Universal and individual risk

摘要

When man first developed implements to assist him with obtaining the basic elements of life, he also introduced risk. If a stick could be used as a club to subdue large animals thus providing food, the stick could also cause harm to the user or other individuals. Today we have advanced far beyond using a stick as a club, and in the process we have introduced unimaginable risk to all of society. A simple examination of the machinery man has invented over time, and especially in the last century, would easily reveal the hazards associated with its use. Over the past several decades, the safety of individuals operating and maintaining machinery has become the focus of many institutions. This is not to suggest that the safety of machinery was ignored or not considered earlier during its evolution. It is the author's observation that safety of machinery has become its own discipline within the past 60 to 70 years.