Incident and accident

Incident and accident are close terms, to the point that they are often confused. However, there are differences: an incident is an event that may or may not cause damage; while an accident is an event that generates material and human damage of varying severity.

Definition of incident

An incident is an event that can be potentially harmful, but does not initially have serious human or material consequences . In other words, the incident can become an accident and everything changes there.

Therefore, if it is necessary to generate a measure in the power of the damage or the severity, in the case of the incident it is insignificant or null. They also happen unexpectedly. But we repeat it: they can turn into accidents, that is why incidents can be classified as an almost: “I slipped and nothing happened”, “an object fell and no one was around”, “a substance was spilled but no one I touch it”.

Incidents are very common in the workplace, of which they attract almost all its conceptualization. However, as noted above, it can extend to any facet of life. Existence itself is more full of incidents than accidents.

Incident examples

The essential characteristic of the incident is that it has a virtual quota or potential of damage. Some examples of incidents below.

• Spill of a liquid.
• Deterioration of facilities and tools.
• Any deterioration of an environment that does not lead to a serious accident.
• Chairs in poor condition, loose lamps, an elevator that is not working well, chemical materials to expire, chemical materials as waste separated in a proper way.
• Electrical flashers,
• Damaged stairs.

Definition of accident

Instead, the accident is also an event of unforeseen existence that generates material and human damage, developed both spontaneously and planned . The latter, naturally, would be classified as a crime. Here the degree of the event is serious or very far from the null or insignificant of the incident.

Therefore, if the incident is a harmful power, we can say that the accident is a harmful actuality. In other words, the harmful virtual component of an incident became a reality. Then, that ladder that was in poor condition fell over and, what is worse, it generated tremendous blows to a couple of people (material and human damage).

The working world is also an excellent field of examples of accidents, which usually have machinery as protagonists and, above all, human beings. Various laws in the world protect people from these kinds of negative events.

Examples of accident

Therefore, the accident is an unforeseen event that causes both material and human damage (almost always both occur simultaneously). Here are some examples:

• Ailments in the backs of workers due to the use of chairs in poor condition.
• Respiratory pathologies resulting from the inhalation of harmful chemical substances.
• Ear problems due to a high noise environment.
• Falls on slippery floors.
• Falls on stairs that are in poor condition.
• Elevator accidents or elevators that are not in condition.
• Collapses of any type of infrastructure.
• Traffic accidents, with or without the presence of passersby.