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Assessment of the risk of occupational accidents using a “fuzzy” approach

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Abstract

This paper presents an assessment method of the risks of occupational accidents based on fuzzy logic. The purpose of this work was to create a methodological instrument that can semiquantitatively assess the risk of occupational accidents for different industrial and site activities and to identify the most efficient intervention measures that can be taken to reduce risks. This approach, which is new in the assessment of the risk of occupational accidents, allows qualitative, imprecise and in some cases contradictory data to be elaborated, as the data that describe an occupational accident usually are. The set-up analysis model therefore allows (1) an assessment to be made of the level of risk of a work phase and/or a work sector, (2) a verification and quantification to be made of the reduction of the risk after having adopted preventive and/or protective measures and (3) a priority of interventions to be established on the basis of the assessed risk levels. It can be seen how the method, here applied to a company producing industrial vehicle tyres, can be considered applicable for any type of company, with the only prerequisite of having a record of sufficient and homogeneous number of accidents so as to be able to correctly instruct the software and tune the reference parameters.

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Abbreviations

ACT:

Accidents consequences tree

ASL:

Azienda Sanitaria Locale (Local Health Service)

CTD:

Cumulative trauma disorders

ESAW:

European Statistics on Accidents in the Work

ISPESL:

Istituto Superiore per la Prevenzione e Sicurezza del Lavoro (Higher Institute for Prevention and Safety at Work)

INAIL:

Istituto Nazionale Assicurativo Infortuni sul Lavoro (National Insurance Institute against Occupational Accidents)

PPD:

Personal protective devices

SIPRE:

Sistema Informativo per la Prevenzione (Knowledge System for Prevention)

SPRESAL:

Servizio di Prevenzione e Sicurezza negli Ambienti di Lavoro (Prevention and Safety at Work Service)

E :

contact factor

F :

frequency of occurrence

L :

degree of protective measures

M :

possible damage

R :

risk

S :

severity of the consequence

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr. Simone Cencetti, in charge of the Safety Department of Pirelli, Mr. Domenico Cisotto, in charge of the Safety and Environment Department of the Pirelli Industrial Vehicle Company in Settimo Torinese and Dr. Andrea Dotti, in charge of the SPRESAL ASL 7 Service in Chivasso and the inspectors of the same service.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. SAfeR—Centro Studi su Sicurezza, Affidabilità e Rischi, Dip. Scienza dei Materiali e Ingegneria Chimica, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24, 10129, Torino, Italy

    S. Murè, M. Demichela & N. Piccinini

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  1. S. Murè
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  2. M. Demichela
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  3. N. Piccinini
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Correspondence to S. Murè.

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Murè, S., Demichela, M. & Piccinini, N. Assessment of the risk of occupational accidents using a “fuzzy” approach. Cognition,Technology & Work 8, 103–112 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10111-005-0025-5

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