|
Abstract
|
There are two fundamentally opposed philosophies concerning accidents. One holds that an accident is the hand of fate reaching out to govern the course of human event's. The other hold that human beings are self determining agents who can guide their own destinies and thus avoid accidents. While each of these use doubtless has its own parents, it is probable that many people except both philosophies, apply whichever seems more appropriate in a given instance.
An important factor governing people's thinking with respect to accidents is their conception of what the word accident means let us see how authorities defined accident, so that our later discussion will have more meaning one source defines it as:
Anything that happens; and occurrence; event especially anything occurring unexpectedly or without known I thought all cause, any unpleasant or unfortunate occurrence that causes injury loss suffering or death. [New Standard Dictionary of the English Language. (New York: Funk and Wagnalls, 1938) p. 19.]
Here both points of view are expressed. The one says an accident is anything occurring without known or assignable cause implies the exercise of the power beyond that of man. The other defining an accident as any occurrence that causes injury, loss, suffering, or death, by omitting mention of cause presumably includes occurrences brought about either by man or by some other force.
A second source defines "lost time" accident as: An unexpected event resulting in injury to a person to the extent that he is unable to perform his duties during a period extending beyond the remainder of the day or shift [Carter V. Good, ed., Dictionary of Education (1st. ed.; New York: McGraw-Hill, 1945), p. 4]....
Through common usage the word accident is generally applied without qualification to all classes of mishaps, including those clearly caused by man as well as those clearly caused by nonhuman force. This double use of the word accident has created undesirable confusion.
It is, perhaps, unfortunate that there are not two separate terms, one for unforeseen and unpleasant events that are in the "act of God category", the other for unforeseen and unpleasant events caused by man. Because so many people consider every event that is labeled accident and act of God, it is difficult to create in their minds the concept that their own human actions, more often than not, spell the difference between safety and danger....
(term-accident-vs-injury)
Language: en |