Characterisation of Accidents at Work in the Manufacturing Industry: In the Pursuit of Their Prevention

Abstract

Considering that more than half of the world's population is economically active, safe working environments are vital to improving their overall quality of life. Accident research aims to understand accidents, characterise them, and search for their causes to implement preventive actions. Thus, this study will search for relevant information about the characterisation of accidents at work in the manufacturing industry pursuing their prevention. Following the guidelines of PRISMA Statement, this review aims to obtain relevant information about the portrayal of accidents at work in the manufacturing industry. Three databases, namely: Scopus, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore, are used to develop a data search based on the defined keywords. A total of 6 publications are included in the scoping review. Topics such as sample characteristics, context assessment, research methods and major study conclusions are analysed. Accidents at work were studied in different manufacturing companies. The main types of accidents found were: “falls”, “caught in, on and between”, and “got cut”. The top causes for accidents were: “human element”; “nature of work”; “poor management” and “equipment”. Proactive actions such as training, effective leadership, equipment management and work reorganisation are recommended to identify risk situations upstream.