Environmental factors causing accidents

Definition - What does Environmental factors causing accidents mean?

Environmental factors causing accidents are those factors that directly attributable to the environment of the immediate vicinity of the operator, workplace or the place of accident. Examples of environmental factors are visibility and sight, ambient temperature, relative humidity, sound pollution, air pollution including presence of toxic fumes or vapors, water pollution, poor housekeeping, time of the accident, population density in the vicinity of accident and compulsion of use of personal protective equipment (PPE) that restrict the ability of human sensors etc.

Safeopedia explains Environmental factors causing accidents

Environmental factors that may cause accidents are various. Some common examples include:

• Sight and visibility
• Ambient temperature
• Relative humidity
• Sound pollution
• Air pollution - including presence of toxic fumes or vapors
• Water pollution
• Poor housekeeping
• Population density in work area
• Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) that restricts human senses
• Operator fatigue
• Time of day