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GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
The interdependence between working conditions and productivity is increasingly
recognised. The first move in this direction came when people began to realise that
occupational accidents had economic as well as physical consequences, although at first
only their DIRECT COSTS (Medical Care that results from treating an injured,
Compensation for the injured person).
INDIRECT COSTS of occupational accidents (Working time lost by an injured
person, The witness and accident investigators, Production Stoppages, Material
Damage, Work Delays, Possible Legal and Other Costs, Reduced Output when the
injured person is replaced and subsequently when he/she returns to duty)
3. SAFETY CRITERIA
Occupational Accidents
Def: Are unforeseen events that cause injury or death to a worker and occur in the
place where a worker must do his work?
The most common accidents are not caused by DANGEROUS MACHINES (1.circular
saws, 2.spindle moulding machines, 3.power presses) nor DANGEROUS
SUBSTANCES (1.explosives, 2.volatile flammable liquids, 3.chemicals), but rather quite
ordinary actions like 1. Stumbling, 2.Falling, faulty handling of tools, 3. Being struck by
a falling objects.
In modern industry there are a variety of both VISIBLE and INVISIBLE HAZARDS at
the workplace
VISIBLE HAZARDS
Unfenced scaffoldings
Openings in the floor
Dripping or leaking of chemicals
Unlocked working zone of a robot
INVISIBLE HAZARDS
Inert gases
Welding fumes
Noise
Vibration
Unforeseen mixture of chemicals
Occupational Disease
Def: Is an illness that may result from work situation.
Some examples are: Lung disease can be contracted from working mines (asbestos)
: Heart and headaches from doing stressful work (managers)
Work related disease; priority should be given to technical preventive measures with an
emphasis on the effective use of control technologies. Where impossible provide group
safety equipment, use should be made of supplementary work organisation measures,
which, may include a reduction of the duration of exposure to risk. Workers must be
provided with suitable protective equipment.
Hazardous Conditions
Def: Working conditions that can cause accidents, disease, or illness to a worker.
Examples:
Major fires
Explosions
Dispersion of toxic chemicals
Gases
High heat
Pressure
Chemical reactions
4. THE PREVENTION OF INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS
The principles of fire prevention and protection:
To design buildings, processes and storage facilities in such way as to limit the
possible combination of oxygen, fuel and an increase in temperature. (the
construction of facilities and processes should always strive to reduce the possibility
of a fire development and spreading. Fire exists in all workplaces, and good
housekeeping also considerably reduces risk)
To eliminate or reduce sources of heat or ignition, thus limiting the rise of
temperature. (measures such as restricting open flames, for example welding torches
and banning smoking cigarettes.)
The preparedness for fire emergencies should always be organised by management
along the following lines:
4.1 Every worker should have an emergency plan with information detailing the
role of every worker in case of fire erupts
4.2 There should be at least two clear, properly marked, unobstructed exists
leading to areas of safety.
4.3 The must be a way of notifying personnel of a need to evacuate, such as an
alarm system
4.4 The right type of fire extinguisher should be provided in adequate numbers
for the given risk, and placed accordingly.
4.5 Every worker should have hands-on training concerning the proper use of
the extinguisher.
4.6 The provision of automatic fire protection such as sprinklers has proved to
be very effective in protecting escape route for workers as well as rapidly
controlling fire.
5. MAJOR HAZARD CONTROL
The basic components of major hazard control systems are:
A. Identifying major hazard installations (government authorities & management
should set up, on priority, a basis system to identify plants where major hazards
exist)
B. Information about the plant (once the plants have been identified, additional
information needs to be collected about their design & operation. The information
presented in a form of a report, should be gathered and arranged systematically,
and be accessible to everyone concerned in the industry)
C. Action inside the plant (management has the primary responsibility for operating
and maintaining a safe plant. A sound safe policy is therefore required. Technical
inspection, maintenance, plant modification, and training and selection of suitable
personnel must be carried out according to sound procedures. Accidents should be
investigated & reports be submitted to the authorities)
D. Emergency planning (all elements focus on the prevention of the occurrence of
major accidents. Emergency planning aims at mitigating the consequences of
major accidents. Management may need to : set up and train fire brigade, provide
alarm systems with a direct line to the fire brigade, draw up emergency plan, and
coordinate with the authorities regarding their contingency plan)
7. GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
Def: Amounts to neatness of the work area and serviceability of equipment.
Good housekeeping involves certain basic elements:
7.1 Unnecessary items should be disposed of: those that will not be used should be
thrown away.
7.2 Tools & equipment should be arranged in a way that allows easy access and
return to their designated place.
7.3 Gangways and passages should be kept clear and the floor painted with lines at
least 5cm wide that distinguish them as such.
7.4 The work area should be clean.
7.5 Working clothes should also be kept clean in order to reduce the skin-absorption
hazard of certain toxic substances.
7.6 Workers employed on dirty jobs or exposed to dangerous substances should have
wash-rooms with a tap for every three or four workers.
8. LIGHTING
It is estimated that 80% of information required in doing a job is perceived visually.
Good visibility of the equipment, the product and data involved in the work process is
an essential factor in accelerating production, reducing number of defective products,
cutting down waste and preventing visual fatigue and headaches among workers.
It may also be added that inadequate visibility and glare are frequently causes of
accidents. Visibility depends on number of factors: size and colour of the work piece,
its distance from eyes, the persistence of the image, light intensity, colour contrast,
and lighting levels with the background.
Visibility means the ability of a worker to see all aspects of work environment in
which he/she works.
The use of natural light should be encouraged by installing windows that are open.
However, daylight varies with the season, time of a day, the absence & presence of
blinds. For this reason it is essential to have artificial lighting available all the time
should need to use it arise – the use of artificial light will enable people to maintain
proper vision & will ensure that lighting intensity ratios between the task.
Fluorescent lighting offers considerable potential for rational use. This type has a
good colour-rendering properties and annual costing in relation to incandescent
lighting as number of hours increase. Lighting can be measured by using light meter.
Uses of Colour
Experience shows that the careful choice of interior colour schemes makes valuable
contribution to good lighting. The colours used have psychological effects which
should not be overlooked. The colours of machinery & equipment are supplementary
safety factors.
Control of Lighting
In order to make the best use of lighting in the workplace, the following shoul be
taken into account:
I. For uniform light distribution, install an independent switch for the row of
lighting fixtures closest to the window.
II. To prevent glare, avoid using highly shiny glossy work surfaces
III. Use localised lighting in order to achieve the desired level for a particular fine
job.
IV. Clean light fixtures regularly and follow a maintenance so to prevent
flickering of old bulbs
V. Avoid direct eye contact with light sources
VI. For work with visual display units (VDUs): (general light level should be
relatively low, not exceed 50 lux; avoid glare by suitable positioning of the
VDU; ensure that there’s no reflected light source by the user on screen;
contrast & luminance must be adjustable; if additional lighting is needed, it
must be adjustable and positioned)
9. NOISE
Def: It means any disagreeable or undesired sound. Sound-level are used to measure
the pressure variations producing audible sounds. The practical unit to measure noise is
DECIBEL (dB), and the frequency is Hertz (Hz)
Noise is the cause of various problems (1. it impedes sound communication, firstly by the
acoustical masking effect which sound has on other sounds of the same frequency, and
secondly by temporarily raising the acoustic threshold in the event of exposure to a noise)
Noise may cause sensori-motor, neuro-vegetative and metabolic disorders, it has been
named as a cause of industrial fatigue, irritation, reduced productivity and occupational
accidents
Noise environments such as: weaving mill, workshop full of automatic machines can
cause occupational deafness.
Intermittent noise from rams used for digging foundations for heavy machines, riveting
hammers, pile drivers large mechanical presses. Prolonged exposure to noise causes
permanent damage to hearing and results in occupational deafness.
12. VENTILATION
Def: Is the dynamic parameter that complements the concept of air space, it replaces
contaminated air by fresh air. Circulation moves air without renewing it.
Work Ventilation:
Disperses the heat generated by machines and people at work; consequently,
where machines and people are grouped together the must be ventilation
intensified.
Dilutes atmospheric contamination
Maintains the feeling of air freshness
Natural ventilation may be obtained through opening windows or wall or roof air-
vents
13. EXPOSURE TO TOXIC SUBSTANCES
Pollution of the work environment by airborne contaminants is caused by toxic
substances released during the work process in the form of dust containing slica,
gases, vapours, or mists, solvents in cleaning work, and sulphur dioxide or chlorine
leaking from pipes, mineral oils, aniline, fumes.
Corrective Measures:
Remove the hazard by controlling the release of toxic substances into the
work environment
Preventing leaks joints of pipes
Providing local exhaust systems to remove the airborne contaminants at the
source
Introducing changes in the process itself
Reduction of exposure time of workers
Supply appropriate personal protective equipment to the task
15. ERGONOMICS
Def: Is concerned with the study of the individual operator or working team, and
the provision of data for design.
Ergonomics aims at:
Enhancing functional effectiveness, while improving human welfare
Ensuring workers well-being through appropriate working conditions
Method of work
Productivity implications
Safety aspects
To facilitate psycho-sensorial functions in reading instrument display
To make handling machines levers and controls easier
To avoid unnecessary information recall efforts
Electronics display requires specific guidelines for their selection, installations and
use. Singleton proposes some general principles concerning display, are as follows:
Display must be based on a clear definition of task
Three kinds of display: pictorial, qualitative, and quantitative displays are used only
when numbers are essential to task
Most tasks operator receives information both real work process & from artificial
display representing it
When information is to be presented artificially has been assessed, it must be
allocated. (between 3 sensory channels: visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic, between
dynamic and static display)
In designing display for maximum speed and minimum attention – use the
kinaesthetic channel
For maximum attention, use the auditory channel
For maximum precision and agreement between operators, use visual channel.