Final answer:
Accidents frequently occur when operators fail to follow safety guidelines or instructions, which can be due to various human factors like distraction or lack of training. Examples from industry and driving show high percentages of such accidents, with preventative measures like checklists and regulations aiming to reduce them.
Step-by-step explanation:
Many accidents happen because the operator does not adhere to safety guidelines or fails to follow instructions. This could be due to various reasons, such as distraction, fatigue, or a lack of proper training.
As seen in examples from industrial plants to automobile driving, a significant percentage of accidents can be attributed to human error or failure to comply with safety protocols. For instance, a safety engineer investigates accidents in her plant and finds that 35% are caused by workers not following instructions, while the American Automobile Association indicates that driver error accounts for 54% of all fatal auto accidents.
In regulated industries like aviation, implementing checklists and setting limits on operation times, such as the restrictions by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), are critical measures to prevent operator-related accidents.