A Conceptual Analysis of the Accident Phenomenon

Abstract

Research begins with a description and, hopefully, a definition of the phenomenon to be studied. The term at present is not a scientific construct but rather a commonsense word generally used to describe some unforeseen or chance event that produces bodily injury or property damage. The major emphasis of most common sense usage of the term accident seems to be upon the unexpectedness and undesirability of the phenomena. An accident usually occurs swiftly with some sudden and unanticipated turn of event that takes the unfortunate and innocent victim by surprise. It is over quickly, and there is the general feeling that little can be done except to clean up the damage. And so, although accidents constitute one of the leading causes of death and disability, we find extremely little of the kind of research activity that characterizes modern medicine's attack on such killers as heart disease and cancer, or such disablers as polio or cerebral palsy. Much of this lack of research activity seems traceable to the current inadequacy of any systemic approach to the definition and conceptualization of the accident phenomena. There is a need to examine accidental events in an attempt to remove them from the area of the unpredictable and uncontrollable. Our hope is that once accidents can be viewed as one aspect of human behavior, rather than the results of purely chance events, the full force of social and psychological theory and research might be brought to bear toward an increased understanding of them. Research on accidents must begin with an attempt to define more clearly which events shall be called accidents. It is doubtful that any single definition will cover all types of advanced of interest to the student of accidents. Much will depend upon the objectives or special interests of the researcher. If we view an accident as the end product of a sequence of acts or events which result in some unanticipated consequence that is judged as undesirable we can immediately see that what is called unanticipated and undesirable may vary from individual to individual, from situation to situation, and even from culture to culture. These are subjective terms which are not easily amenable to rigorous definition.... (term-accident-vs-injury)