Section A

Write short notes on any four of the following:

1. Ergonomic Hazards:
When people talk about ergonomic hazards, they are generally referring to injuries that
happen from doing common movements incorrectly. This could include things like lifting
objects with an improper motion or leaning forward too far when doing a job for a long
period of time. Injuries of this kind are very common in the workplace, and they can
happen in both demanding physical jobs and office jobs.
Depending on where you work, injuries/hazards related to ergonomics can be caused by:

Repetitive motions (like typing, using a computer mouse or working on an

assembly line)

Overuse

Vibration (holding certain tools, such as a jackhammer)

Overexertion (lifting, pushing, pulling, carrying or throwing)

Improper lifting

Improper sitting posture

Making up the bulk of these injuries are those related to your musculoskeletal system,
which includes your bones, cartilage, muscles, joints, tendons and ligament. Muscle
aches, pains, tension and strains in the neck, upper and lower back and shoulders are
common after working in a poorly designed workstation day-in and day-out.

2. Benefits of EMS:
An Environmental Management System (EMS) is a structured framework for
businesses and organizations to manage their environmental impacts. Running an
effective EMS will help you with:

Achievement of real cost savings - direct efficiencies in energy, water, waste,

purchasing and transport

Management of environmental risk and ensuring legal compliance

A valuable engagement process for staff and stakeholders

Effectively demonstrate commitment and responsibility to key clients, regulators

and the public

Leading schemes have been structured to be compatible and complementary with

other mainstream standards (e.g. ISO 9001 Quality Standard)

Increasingly valuable as a pre-requisite for doing business EMS accredited

certification helping to demonstrate your businesss compliance with supply chain

requirements

Better regulatory compliance - running an EMS will help ensure your

environmental legal responsibilities are met and more easily managed on a day-to-day
basis

More effective use of resources - you will have policies and procedures in place

that help you manage waste and resources more effectively and reduce costs

Marketing - running an EMS will help you prove your business' credentials as an

environmentally aware operation that has made a commitment to continual

environmental improvement

Finance it may be easier to raise investment from banks and other financial

institutions, which are increasingly keen to see businesses controlling their

environmental impact

Increased sales opportunities - large businesses and government departments may

only deal with businesses that have an EMS

Lighter regulation - even if an EMS is not a regulatory requirement, by showing

your commitment to environmental management, you may benefit through less

frequent site visits or reduced fees from environmental regulators

3. The River Boards Act, 1956:

The act empowers central government to establish a river board for regulation and
development of inter-state rivers and river valleys.
The act to provide for the establishment of River Boards for the regulation and
development of inter-state rivers and river valleys empowers the Central Government,
on a request received in this behalf from a State Government or otherwise, by
notification in the Official Gazette, to establish a River Board for advising the
Governments interested in relation to such matters concerning the regulation or
development of an inter-State river or river valley or any specified part thereof.
The Board may be empowered under sub-section (1) of section 14 to perform all or
any of the following functions, namely

Advising the Governments interested on any matter concerning the regulation or

development of any specified inter-state river or river valley within its area of
operation and in particular, advising them in relation to the coordination of their
activities with a view to resolve conflicts among them and to achieve maximum
results in respect of the measures undertaken by them in the inter-State river or river
valley for the purpose of -

conservation, control and optimum utilisation of water resources of the inter- State
river ;

promotion and operation of schemes for irrigation, water supply or drainage;

promotion and operation of schemes for the development of hydro-electric power;

promotion and operation of schemes for flood control;

promotion and control of navigation;

promotion of afforestation and control of soil erosion;

prevention of pollution of the waters of inter-State river;

such other matters as may be prescribed.

Preparing schemes, including multi-purpose schemes, for the purpose of regulating or

developing the inter-State river or river valley and advising the Governments
interested to undertake measures for executing the scheme prepared by the Board;

Allocating among the Governments interested the costs of executing any scheme
prepared by the Board and of maintaining any works undertaken in the execution of
the scheme;

Watching the progress of the measures undertaken by the Governments interested;

Any other matter which is supplemental, incidental or consequential to any of the

above functions.

4. Waste Disposal:
Waste disposal management continues to be a rising challenge as population grows and
along with the industrial development of countries. Instead of open dumping, usually the
trash is collected and transported to landfills and then buried. In addition to landfill, there
are other methods developed for waste disposal. Three main waste disposal methods are
described as follows:
Landfill
Amongst the many waste management methods, using a landfill is probably the most
practiced in more areas of the world than any other method. Landfills are often old and
abandoned quarries and mining areas. Considered the most cost-effective way of waste
disposal, about 75% of the cost of implementation is attributable to the collection and
transportation of waste from residential and businesses to the landfills. The waste is
layered in thin spreads and then compacted, with a layer of clean earth covering the waste
material before more layers are added over time.
Incineration
Incineration as a disposal method involves burning the trash. Sometimes this is simply
referred to as thermal treatment, as a general category of high temperature treatment of
trash material. This method can be used to transform waste into heat, gas, steam and ash.
One of the advantages of incineration is that with this method, refuse volume can be
reduced by half or more and it requires little usage of land. An incineration facility can be
built in a small area to process huge amounts of waste. It definitely saves a lot of space
compared with using a landfill only. This method is popular in countries like Japan where
space is limited.

Recycling
Recycling of waste material means taking the materials and transforming them into new
products. This is a key concept in the modern waste minimization philosophy. It's about
lessening the strain on the environment through minimizing the need to fully dispose (eg.
by incineration and causing air pollution) of the waste generated and reducing the need to
introduce new raw materials into the environment and then having to dispose of them
later. In your everyday living, you may already be separating out paper products,
aluminum soda cans or glass bottles into different waste containers so that these could be
recycled. When bring your own shopping bag to the supermarket instead of using a new
plastic bag, that's another way of recycling.

Section B
2. Discuss the different fire types and need of different fire extinguishers for
combatting such fire

Different Fire Types:

Fires are classified by the types of fuel they burn
Class A
Class A Fires consist of ordinary combustibles such as wood, paper, trash or anything else
that leaves an ash. Water works best to extinguish a Class A fire.
Class B
Class B Fires are fueled by flammable or combustible liquids, which include oil,
gasoline, and other similar materials. Smothering effects which deplete the oxygen supply
work best to extinguish Class B fires.
Class C

Class C Fires. Energized Electrical Fires are known as Class C fires. Always de-energize
the circuit then use a non-conductive extinguishing agent. Such as Carbon dioxide.
Class D
Class D Fires are combustible metal fires. Magnesium and Titanium are the most
common types of metal fires. Once a metal ignites do not use water in an attempt to
extinguish it. Only use a Dry Powder extinguishing agent. Dry powder agents work by
smothering and heat absorption.
Class F or K
Class F or K Fires are fires that involve cooking oils, grease or animal fat and can be
extinguished using Purple K, the typical agent found in kitchen or galley extinguishers.
Different fire extinguishers for combating different fire types:
Each type of fire extinguisher is suitable for different types of burning media and will
have a fire rating based on the volume of fire that they are capable of extinguishing.
Type of Fire Suitable

for

Extinguisher

Classification

DRY

A, B, C, E

POWDER

Fire Fire Extinguisher Suitability

Powder fire extinguishers are ideal for use

in mixed risk environments and offer
excellent all round fire protection. With a
unique

class

rating,

powder

fire

extinguishers are the only effective solution

for fires involving flammable gases.

AFF FOAM

A, B

Foam fire extinguishers are ideal for use on

fire involving solid combustible materials

and are highly effective on flammable

liquid fires. The layer of foam applied by
these extinguishers helps to prevent reignition after the fire has been extinguished.

CARBON

B, E

DIOXIDE

CO2 fire extinguishers are suitable for use

on flammable liquid fires and are extremely
effective at extinguishing fire involving
electrical equipment. CO2 is also one of the
cleanest extinguisher agents and leaves no
residue behind.

WATER

Water fire extinguishers are suitable for use

in

environments

containing

solid

combustible materials such as wood, paper

and textiles. It is important to remember
that water conducts electricity and should
not be used around electrical equipment
(unless water extinguishers with additive
are used).

WET
CHEMICAL

A, F

Wet chemical fire extinguishers have a

unique class F rating and are usually
supplied with a special application lance.
The perfect solution for tackling large
burning

oil

fires,

wet

chemical

extinguishers are ideally suited to the

kitchen environment.

WATER

A, B, C, E & F

MIST

Water Mist is a new technology that works

on the basis of cooling fire, suffocating it
and then cooling the burning media to
prevent
particles

re-ignition
of

using

water.

microscopic

Water

mists

extinguishers are ideal for covering areas of

a building where multiple fire risks can be
found.

3. Define the meaning and components of EIA(Environmental Impact

Assessment).explain the Process of EIA also.
EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment):
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process of evaluating the likely
environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, taking into account interrelated socio-economic, cultural and human-health impacts, both beneficial and adverse.
It can also be defined as a tool used to identify the environmental, social and economic
impacts of a project prior to decision-making. It aims to predict environmental impacts at
an early stage in project planning and design, find ways and means to reduce adverse
impacts, shape projects to suit the local environment and present the predictions and
options to decision-makers. By using EIA both environmental and economic benefits can
be achieved, such as reduced cost and time of project implementation and design,
avoided treatment/clean-up costs and impacts of laws and regulations.
Components of EIA:
Although legislation and practice vary around the world, the fundamental components of
an EIA would necessarily involve the following stages:
a. Screening to determine which projects or developments require a full or partial
impact assessment study;

b. Scoping to identify which potential impacts are relevant to assess (based on

legislative requirements, international conventions, expert knowledge and public
involvement), to identify alternative solutions that avoid, mitigate or compensate
adverse impacts on biodiversity (including the option of not proceeding with the
development, finding alternative designs or sites which avoid the impacts,
incorporating safeguards in the design of the project, or providing compensation for
adverse impacts), and finally to derive terms of reference for the impact assessment;
c. Assessment and evaluation of impacts and development of alternatives, to predict
and identify the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development,
including the detailed elaboration of alternatives;
d. Reporting the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or EIA report, including
an environmental management plan (EMP), and a non-technical summary for the
general audience.
e. Review of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), based on the terms of
reference (scoping) and public (including authority) participation.
f. Decision-making on whether to approve the project or not, and under what
conditions; and
g. Monitoring, compliance, enforcement and environmental auditing. Monitor
whether the predicted impacts and proposed mitigation measures occur as defined in
the EMP. Verify the compliance of proponent with the EMP, to ensure that
unpredicted impacts or failed mitigation measures are identified and addressed in a
timely fashion.
Process of EIA:
The first phase of an environmental assessment is called an Initial Environmental
Examination (IEE) and the second is Environmental Impact Studies (EIS) or simply
detailed EIA.
a) Initial Environmental Examination (lEE)

IEE is carried out to determine whether potentially adverse environmental effects are
significant or whether mitigation measures can be adopted to reduce or eliminate
these adverse effects. The IEE contains a brief statement of key environmental issues,
based on readily available information, and is used in the early (pre-feasibility) phase
of project planning. The IEE also suggests whether in-depth studies are needed. When
an IEE is able to provide a definite solution to environmental problems, an EIA is not
necessary. IEE also requires expert advice and technical input from environmental
specialists so that potential environmental problems can be clearly defined.
b) Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
EIA is a procedure used to examine the environmental consequences or impacts, both
beneficial and adverse, of a proposed development project and to ensure that these
effects are taken into account in project design. The EIA is therefore based on
predictions. These impacts can include all relevant aspects of the natural, social,
economic and human environment. The study therefore requires a multi-disciplinary
approach and should be done very early at the feasibility stage of a project. In other
words, a project should be assessed for its environmental feasibility.
EIA should therefore be viewed as an integral part of the project planning process.
Unlike the environmental audit (EA), which is conducted on existing projects, the
EIA is applied to new projects and the expansion aspects of existing projects. The
phases of an EIA from screening to follow-up in following figure showing
generalized EIA process flowchart:

4. What is the need of implementing ISO 14000 in an industrial setting?

ISO 14000 is a family of standards related to environmental management that exists to
help organizations (a) minimize how their operations (processes, etc.) negatively affect
the environment (i.e., cause adverse changes to air, water, or land); (b) comply with
applicable laws, regulations, and other environmentally oriented requirements, and (c)
continually improve in the above.
The major objective of the ISO 14000 series of norms is "to promote more effective and
efficient environmental management in organizations and to provide useful and usable

tools--ones that are cost-effective, system-based, flexible, and reflect the best
organizations and the best organizational practices available for gathering, interpreting,
and communicating environmentally relevant information". Using ISO 14001 (most
notable standard of ISO 14000 family) can provide assurance to company management
and employees as well as external stakeholders that environmental impact is being
measured and improved. ISO 14001 can also be integrated with other management
functions and assists companies in meeting their environmental and economic goals.
ISO 14001, as with other ISO 14000 standards, is voluntary with its main aim to assist
companies in continually improving their environmental performance, while complying
with any applicable legislation. Organizations are responsible for setting their own targets
and performance measures, with the standard serving to assist them in meeting objectives
and goals and in the subsequent monitoring and measurement of these.
The standard can be applied to a variety of levels in the business, from organizational
level, right down to the product and service level. Rather than focusing on exact measures
and goals of environmental performance, the standard highlights what an organization
needs to do to meet these goals .
Implementation of ISO 14000 in an industrial setting is, thus, required to bring about the
following direct and intangible benefits:

Direct Benefits:
o Material savings through more complete processing, substitution or recycling of
product inputs
o Reduction in down-time due to increased monitoring and maintenance
o Improved utilization of by-products and conversion of waste into commercially
valuable forms
o Reduction in energy consumption
o Reduction in costs for material storage
o Reduction in distribution costs

o Reduction in costs for emissions, discharges, waste handling, transport, and

disposal
o Reduction in cost of packaging
o Increase in process yields
o Safer work environment
o Improvement in insurance rates

Intangible Benefits:
o Lower risk to your customers
o Improved corporate image among regulators, customers, and the public
o Proof of social responsibility
o Proof to the citizens and government leaders of the community and state of the
companys commitment to their future well-being
o Natural resources last longer; air, water, and soil are cleaner; landfills usage
decreases
o Reduction in audits from customers
o Improved employee morale

Section C (50 marks)

(Attempt all questions. Every question carries 10 marks)
Read the case Response to Disaster Induced by Hot Weather and Wildfires and answer the
following questions:
Response to Disaster Induced by Hot Weather and Wildfires
Introduction
Climate change is expected to increase global temperatures and change rainfall patterns
(Christensen et al., 2007). These climatic changes will increase the risk of temperature- and
precipitation-related extreme weather and climate events. The relative effects will vary by
regions and localities. In general, an increase in mean temperature, and a decrease in mean
precipitation can contribute to increased fire risk (Flannigan et al., 2009). When in combination
with severe droughts and heat waves, which are also expected to increase in many fire regions
fires can become catastrophic (Bradstock et al., 2009). Wildfires occur in many regions of the

world, and due to their extreme nature, authorities and the public in general are acquainted with
such extreme situations, and plans have been enacted to mitigate them. However, at times, the
nature of fire challenges these plans and disasters emerge. This case study uses the example from
Victoria, Australia, in 2009. The goal is to present hot weather and wildland fire hazards and
their effects and potential impacts, and to provide an overview of experience to learn to manage
these extreme risks, as well as key lessons for the future.
Background
Wildfire risk occurs in many regions of the globe; however embodying this risk in a single and
practical universal index is difficult. The relationships between weather and wildfires have been
studied for many areas of the world; in some, weather is the dominant factor in ignitions, while
in others, human activities are the major cause of ignition, but weather and environmental factors
mainly determine the area burned (Bradstock et al., 2009). Wildfire behavior is also modified by
forest and land management and fire suppression (Allen et al., 2002; Noss et al., 2006). Wildfires
do not burn at random in the landscape (Nunes et al., 2005), and occur at particular topographic
locations or distances from towns or roads (Mouillot et al., 2003; Badia-Perpiny and PallaresBarbera, 2006; Syphard et al., 2009). The intensity and rate of spread of a wildfire is dependent
on the amount, moisture content, and arrangement of fine dead fuel, the wind speed near the
burning zone, and the terrain and slope where it is burning. Wildfire risk is a combination of all
factors that affect the inception, spread, and difficulty of fire control and damage potential
(Tolhurst, 2010).
Description of Events
An episode of extreme heat waves began in South Australia on 25 January 2009. Two days later
they had become more widespread over southeast Australia. The exceptional heat wave was
caused by a slowmoving high-pressure system that settled over the Tasman Sea, in combination
with an intense tropical low located off the northwest Australian coast and a monsoon trough
over northern Australia. This produced ideal conditions for hot tropical air to be directed over
southeastern Australia (National Climate Centre, 2009).
In Melbourne the temperature was above 43C for three consecutive days (28 to 30 January
2009), reaching a peak of 45.1C on 30 January 2009. This was the second-highest temperature
on record. The extremely high day and night temperatures combined to produce a record high
daily mean temperature of 35.4C on 30 January (Victorian Government, 2009). The 2008 winter
season was characterized by below-average precipitation across much of Victoria. While
November and December 2008 experienced average and above average rainfall, respectively, in
January and February the rainfall was substantially below average (Parliament of Victoria,
2010a). During the 12 years between 1998 and 2007, Victoria experienced warmer than average
temperatures and a 14% decline in average rainfall (DSE, 2008a). In central Victoria the 12- year
rainfall totals were approximately 10 to 20% below the 1961 to 1990 average (Australian
Government, 2009).
This heat wave had a substantial impact on the health of Victorians, particularly the elderly
(National Climate Centre, 2009; Parliament of Victoria, 2009). A 25% increase in total

emergency cases and a 46% increase over the three hottest days were reported for the week of
the heat wave. Emergency departments reported a 12% overall increase in presentations, with a
greater proportion of acutely ill patients and a 37% increase in patients 75 years or older
(Victorian Government, 2009). Attribution of mortality to a heat wave can be difficult, as deaths
tend to occur from exacerbations of chronic medical conditions as well as direct heat-related
illness; this is particularly so for the frail and elderly (Kovats and Hajat, 2008). However, excess
mortality can provide a measure of the impact of a heat wave. With respect to total all-cause
mortality, there were 374 excess deaths with a 62% increase in total all-cause mortality. The total
number of deaths during the four days of the heat wave was 980, compared to a mean of 606 for
the previous five years. Reported deaths in people 65 years and older more than doubled
compared to the same period in 2008 (Victorian Government, 2009).
On 7 February 2009, the temperatures spiked again. The Forest Fire Danger Index, which is
calculated using variables such as temperature, precipitation, wind speed, and relative humidity
(Hennessy et al., 2005), this time reached unprecedented levels, higher than the fire weather
conditions experienced on Black Friday in 1939 and Ash Wednesday in 1983 (National Climate
Centre, 2009) the two previous worse fire disasters in Victoria.
By the early afternoon of 7 February, wind speeds were reaching their peak, resulting in a power
line breaking just outside the town of Kilmore, sparking a wildfire that would later generate
extensive pyrocumulus cloud and become one of the largest, deadliest, and most intense
firestorms ever experienced in Australias history (Parliament of Victoria, 2010a). The majority
of fire activity occurred between midday and midnight on 7 February, when wind speeds and
temperature were at their highest and humidity at its lowest. A major wind change occurred late
afternoon across the fire ground, turning the northeastern flank into a new wide fire front,
catching many people by surprise. This was one of several hundred fires that started on this day,
most of which were quickly controlled; however, a number went on to become major fires
resulting in much loss of life. The worst 15 of these were examined in detail by the Victorian
Bushfires Royal Commission (Parliament of Victoria, 2010a). A total of 173 people died as a
result of the Black Saturday bushfires (Parliament of Victoria, 2010a). They also destroyed
almost 430,000 ha of forests, crops, and pasture, and 61 businesses (Parliament of Victoria,
2009). The Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission conservatively values the cost of the 2009
fire at AUS$ 4.4 billion (Parliament of Victoria, 2010a).
Interventions
The Victorian Government had identified the requirement to respond to predicted heat events in
the Sustainability Action Statement and Action Plan (released in 2006 and revised in January
2009), which committed to a Victorian Heat Wave Plan involving communities and local
governments. As a part of this strategy, the Victorian Government has established the heat wave
early warning system for metropolitan Melbourne and is undertaking similar work for regional
Victoria. The government is also developing a toolkit to assist local councils in preparing for a
heat wave response that could be integrated with existing local government public health and/or
emergency management plans (Victorian Government, 2009).
The Prepare, Stay and Defend, or Leave Early (SDLE) approach instructs that residents decide
well before a fire whether they will choose to leave when a fire threatens but is not yet in the

area, or whether they will stay and actively defend their property during the fire. SDLE also
requires residents to make appropriate preparations in advance for either staying or leaving. Prior
to 7 February 2009, the Victorian State Government devoted unprecedented efforts and resources
to informing the community regarding fire risks. The campaign clearly had benefits, but there
were a number of weaknesses and failures with Victorias information and warning systems
(Bushfire CRC, 2009; Parliament of Victoria, 2010b).
Another key focus during the wildfire season is protecting the reservoirs, especially the Upper
Yarra and Thomson catchments that provide the majority of Melbournes water supply
(Melbourne Water, 2009a). During the February 2009 fires, billions of liters of water were
moved from affected reservoirs to other safe reservoirs to protect Melbournes drinking water
from contamination with ash and debris (Melbourne Water, 2009b).
The Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission made wide-ranging recommendations about the way
fire is managed in Victoria. These have included proposals to replace all single-wire power lines
in Victoria, and new building regulations for bushfire-prone areas (Parliament of Victoria,
2010c).
Outcomes/Consequences
Following the findings from the various inquiries into the 2009 Victorian Bushfires, which found
failings in assumptions, policies, and implementation, a number of far-reaching
recommendations were developed (Parliament of Victoria, 2010c). National responses have been
adopted through the National Emergency Management Committee, including: (i) revised
bushfire safety policies to enhance the roles of warning and personal responsibility; (ii) increased
fuel reduction burning on public lands; (iii) community refuges established in high-risk areas;
(iv) improved coordination and communication between fire organizations; (v) modifying the
Prepare, stay and defend, or leave early approach (now Prepare, act, survive) to recognize the
need for voluntary evacuations on extreme fire days; and (vi) further ongoing investment in
bushfire research, including a national research center.
Lessons Identified
Australia has recognized the need for strengthening risk management capacities through
measures including: (i) prior public campaigns for risk awareness; (ii) enhanced information and
warning systems; (iii) translation of messages of awareness and preparedness into universal
action; (iv) sharing responsibility between government and the people; (v) development of
integrated plans; and (vi) greater investment in risk mitigation and adaptation actions.
Predicted changes in future climate will only exacerbate the impact of other factors through
increased likelihood of extreme fire danger days (Hennessy et al., 2005). We are already seeing
the impact of many factors on wildfires and heat waves, for example, demographic and land use
changes. In the future, a better understanding of the interplay of all the causal factors is required.
The Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission stated It would be a mistake to treat Black Saturday
as a one off event. With populations at the rural-urban interface growing and the impact of
climate change, the risks associated with bushfire are likely to increase (Parliament of Victoria,
2010c).
Question:

1. Summarise the case study in your own words.

2. Discuss the Interventions identified by Victorian government.
3. Through a light on description of events mentioned in this case study.
4. What recommendations are adopted by the national emergency management committee.
5. What is Black Saturday? Identify the measures or lesson that has recognized the need for
strengthening risk management capacities in Australia?