JANUARY SEMESTER 2010

SAFETY, HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT (EMSH5103)

ASSIGNMENT

SHARMAN MOHAMED SHARIFF

CGS00421017

PART A
Question 1

Calculate the Incident Rate (IR) for a company with 150 employees, working 40 hours/week and
has a recorded injuries of 5. Use OSHA constant of 200,000 man-hours.

List FIVE (5) safety initiatives which can improve safety performance and briefly explain each.

Calculating Incident Rate may be required by OSHA. It is also a good way of seeing your
company's safety performance and to compare that performance to other companies. This rate
relates to injuries and illnesses only, and may also be called Incidence Rate.

The steps taken in establishing and calculating Incident Rate are as follows:

 Decide what time frame you want to consider. Ensure you have access to the records
you may need in order to gather your data.

 Figure out the man hours worked for the time period you're looking at. These man hours
should include both salary and hourly and should NOT include vacation time, even if it
was paid vacation. You may have time-sheets you can look up the hours on, or you may
be able to ask your payroll department to pull those records. Write the man hours down
somewhere or put it into an Excel spreadsheet for historical purposes and easier
calculations later.

 Research the injuries and illnesses that occurred in the same time frame. The total
number should include anything other than a first aid injury. In OSHA terms, we would
want to include the total number of new cases. Write this number down somewhere or
put it into an Excel spreadsheet.

Calculation

The formula to calculate incident rate looks like this: (# Injuries/illness x 200,000)/ # man hours.
So, to calculate the incident rate as per question above;

No. of injuries = 5

Total man-hours = 150 x 40 x 50 = 300,000

Incident Rate (IR) = 5 x 200,000

300,000

= 3.33

What the number means is there are 3.33 recordable injuries per 100 employees.

Five (5) Safety Initiatives

 SAFETY MANAGERS AND COMMITTEES.

One method that many firms have had success with is to appoint one person in the
organization as the safety coordinator. The ideal candidates has a background in safety,
but if no one fits that profile, then choose the candidate who best relates to workers and
management, has strong communication skills, and has an interest in and commitment
to safety. A common title for this person is "safety manager."

For the safety manager to do his or her job, he or she must have direct access to the top
manager in the company. Without management buy-in, safety initiatives will not last
long. The manager must also have access to every department and work area, and must
be able to question people freely for the purpose of gathering information. Regular status
reports should be prepared that update management on current safety initiatives and
identifies areas that still need improvement. Ideally, the safety manager's role will remain
an advisory one: responsibility for implementing the manager's suggestions should fall to
upper management and the individuals or teams that are singled out by the safety
manager. The safety's manager's mandate is to facilitate change, not implement it.

 OUTSIDE SAFETY ANALYSIS.

Another potentially useful initiative in determining workplace safety is to have an outside

firm conduct a safety analysis. These firms specialize in safety and hazardous materials
and can offer many suggestions on how to improve safety. Analysts note that reports
submitted by these organizations often range from warnings of regulatory breaches to
suggestions on alternative production methods, etc. Not all safety improvement
suggestions are implemented, of course. Some courses of action may be deemed
excessively expensive, while others are dismissed because of employee resistance or
skepticism about their ultimate impact on workplace safety.

 SAFETY INCENTIVES

Business owners and consultants alike agree that safety managers and consultants will
likely not have a meaningful impact on a company's safety records if the employees are
not willing to do their part to help make things better. One of the best ways to ensure
employee cooperation is to offer incentives tied to improvements in safety, although
observers are quick to add that safety incentives are not an adequate substitute for a
strong safety program. In fact, only companies that have a strong program already in
place should even think of using incentives. Cash and non-cash awards should only be
used to motivate employees to practice what the already-in-place program preaches,
which reinforces behavior and encourages participation.

Incentives should reward behaviors that prevent injury by eliminating unsafe work
practices. Reward employees who achieve "zero accidents," but be sure to use a broad
definition of accident (such as one that would cause an employee to miss time on the
job) so that employees do not try to cover up minor injuries in order to keep their zero
 accident rating. Once the behaviors to be rewarded are identified, then determine
allocation of awards (individual, department, or companywide).

To make an incentive program really work, several things must be done. First, the
incentives must be an ongoing element of the workplace. One-time incentive programs
tend to get employees interested for a short time, and then cause them to lose interest
and fall back into bad habits once the period has passed. Second, meaningful incentives
should be chosen. Many experts believe that non-cash incentives can be most effective,
warning that under cash-based reward systems, employees too often pocket the cash
and forget about the ongoing message. Some companies do believe that cash works
best, while others feel using cash sends people the wrong message by paying them
extra for practices that they should already be doing. Good examples of non-cash
incentives include recognition awards, token gifts that build morale, customized items
(clothing, for example), and, most effective of all, professional advancement. Finally,
goals and results must be clearly communicated to employees at every step of the
process.

Small business owners should not be scared of the costs associated with running an
incentive program. Even if the program costs several thousand dollars annually, many
economists and business experts contend that the expense is insignificant compared to
the productivity lost as a result of poor safety practices.

 HAVING A TRAINING PROGRAM

An effective training program can reduce the number of injuries and deaths, property
damage, legal liability, illnesses, workers' compensation claims, and missed time from
work. A safety training program can also help a trainer keep the required OSHA-
mandated safety training courses organized and up-to-date.

Safety training classes help establish a safety culture in which employees themselves
help promote proper safety procedures while on the job. It is important that new
employees be properly trained and embraces the importance of workplace safety as it is
easy for seasoned workers to negatively influence the new hires. That negative influence
however, can be purged with the establishment of new, hands-on, innovative effective
safety training which will ultimately lead to an effective safety culture. A 1998 NIOSH
study concluded that the role of training in developing and maintaining effective hazard
control activities is a proven and successful method of intervention.

 SAFETY CAMPAIGN

A safety campaign could be carried out to enforce the idea of safety as a way of life for
all major stakeholders including employers, workers and safety representative. A
campaign could be carried out by way of using mass communication such as using
posters, banners and incentives for having a safe work place or zero incidents
incentives. The best programs should encompass safety on the job as well as off. An
employee injured at home may not have monetary implication to the company but does
cost the company in lost time, temporary loss of expertise and to work added to other
employees to make up for his or her absence. No matter how it is carried out, the main
objective of the campaign is to drill into the mind of stakeholders that ‘Safety Comes
First’ above all others, even bottom lines of the organization. Top management must
take the initiative to realize this vision and it is immortalized in the organization’s Safety
Policy.

Question 2
Environmental Impact Assessment is vital for major projects. List FIVE (5) objectives and
briefly explain each of the objectives. Give also practical example on application for each
objective.

As the name suggest, Environmental Impact Assessment or EIA, as it is more commonly

known, is a process of considering at the planning stage the potential effects of a
proposed new project on the surrounding environment. The potential effects being
looked at are biological, physical and social.

EIA is an important part of environmental management especially in project planning.

With increasing public and government environmental awareness worldwide, EIA has
become a legal requirement in many countries for all new projects of certain magnitude.

EIA helps to determine the likely human health impact of environmental factors. The
areas looked at are: soil contamination impacts, air pollution impacts, noise health
impacts, ecology impacts including endangered species assessment, geological hazards
assessment and water pollution impacts.

The FIVE (5) objectives of conducting EIA are as follows:

 As a planning tool, EIA provides a clear business advantages for new projects to
identify cost effective designs and to avoid future liabilities. It helps to avoid
costly mistakes in project implementation, either because of the environmental
damages that are likely to arise during project implementation, or because of
modifications that may be required subsequently in order to make the project
environmentally acceptable. As an example, Ranhill Engineers and Constructors
Sdn. Bhd. implemented a Pollutant Removal System (PRS) for the Senai-Desaru
Expressway traversing adjacent to the Sg. Layang reservoir. PRS were
introduced as a mitigation system which is specifically planned and designed to
intercept and remove chemicals or pollutants from the surface run-off and
preventing them from reaching the Sg. Layang Reservoir.
 A project which is supported with an EIA and approved by the authorities would
be more acceptable by the community where the project is to be implemented.
This is to alleviate any ill feelings towards the propose project.
 EIA allows the community to provide input to the planning and design of the new
project. The community could voice their concerns or object to the
implementation of the project. They could also bring forth ideas on how best to
implement a project without bringing harm to the environment.
 In Malaysia, EIA is required under section 34A, Environmental Quality Act, 1974
and the Environmental Impact Assessment Order 1987. This is to compel
developers or contractors to comply with the requirements of the law.
 To facilitate the design of a monitoring programme. Factors that need to be
considered are noise, vibration, dust, gaseous and particulate emissions,
aqueous effluents and waste management.
 Question 3

The annual losses from accidents in a small construction firm are expected to be
$50,000 per year. These estimates only include direct losses. An investment of $75,000
in safety countermeasures will reduce these direct annual loss values to $20,000 per
year. The projected life for this investment is 5 years at an estimated annual interest rate
of 12%.

a. Calculate the present worth of the annual savings from the safety countermeasures.
b. Explain why calculating present worth is relevant to the company.

a. Calculate the present worth of the annual savings from the safety countermeasures.

Year 1 2 3 4 5
Annual Loss 50000 50000 50000 50000 50000
Annual Loss 20000 20000 20000 20000 20000
after
Investment
of 75000
Annual 30000 30000 30000 30000 30000
Saving

Present worth Year = 1 30000 1/ (1+i) 1 0.892857143 $26,785.71

Present worth Year = 2 30000 1/ (1+i) 2 0.797193878 $23,915.82
Present worth Year = 3 30000 1/ (1+i) 3 0.711780248 $21,353.41
Present worth Year = 4 30000 1/ (1+i) 4 0.635518078 $19,065.54
Present worth Year = 5 30000 1/ (1+i) 5 0.567426856 $17,022.81
Total Present Worth $108,143.29

b. Explain why calculating present worth is relevant to the company.

Calculating present worth is relevant to the company because it will help the company in
making a better investment decision, example as above:

Total savings the company would have made with a $75,000 investment is:

$108,143.29 - $75,000.00 = $33,143.29

PART B
Question 1

Develop an Emergency Response Plan (ERP) for hazardous chemical transported by tankers
from manufacturing facility to a processing plant. This truck will be using public roads during its
journey before reaching the destination. This ERP should consist of the following:

a. Objective of Emergency Response Plan

b. Emergency Response Team
c. Emergency Response Procedure
d. Spill Prevention and Precaution Measure
e. Emergency Response Communication Plan

1.0 INTRODUCTION

This document establishes the emergency plan to respond to any potential safety, health
and environmental emergencies during transportation of hazardous chemicals by tankers
from a manufacturing facility to a processing plant. These tankers will be traversing through
public roads during its journey before reaching its destination.

2.0 SCOPE

This document shall cover the following:-

• List of likely emergencies during transportation.

• Prevention steps during transportation.
• Control and safety steps for emergency during transportation.
• Line of communication.

3.0 DEFINITIONS / ABBREVIATIONS

HSE - Health, Safety and Environment

HSE Executives - Safety and Health Officer and Environmental Executive

MAT - Malaysia Agricultural Transport Sdn. Bhd.

Client - Titan Chemicals (M) Sdn. Bhd.

Assembly area - The designated area at ground level within the vicinity of
an incident or accident where evacuees assemble for a
role call
 Emergency - Any unplanned, unwanted event which results or may
result in injury/death to people, damage to property and
environment

Emergency plan - A formal procedure, instruction or arrangements which

define the ways in which MAT workers and others as
individuals and groups are to respond to a particular
emergency situation at the incident or accident site.

4.0 RESPONSIBILITIES

The Fleet Manager shall ensure that all tanker drivers and relevant personnel implement this
procedure effectively.

The Emergency Response Plan (ERP) team shall consist of the following personnel:

• Fleet Manager
• Chief Mechanic
• HSE Executives
• Security officers
• Engineers

The ERP team shall be responsible for the following:

• Taking command of the Emergency situation

• Establishing the Emergency Control Centre
• Establishing Fire Fighting/Rescue Team
• Communicating the emergency to Section Head/Supervisors and workers
• Appoint a First Aider
• Establishing an assembly point at the incident/accident site

The Fleet Manager or his deputy shall be an Emergency Advisor. The Chief Mechanic shall
be an Emergency Commander and delegate other functions to other ERP team members in
any event of an emergency.

The ERP team shall be formed at the early stage of the formation of the tanker fleet and
appointed officially by the management.

All personnel involved in the transportation of hazardous chemical shall have a clear
understanding of their responsibilities and the lines of communication.
5.0 REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

The following documents shall be used as reference in the implementation of this procedure:

• OHSAS 18001:1999 Clause 4.4.7 Emergency Preparedness and Response and

Clause 4.4.3 Consultation and Communication
• Health, Safety and Security Management Plan refer to MAT-C2193-PEP-08
• Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment & Control refer to MAT-C2193-PEP-08.1
• Incident and Accident Reporting refer to REC-C2193-PEP-08.3
• ISO 14001:2001 Clause 4.4.7 Emergency Preparedness and Response and Clause
4.4.3 Communication
• Management System Plan MAT-TCMSB-HSE-040 HIRARC
• MAT-TCMSB-HSE-050 Environmental Aspects and Impacts
• MAT-TCMSB-HSE-080 Operational Control
• MAT-TCMSB-HSE-020 Incident and Accident Reporting

6.0 PROCEDURES

While transporting hazardous chemicals, the tanker driver as well as the general public
could be exposed to various types of accidents that may threaten their safety or life. It is
thus imperative that the tanker drivers are inducted with a keen sense of responsibility for
preventing accidents from occurring, controlling them and taking prompt and positive safety
actions as stipulated by the ERP procedure when accidents occur.

The Fleet Manager with the assistance of HSE Executive shall conduct regular safety,
health and environmental awareness campaigns among the tanker drivers so that they are
always conscious about their health, safety, environmental quality and stay alert to the risks
of accidents that may occur at any time.

It is also very important that the tankers are well taken care off. The Fleet Manager as well
as the Chief Mechanic have the responsibility to assure that these tankers are serviced and
maintained at all times irrespective whether they are running or not. Security personnel
should escort the tankers during transportation of hazardous chemicals and in the event of
an emergency, the security personnel shall immediately contact the safety officer, Human
resource and administration officer and the relevant agencies (Fire and Rescue, Police,
hospital etc.).

6.1 Type of Emergency

Emergencies that could occur during transportation of hazardous chemicals are:

• Collision
• Tankers overturn
• Oil spillage
• Chemical spillage
 • Explosion / Fire
• Accident

Emergencies that could occur during transportation of hazardous chemicals can be classified
as below:
• Minor Emergency
• Serious Emergency
• Major Emergency

6.2 Prevention Steps During Transportation of Hazardous Chemicals

Probability of emergency can be reduced through operational control or preventive action
taken at site. Summary of preventive action to be implemented during transportation of
hazardous chemicals to minimise various type of emergency could be found in MAT-
TCMSB-HSE-010/E4.

6.3 Communication During Emergency

In case of emergency, the Emergency Contact Numbers shall be communicated to all
personnel working during the transportation of the hazardous chemicals.

6.4 Emergency Response for Oil / Chemical Spill

Minor Oil / Chemical Spill

Oil and chemical spillage has been identified as one of the major pollutants in surface run off
and ground water. Minor spillage can be in the form of a leaking or spilled lubricating oil
drum, fuel oil pipe, diesel oil plumbing, etc. However, a large oil spill can have more severe
adverse effects on the environment.
Minor Chemical Spill
Once chemical spill is identified at the site of the incident, the identifier shall inform the HSE
Executive. If it’s a minor spillage, the HSE Executive shall conduct a site investigation to
identify the factors involved and advise the Fleet Manager on the necessary course of action.

The site personnel with advice and assistance from the expert and coordinated by the HSE
Executive shall carry out any rectification measures and cleaning works at site as a result of
the site investigation.

The HSE Executive shall prepare the Accident/Incident Investigation Report for reporting to
the Client’s Representative and MAT Management.
 Major Chemical Spill

In case of major chemical spillage, the Project Manager assisted by the HSE Executive shall
stop work within the affected area.
The Fleet Manager should decide whether expert help is necessary. Once the clean up
method is identified, cleanup work should start immediately to avoid further degradation to
the environment. The Fleet Manager shall then inform the Chief Mechanic, Client’s
Representative and relevant authorities. The ERP team shall investigate the cause of the
spillage with the authorities.
Spills involving hazardous materials should first be contained to prevent spread of the
material to other areas. This may involve the use of temporary diking, sand bags, dry sand,
earth or proprietary booms / absorbent pads. Whenever possible, the material should be
rendered safe by treating with appropriate chemicals.
Hazardous materials in a fine dusty form should not be cleared up by dry brushing. Vacuum
cleaners should be used in preference, and for toxic materials one conforming to type H (BS
5415) should be used.
Appropriate rectification works shall be under taken to resolve the problems.

Work can start once the Fleet Manager has declared the working area is safe to enter.

The ERP team shall prepare the Accident/Incident Investigation Report for reporting to the
Client and authorities.

Please refer to MAT-TCMSB-HSE-010/FC2 for the Flowchart of Communications/Actions

during Emergency for Oil/Chemical Spillage

6.5 Spill Prevention and Precaution Measure

Once the hazardous chemicals have been contained to prevent spread of the material to
other areas, the chemicals should be treated whenever possible to render it safe. Acids and
alkalis may be treated with appropriate neutralizing agents. Due to the differing properties of
the various groups of chemicals, an appropriate treatment strategy with suitable chemicals
should be established on a case to case basis. For example, highly concentrated
hydrochloric acid will fume when spilled so prior to neutralization the spill should be diluted
with a water spray.

Process specific emergency spill kits (acid, alkali, solvent, toxic etc) and appropriate personal
protective equipment should be readily available with supporting procedures. These spill kits
should be maintained on a regular basis to ensure that they are always available and fit for
purpose. This ensures that the most appropriate measure is at hand to deal with a spill or fire
in the most effective way.
Issues that should also be addressed include:

• Containment;
• Maintenance and condition of fire hoses, extinguishers.

7.0 Emergency Response Communication Plan

An Emergency Response Communication Plan should show clearly the line of

communication between the various parties involved during an event of an emergency. This
is to avoid panic. Anticipating emergencies and planning of responses can greatly lessen
the extent of injuries and limit equipment, material and property as well as environmental
damage. Ideally, each and everyone’s contact telephone numbers should be written as well
in the ERP organization chart. Communication in an event of an accident to tankers ferrying
hazardous materials would be via cell phones and as such, all personnel involved must be
equipped with one. The Emergency Commander will be responsible in handling all
communication with the media. This is one area that must be thought trough to prevent
panic among the general public. Both the message and the delivery of that message need to
be credible and foster trust in the company. Emergency drills should be carried out
periodically to test the effectiveness of the Emergency Response Communication Plan and
any shortcomings should be improved on.
Conclusion

Emergencies do happen, including personal injuries, fires, explosions, chemical spills, toxic
gas releases, vandalism, natural disasters such as landslides and floods, and man-made
disasters such as riots and terrorist activities. Anticipating emergencies and planning ones
responses can greatly lessen the extent of injuries and limit damage to equipments,
materials, properties and the environments.

An Emergency Response Plan should outline the basic preparedness steps needed to
handle the anticipated emergencies of one’s industry. Although ERPs are not meant to be
all-inclusive, they should provide appropriate guidance on what to do in an emergency.