of ‘accident by chance’ is not acceptable in safety philosophy. Each accident has its ‘cause’ or ‘cause’ that need inquiry, investigation and efforts to remove them. Considering accident as chance or fate does not help to prevent the accident and may result in another accident. Event if it is considered as chance, the ‘causes’ of that chance occurrence are important.

 4.         There may not be immediacy between event and effect. For example, pain or symptom may appear after repeated actions or few hours or days after the accident, cancer may occur after years from the exposure of a toxic substance. This delay or latency period’ hides the effect for some time. However such accident of delayed effect may prove most serious and needs thought investigation and effective control measures viz. pesticide poisoning and control.

 5.         Duration or span of event may be short or long Span of event should be considered from its beginning to the end of the effect or consequence. Therefore when effect occurs just after the event begins, duration of event is short and when effect occurs after a long time (i.e. delayed effect) form the beginning of the event duration of the event is long. Therefore in definition of accident, immediate or delayed, both the effects are included. Chronic disease (effect) requires events of long duration.

                         Legal definition of ‘non fatal injury accident’ or ‘dangerous occurrence’ makes it reportable after the duration of 48 hours from the time of accident. Thus legal definition of accident has considered 48 hours duration of event to notice any harmful effect. Accident causing death or possibility of death is to be reported immediately (Sec. 88 & 88A, the Factories Act).