Citation

Takala J. Safety Sci. 1993; 17(1): 13-28.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1993, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Background. This study is based on observed hazards at enterprises in a developing country. The data collection and processing was carried out using a Walk-Through Survey method. The risk prevalences in small and large enterprises reported earlier revealed key elements for prevention.Method. This paper, based on a collected data matrix of safety and health information in industries in Thailand, attempts to analyse associations between various hazards or problems in industries grouping selected problems together. Altogether 27 groups were established to act as trial models where associations were expected, and as an initial hypothesis to be confirmed by the statistical analysis. The initial 27 models were based on more than 2000 crosstabulations between pairs of hazards or influencing factors. Three successfully tested models each containing eight interlinked hazards or factors are presented. The method used was hierarchical log-linear analysis.Results. A number of associations between various hazard categories were established. The data were obtained from a developing country but it is likely that similar associations exist in other countries where similar industries exist as well. Lack of knowledge about hazards, poor personal protection and poor housekeeping were found to be interlinked with a number of mechanical, physical, chemical and ergonomic hazards or problems.Conclusions. These detected interrelationships of individual hazard categories help us in understanding the reasons of occupational accidents and diseases and this information can be of particular interest for accident prevention programmes.