Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Definition:
Industrial safety is primarily a management activity which is concerned with
reducing, controlling and eliminating hazards from the industries or industrial units.
Importance of industrial safety
The danger of life of human being is increasing with advancement of scientific
development in different fields.
The importance of industrial safety was realized because every millions of industrial
accidents occur which result in either death or in temporary disablement or permanent
disablement of employees and involve large amount of losses resulting from danger to
property, wasted man hours and wasted hours.
More ever, from managerial perspective the importance of industrial safety in any
organization may be concluded by following facilitation:
e) Treatment: industrial safety management provides treatment for injuries and
illness at the work place.
f) Medical Examination: it carries out medical examination of staff joining the
organization or returning to work after sickness or accident.
g) Hazards identification.
h) Provision of protective devices.
i) Consultancy: it provides medical advised on other condition potentially affecting
health e.g. works canteen etc.
j) Education: it provides safety and health training.
Objectives of industrial safety:
k) to prevent accidents in the plant by reducing the hazard to minimum.
l) to eliminate accident caused work stoppage and lost production.
m) to achieve lower workmens compensation, insurance rates and reduce all other
direct and indirect costs of accidents.
n) to prevent loss of life, permanent disability and the loss of income of worker by
eliminating causes of accidents.
o) to evaluate employees morale by promoting safe work place and good working
condition.
p) to educate all members of the organization in continuous state of safety mindness
and to make supervision competent and intensely safety ninded.
A safety programmed includes mainly following four Es.
Engineering: i.e safety at the design, equipment installation stage.
Education: i.e. education of employees in safe practices.
Enlistment: it concerns the attitude of the employees and management to
wards the programmed and its purpose. Ti is necessary to arouse the
interest of employees in accident prevention and safety consciousness.
management leadership
assignment of responsibility
maintenance of safe working conditions
establishment of safety training
an accident record system
medical and first aid system.
acceptance of personal responsibilities by employees.
Safety tours
A safety inspection around a predetermined route or area of the work place
carried our by any one-of a range of personnel from works directors to safety
representatives to ensure that for example standards of housekeeping are at an acceptable
level, or that obvious hazards are removed or to ensure that generally safety standards are
observed. Typically tours last only fifteen minutes and are conducted at weekly intervals.
Safety sampling
A particular application of a safety inspection or tour designe to check on
one specific pre-selected safety aspect only, within the workplace or an agreed part of it.
This focuses attention on the particular safety matter and highlights the observation of
possible hazards.
The safety sample chosen can be concerned with plant, equipment, guarding, methods of
operation, lack of adherence to safe systems of work, non use of permit to work system,
forklift truck driving and training or any other. Safety samples should be carried out
regularly but with a random selection of the subject each time.
Hazard and operability study
The application of a formal critical examination to the process and
engineering intentions of now facilities to assess the hazard potential from mal operation
or multifunction of individual items of equipment and the consequential effects on the
facility as a whole. Remedial action cam then be planned at a very early stage of the
project with maximum effectiveness and at minimum cost. The techniques can also be
applied to existing plants and processes.
Whilst unsuspected hazards may be revealed by any of the above techniques, the use of a
formal checklist in project engineering design helps to ensure that the plant complies with
statutory requirement, and that account is taken of the best current safety techniques and
practices. Hearth and safety requirement should also be incorporated at the design stage
rather than taken on as an afterthought once the plant or process is in full operation.
The safety adviser has a contribution to make and should be a member of both the design
and hazard and operability teams.
Fire:
Fire like industrial accident is rarely experienced by most individuals on the other hand
fire is likely to affect directly large no: of people. The main causes of fire in industries
are ii) Electrical equipment. jj) Smoking. kk)Gas equipments. ll) Gas cutting and
welding. mm)Oil and petrol equipments.
nn)Rubbish burning.
oo)Spontaneous combustion.
As per report of fire prevention association (FPA) THE 0.26% of
total accidents was caused by the fire.
welfare facilities should be providing. kkkk)To prepare and keep up to date a written
safety policy supported by information on the organization and arrangements for
carrying out the policy. The safety policy has to be brought to the notice of
employees. llll)To consult with any safety representatives appointed by recognized
trade unions to enlist their cooperation in establishing and maintaining high standards
of safety.
mmmm)To establish a safety committee if required by two or more safety
representatives.
Safety equipment
There are following equipment are use in the industries for the safety purpose.
nnnn)Goggles
oooo)Glasses
pppp)Hand gloves
qqqq)Apron
rrrr)Safety shoes ssss)Anti
fire gas cylinders
Introduction
Millions of industrial accidents occur every year. In these accidents, lacs of
workers loss their lives every year in the world. Accidents may cause injury, which
sometimes result in death or permanent total displacement. Seriousness of this problem
can be judged by the following figures. In Pakistan, casualties per industrial accidents at
any yearly average are nearly 50 to 60 thousands, out which nearly 600 causes death,
while in UK the average casualties per year nearly 2.5 lacs out which nearly 3000 causes
death. The figure is maximum in USA where average casualties are nearly 20 lacks out
which nearly 15,000 causes death. Statistics shows that 98% accidents can be avoided;
only 2% accidents cannot be prevented. (Ind: Org: & Engg: Eco) tttt)What is an
Accidents: (definitions)
An accident may be defined as an unplanned event or happening. This is, an
accident is something unexpected, not predictable, foreseen or intended. An extension of
this theme is that an accident is an outcome of an event that is not desired. Accidents do
not just "happen" they are caused. An unsafe act and / or unsafe condition cause the
accident event; resulting in interruption to work activities, damage to property or injury to
a person.
Every accident has one or more identifiable causes. The employer is responsible
for ensuring a safe system of work is in place and therefore must take action to prevent
accidents from occurring or recurring.
For some, this concept still causes difficulty. The term "accident" suggests that an
event occurred itself, with some degree of chance and it implies no blame or
responsibility. Some people associate or equate an accident
An industrial accident may be defined as an event, detrimental (harmful) to the
health of man, suddenly occurring and originating from external sources, and which is
associated with the performance of a paid job, accompanied by an injury, followed by
disability or even death. (O.P.Khana)
OR
An event that takes place all of a sudden unexpectedly resulting in some thing
bad is called an accident. For example a plant catches fire or a person receiving an
electric current or any labor cuts his finger in a machine or some bad incidents, which
can be called as accidents. (PPC).
OR
"Any occurrence that interferes with the orderly progress of activity" (Industrial
Organization)
Question No: 1
Discuss the events leading up to an accident by considering domino sequence theory
& multiple causation theory.
An unsafe
Heinrich likens these five stages to five dominoes standing on edge in a line next to each
other, so that when the first domino falls it automatically knocks down its neighbor which
in turn knocks down its neighbor and so on. Removal of any one of the first four will
break the sequence and so prevent the injury.
In fact, Heinrich suggested that accident prevention should aim to remove or eliminate
the middle or third domino, representing the unsafe act, mechanical or physical hazard,
thus preventing the accident.
During accident investigation, in addition to asking `what action has been taken to
prevent recurrence', the investigator needs to be aware of the chain of events leading up
to the accident, and tracing it back. Similarly, on safety audits and inspections, when the
risk of an accident has been identified, possible event chain should be investigated and
action taken to remove potential cause
multicauses and the process during accident investigation of following each branch back
to its root is known as `fault tree analysis".
The theory of multicausation is that:
"The contributing causes combine together in a random fashion to result in an accident.
"
During accident investigation, there is a need to identify as many of these causes as
possible. In reality, the accident model is a combination of both the domino and
multicausality theories.
Peterson has compared and contrasted both theories and gives an example which
illustrates the comparative narrowness of the domino theory in relation to the
multicausality theory and concludes that this has severely limited the identification and
control of the underlying causes of accident.
The theory of multicausality has its basis in epidemiology. Gordon points out that
accidental injury could be considered with epidemiological techniques. He believes that
if the characteristics of the host(accident victim), of the agent (the injury deliverer) and
of supporting environment5 could be described in details, more understanding of accident
causes could be achieved than by following the Domino Technique of looking for a single
cause only. Essentially, Gordons theory is that the accident is the result of a complex and
random interaction between the host, the agent and the environment, and can not be
explained by consideration only one of the three.
Causes of accidents: (OPKHANA)
As we know that an accident is an unplanned incident and for each such incident there is
usually a specific cause or causes if one could but discover them
Mechanical Factors
Accidents may be caused due to;
1. Technical causes -------------Unsafe conditions---Environmental
Factors.
2. Human
factors.
causes------------------Unsafe
acts----------Personal
i.
Improper
complete exhaustion. Besides these proper hours of working and by creating atmosphere
of cooperation and happiness, fatigue can be reduced.
Proper speed of work:
Accidents frequently occur when the work is performed at a speed much
greater than that, which is desirable. Therefore the speed of the worker in an office or
factory should be controlled. Workers should be encouraged to work at such a speed that
they can maintain their efficiency and work throughout the day without unnecessary
fatigue.
Organization of safety committee:
Another measure for preventing accidents suggested by
psychologist is the formation of safety committee. Such committees help to train the
worker, make him more safety conscious and also help to develop or invent new safety
techniques.
Safety campaigns and posters:
Safety can also be promoted by organizing a safety campaign in factory
and office. Posters and slogans can also be used in such a campaign. These will help the
worker to control his actions.
Habits of safety:
Despite all the satiety measures adopted, by far the best and the most
successful method is the creation of habits of safety. Such habits can be developed
through training and other similar methods.
Motivating Safety:
Workers should be motivated to work cautiously. One way of doing it is to
increase the salary of those workers who follow the safety regulations.
Safe Material Handling:
The employer should provide mechanical means of conveyance to
ensure the safety of the workers engaged in material handling. The transport workers
should not be asked to lift more than the permissible load. Proper material handling
equipments must be used and should be according to nature of the goods.
Use of personal protective devices:
For any type of industrial worker it is always advisable to use personal
protective devices such as safety hard hats, ear protector, face mask, welding helmets,
goggles gas mask, gloves, safety body belt, apron etc. All and other more safety devices
ultimately help the worker to safe guard himself from any sudden mishap.
Effects Of an accident:
There are three types of effects of any accident;
I. Personal Effects.
2. Social Effects.
3. Other Effects.
1. Personal Effects: They include;
a death, b disability, c physical
suffering,
d. Psychological suffering
e. Loss of ability for efficient working
f. Loss of earning capability.
2. Social Effects: They include;
a. An asset in the form of earning hand becomes a liability
b. Social status may get lost.
c. Family humiliation of disability is prolonged or permanent.
3. Other Effects:
a. Loss of man hours.
b. Loss of machine hours.
c. Loss of material
d. Damaged machinery
e. Damaged property
f. Loss of capitalg
Loss of capital
h.
Compensation cost. These include;
Types of Accidents:
These are classified as follows;
Lost time accident:
In this type of accident compensation is paid by the employer to the worker,
because the severity of the accident.
Home cases:
No compensation is paid, only rest and medical treatment is provided by the
employer.
First aid cases: In this case,
The effect is minor so that the worker can resume duty after getting
necessary first aid at the factory dispensary.
Traffic accidents: They include;
(a) Collision between moving vehicles
(b) Collision with fixed objects.
Machine Accidents: These accidents may happen due to;
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Categories of accidents
There are mainly five different categories of accidents;
1. Minor accidents.
2. Reportable accidents.
3. Fatal accidents
4. Dangerous occurrences.
5. Accidents or injuries caused as a result of poising.
1. Minor Accidents: As it is clear from the word "MINOR" that this category of
accident includes only those accidents that are less harmful in nature to workers
and thus preventing the employee from working for the period less than 48 hours
from the time of the accident. !t also means that these accidents are not reported
to the higher management and thus are easily controlled by the foremen and
supervisor.
2. Reportable Accidents: in this category the nature of accident is little bit
complicated then the minor accidents. Here injuries caused to the worker prevent
him from working for the period of 48 hours or more. Thus, it is the duty of
supervisor to report to the higher management to temporary arrange an other
worker so that the production could not be affected.
3. Fatal Accidents: This category includes the highly complicated accidents that
could result in the death of the injured worker. The death could occur on the spot
of the accident or due to unbearable injuries causes to the worker means when
worker could not sustain those injuries.
4. Dangerous Occurrences:
(a) Bursting of vessel for containing steam under pressure greater than
atmospheric pressure.
(b) Collapse or failure of crank or other appliances.
(c) Explosion or fire causing damage to any room or place where persons are
employed or fire in the room of cotton pressing factories when a cotton opener
is in use.
(d) Explosion of receiver or container used for storage at a pressure greater than
atmospheric pressure of any gas or any liquid including air.
(e) Collapse or subsidence of any floor, glary, roof. Bridge, tunnel or chimney,
wall or building.
5. Accidents or injuries caused as a result of poising or occupational disease
(Textile, Cement, Stone crushing, flourmills, Coalmines, Chimneys, etc) causing
disease as Asthma, TB, Heart attack, etc).
ffffff)Increasing Rate Of Accidents Creates:
1. Sense of insecurity.
2. Fear among workers.
3. Deterioration in their overall performance.
4. No substitute if worker disable or losses his life.
5. Lost of goodwill of workers.
Injured person:
(i) Suffering and pain
(ii) Worry
(iii)
Absence of recreation
(iv)Loss of wages
(v) Medical expenses (vi) Loss of limb of life
2, Supervisor:
{i)
Worry
(ii) Loss of prestige
(iii)
Selecting a training substitute
(iv)More supervision required for new man
(v) Loss of output (vi)
Loss of Moral/confidence.
3. Management:
(a) Direct:
(1) Compensation (ii)
Payments (iii) Medical
expenses.
(b) Indirect:
(i) Last of time of injured person.
(ii) Lost time of other employees
{iii} Lost time of foremen, supervisor or other executives
(iv)Cost of time spend by first aid attendant
(v) Cost due to damage to machines, tools, and other properties due to
spoilage of material
(vi)Incidental cost due to interference with production (whole assembly line
could be stopped_)
(vii)
Cost under employee welfare and benefits schemes. (Company
will pay them.
(viii)
Cost due to continuous of wages of injured worker in full for
specified period.
(ix)Cost due to less of profit on the injured worker...
(x) Overhead cost per injured worker.
(xi)Miscellaneous expenses such as for hiring and training new employees,
over time wages, renting equipments, etc gggggg)Total society is bearing
the cost of accidents.
Accident Investigation:
As we know that we have three different types of accidents and according to these
the investigation procedure varies. The three types are;
I.
Minor Accidents.
2. Reportable Accidents
Numerical scales for assessing severity, M.P. L and probability will be needed
to work out the hazard rating. This then enables priorities to be set, and corrective
action to be planned.
HAZARD CONTROL
The control either elimination or reduction of the hazards within an organization
requires careful planning and its achievement will involve both short term i.e.
temporary and long term i.e. permanent measures.
ssssss)Eliminate hazard at source.
tttttt)Reduce hazard at source.
uuuuuu)Remove employee from hazard.
vvvvvv)Contain hazard by enclosure.
wwwwww)Reduce employee's exposure to hazard.
xxxxxx)Utilize protective equipment.
The long-term aim must always be to eliminate the hazard at source, but whilst
attempting to achieve this aim, other short term actions e.g; Utilization of the
protective equipment will be necessary. This list indicates an 'order-of priority for
remedial measures for any hazard situation.
Various techniques are available to control hazards within the workplace.
Mechanical hazards may be engineered out of the process, or effectively enclosed
by means of fixed guarding. Alternative forms of guarding involve the use of
interlocked guards, light-sensitive barriers or pressure-sensitive mats. Trip devices
and other form of emergency stops may also be incorporated.
Hazard from the working environment may be controlled by effective ventilation
system, adequate heating and lighting, and general provision of good working
conditions.
Chemical hazards may also be controlled by effective ventilation, regular
monitoring, substitution of material, change of process, purchasing controls and the
use of protective equipment.
A necessary corollary of hazard assessment is the establishment of safe system of
work and training for the work force to make them aware of the hazards in their work
areas, and of the methods for the control of such hazards.
Accident Proneness
Introduction: Examination of safety records often show that out of all the workers
doing the same job and being subjected to the same physical environments, only few
have substantially more accidents than the rest. Such few workers, who are found
consistently to experience more accidents than the other workers, are classified as
ACCIDENT PRONE workers or employees.
Definition Accident proneness is defined as "the continuing tendency of a person to have
more accidents as a result of his persisting characteristics".
1.
2.
3.
4.
the management have not given him the work according to his physical
condition then the chances of accident are high. Thus the worker would not
be able to perform his jab well and thus losses his stamina quickly.
(4) Improper working conditions: It means that if the worker is not provided
with the suitable working condition, it could be resulted in accident. Because
poor working condition can causes fatigue, mental stress, deterioration of
health, etc to the worker thus he could not be able to given his maximum
performance. For example the temperature of the workplace should be
maintained to the required temperature the body needs, proper lightning
should be there so that worker could easily see his job, etc.
(5) Distaste of the job: This factor very much influences the ratio of accident
proneness. Because if the worker is not happy with the jab offered to him,
the study shows that he will not perform well and causes more accidents.
Thus it is very important to give the worker the job he is interested to do, this
will reduce his proneness to accidents and helps the organization to increase
its productivity.
(6) Lack of training, proficiency and skill to do work: It means that the
worker after appointed for any job should be trained properly because
research shows that people who are not clearly aware of their jab causes
more accidents then those who are fully trained in their job means that they
should be proficient in their work. It is also necessary to verify the skills of
the worker and then accordingly place him to his proper job. For example a
worker who is skilled in doing welding then he should be appointed in the
welding shop not in paint shop.
(7) Unsafe behavior of worker: This is another cause that leads us to accident
proneness. Because some time workers intentionally do not use safety
devices because of there over confidence that not only cost them their life
but also put other workers and management in great trouble.
(8) Insufficient intelligence: It is a natural phenomenon that any technical work
needs some degree of intelligence and this degree vary from job to job. Thus
if the worker is not enough intelligent to perform his job, he should be
moved to the job according to his level of intelligence so to reduce the
accident proneness.
(9) Immature age: This cause indicates that while appointing the worker for
any job, the age factor should be kept in mind. Because asking a teenage boy
to perform the worker of some mature man or vice versa, finally results in
accident proneness. Thus, it is very important to specify the age requirement
of each job to avoid accidents.
(10)
Sex: Sex is another important cause of accident proneness. As we all
know that there are some working categories means there are some jobs that
are only for men and other only for women. So to avoid accident proneness
it is important to distribute the jobs according to gender
(11)
Other Causes;
PSYCHOLOGICAL
l.
Poor eyesight
1.
Short temperament
2.
Color blindness
2.
Inferiority complex
3.
Sluggishness (Laziness)
3.
Over confidence
4.
Too bulky
4.
Excessive liabilities.
5.
5.
Lack of professionalism
6,
6.
Wrong attitude
7.
Poor hearing
7.
Lack of concentration
8.
Depression
9.