Citation

Mirzaei Aliabadi M, Aghaei H, Kalatpour O, Soltanian AR, SeyedTabib M. Epidemiol. Health 2018; 40: e2018019.

Affiliation

Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Modeling of Non-communicable Diseases Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Korean Society of Epidemiology)

DOI

10.4178/epih.e2018019

PMID

29807409

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Mines are a dangerous workplace worldwide with a high accident rate. According to the Statistical Center of Iran, the number of occupational accidents in Iranian mines has increased in recent years. This study determined and explained human and organizational deficiencies influencing Iranian mining accidents.

METHODS: In this study, the data associated with 305 mining accidents were investigated. The data were analyzed based on a systems analysis approach to identify critical deficiencies in organizational influences, unsafe supervision, preconditions for unsafe acts, and workers' unsafe acts. Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling [PLS-SEM] was utilized for modeling the interactions between these deficiencies.

RESULTS: It was demonstrated that organizational deficiencies had a direct positive effect on workers' violations (path coefficient=0.16) and workers' errors (path coefficient=0.23). The effect of unsafe supervision on workers' violations and workers' errors was also significant with the path coefficients of 0.14 and 0.20. Likewise, preconditions for unsafe acts also had a significant effect on both workers' violations (path coefficient=0.16) and workers' errors (path coefficient=0.21). Moreover, organizational deficiencies had an indirect positive effect on workers' unsafe acts mediated by unsafe supervision and preconditions for unsafe acts. Among the variables examined in the current study, organizational influences had the strongest impacts on workers' unsafe acts.

CONCLUSION: Organizational deficiencies are the main causes of accidents in mining sectors that affects all other aspects of system safety. For preventing occupational accidents, organizational deficiencies should be modified first.

Language: en

Keywords

accident analysis; human factors; mining accidents; structural equation modeling (SEM); unsafe acts