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CHAPTER - 2

Philosophy of Safety
THEME
1. What is Philosophy?
2. Philosophy of Safety 3. Safety Terminology (100 terms defined)
2.1 Need of Safety Philosophy 4. Message of the word “SAFETY’
2.2 Nature and Subjects of Safety 5. Philosophy of Accident Causation
Philosophy

What is stated in Chapter-1 about the The philosophy is older and wider than the
Concept of Safety falls within the scope of science, as it is in existence since centuries and
philosophy of safety which we will see, now, in has wide coverage of knowledge of all branches
further detail. including that of science also. To study the
nature and origin of science, its branches, utility,
1 WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY? applications etc. is philosophy. It also studies
art, sculpture, Ï×ü (which has no synonym in
Philosophy is originally an Indian branch English and which does not mean religion),
of knowledge. It had existence in our country psychology, history of universe and its cause
before the English word ‘philosophy’ came into and effect.
the existence. Our old concept of philosophy was more
Thousands years ago our profound Rushies concerned with ‘ Ï×ü, ¥ŠØæˆ× ‘, search of
and great thinkers told about God, universe, its elements, realities, causes and
‘̈ߑ (element) and search for its ‘̈ߙææÙ ‘ effects. As the scientific rules were invented
(knowledge), and this ‘̈ߙææÙ ‘ is our oldest gradually, science (çß™ææÙ) was separated as a
and current synonym for the English word special branch of philosophy.
‘philosophy’. It has its origin in Vedas, Smruties, The western concepts of philosophy are
Shruties, Upnishads, Ramayana, Shrimat defined by Plato, Aristotle, Hegal, Bredle,
Bhagwat and other Purans, Mahabharat, Gita Comte, Bartrand Russell, Dr. Brod, Kent, Fichte,
and many old and modern Indian literatures. Democritics, Marx, Burgsan etc. They have also
Gita explains it as follows: explained the philosophy of science and the
difference between the philosophy and science.
Ìçiçf Âýç‡æÂæÌðÙ, ÂçÚÂýàÙððÙ Their concepts are criticized and counter argued
âðßØæÐ by other philosophers. Their views in brief are
©Â¼ðÿØç‹Ì Ìð ™ææÙ¢, as follows:
™ææçÙÙSÌ ß¼çàæüÙÑH Philosophy is a study of true realities and
of appearances. It is the super science. It
Know that knowledge by leaning down, analyses and examines original or fundamental
interrogating and serving to the philosophers concepts of science or assumptions. It
who will teach you that knowledge. coordinates the scientific results with religions
Our concept of philosophy is a branch of and moral experience of man. It studies the
knowledge searching for elements, origin, language and meanings. It visualises or assesses
source, causation, effect, reality and means to the knowledge, its root, measure and
achieve and apply them to various fields. It limitations.
includes science, which is a specific branch of Philosophy has three original branches:
knowledge having some characteristics like 1. Ontology searching the root cause or
verifiability by experiments, definiteness, fundamental element(s) in the creation of
objectivity, certainty, predictability etc. world.

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2. Cosmology searching how this visible world old need of safety and has to last for continuous
is developed from the final element. and permanent need forever. This is the
3. Epistemology discussing the forms, types, supreme significance of the philosophy of
tests and limitations of the knowledge. safety.
There are three conceptions about
philosophy of science – 2.2 Nature and Subjects of Safety
1. Its purpose is to think about the line of Philosophy:
thinking and logic of science, and
2. Its function is to coordinate various kinds of Safety is directly connected with science,
knowledge, and technology, engineering, health, hygiene,
3. Its specific work is to analyse the toxicology, psychology and management. It has
methodology and problems of science. specific rules or principles on specific safety
Major problems of philosophy of science subjects. The philosophy of safety tries to search
are the problems of reductionism, technological and coordinate the common causes and
explanation, causation and induction. remedial measures for general as well as specific
safety problems. It begins with the basic need or
Difference between Science and Philosophy requirement of safety, its fundamentals,
The science has specific subjects and
causation analysis and assessment, methods of
divisions, it rests upon experience, observation,
detection of unsafe condition, unsafe action and
experiment and examinations, its rules are
reason and sequence of accident occurrence. It
universal, unaltered and unchangeable. It has
searches for the principles and methods of
no two opposite statements or opinions and it
accident prevention and speedy control after the
does not recognize religion.
happening, safety devices, fittings, techniques
The philosophy has no specific subject, it
and measures, factors impeding and approving
interprets facts and findings, it searches for
safety, safety responsibility and roles of various
common principles lying at the root of facts, it
agencies; terminology, theories and mysteries of
finds generality of totality, it does not need
accident causation, prevention and control. It
experience or experiment, its attitude is
studies for physical, physiological,
intellectual and logical, it includes theories of
psychological and other factors affecting and
opposite opinions also viz. reality and ideology,
strengthening safety. It studies costs and types
spiritualism and materialism, mñÌ-¥mñÌ,
of accidents and their significance, type of safety
ÙæçSÌ· -¥æçSÌ·, theistic and atheistic, free management necessary and ways and means of
behaviour and morality etc. It recognises the providing and maintaining safe working
religion and always looks for the final truth. conditions and human actions affecting health
and safety of people and the safety of
2 PHILOSOPHY OF SAFETY environment. It touches the origin, development
and amendment of safety law and its innovation
After understanding the nature of and all safety needs in the areas of industrial
philosophy in general, let us be precise over the and environmental safety including safety at
philosophy of safety. home, road, rail, water and air. Thus the field of
safety philosophy is unlimited, its scope is very
2.1 Need of Safety Philosophy: wide to include the entire subjects of safety from
origin to the research, the latest development
The objectives of philosophy of safety are to and from causation and behavioural analysis to
protect and serve the mankind, to search, the modern concept of design, testing,
suggest and apply (i) the safe ways of behaviour reliability, hazard control technology, risk
(action), (ii) the safe working conditions and (iii) analysis, assessment and audit, emergency
the safe environment for the safety, health and planning, public awareness and involvement
welfare of all people. programmes and all future developments.
This shows the highest importance of the
subject of safety, as it has started from the age- 3 SAFETY TERMINOLOGY

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cause injury with or without damage to
Like other branches of science, many words property or environment.
and terms are now well defined in safety science. An accident is the result of carelessness,
Some terms are defined by statutes from legal casualness or any fault known or unknown.
point of view. Some commonly used safety An accident is an unwanted transfer of
terminology is given below. It is most important energy beyond the threshold limits. In case of
to understand these words as they clarify many accident to a person, physiological energy loss is
concepts of safety philosophy, safety science an accident while in other cases it may be an
and safety law. Other terms are defined in energy loss from material.
respective chapters. For terminology of MSDS, It is an event, which is unexpected,
see part 7.2 of Chapter -18. For terminology of unavoidable and unintended - Suchman
Risk Management, see part 1.12 of Chapter –19. An accident is an unexpected, unavoidable,
unintentional act resulting from the interaction
3.1 Accident: of host (accident victim), agent (injury deliverer)
and environmental factors within situations,
An accident is defined in different ways – which involve risk taking and perception of
Dictionary meaning of ‘accident’ is an danger - Suchman.
unexpected event or mishap. It is defined as an An accident is an unplanned event, which
event that is not expected, intended or has a probability of causing personal injury or
imagined. It refers the event not the result or property damage or both. It may result in
effect. physical harm (injury or disease) to person(s),
An accident is an unplanned event that damage to property, loss to the company, a near
interrupts the completion of an activity and that miss or any combination of these effects
may (or may not) cause damage to person, including delayed effect.
property or environment. An accident is an unexpected, unplanned
An accident is that occurrence in a event in a sequence of events, that occurs
sequence of events, which produces unintended through a combination of causes, it results in
injury, death or property damage. An accident physical harm (injury or disease) to an
refers to the event, not to the result of the event. individual, damage to property, equipment,
Unintentional injury is the preferred term building etc., a near miss, loss to the company,
for accidental injury in the public health or any combination of these effects.
community. It refers to the result of an accident. An accident is an unplanned, not
An accident is unintended, unplanned necessarily injurious or damaging event that
event or its sequence caused by unsafe interrupts the completion of an activity. It is
condition(s) or/and unsafe act(s) and may result invariably preceded by an unsafe act or an
in immediate or delayed undesirable effects. unsafe condition or their combination.
An accident is an unplanned and An industrial (occupational) accident is also
uncontrolled event in which the action or defined as an undesirable event that results in a
reaction of an object, substance, person, or certain length of disability and stoppage of
radiation results in personal injury or the work and time loss due to the effect of a
probability thereof. production-related dangerous factor or a
It is also defined as an unexpected, combination of such factors.
unintended or unforeseen event that causes An occupational accident is presently
injury, loss or damage regarded as an index or a symptom of
An accident is any unplanned, sudden dysfunction in a system formed by a production
event, which causes or is liable to cause an unit, such as a factory, a workshop, a shift or a
injury to man, materials (including plant) or workplace.
environment. Occupational accident is also defined as “any
An accident is any occurrence that organic or functional injury or damage to body,
interrupts or interferes with the orderly limbs or health or psychic disorder due to an
progress of the activity which causes or likely to external, sudden or violent cause occurring
during work or due to work itself and resulting

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in death or total or partial, permanent or from its beginning to the end of the effect or
temporary incapacity for work”. consequence. Therefore when effect occurs
Fatal accident or death from accident is an just after the event begins, duration of event
accident that results in one or more deaths is short and when effect occurs after a long
within one year. time (i.e. delayed effect) from the beginning
Philosophy of Accident: It should be noted of the event, duration of the event is long.
from above definitions of ‘accident’ that – Therefore in definition of accident,
1. In accident phenomenon, which includes immediate or delayed, both the effects are
event and its effect, ‘event’ is more included. Chronic disease (effect) requires
important then its ‘effect’. Effect or events of long duration.
consequence may or may not be there. For Legal definition of ‘nonfatal injury
example, a person getting chemical splash accident’ or ‘dangerous occurrence’ makes
(exposure), struck by falling body, falling it reportable after the duration of 48 hours
by striking against object, falling from from the time of accident. Thus legal
height, getting electric shock or meeting definition of accident has considered 48
with road accident may not get any injury hours duration of event to notice any
or his normal activity may not be harmful effect. Accident causing death or
interrupted. Here event has taken place but possibility of death is to be reported
it has not a notable effect. Even then this is immediately (Sec. 88 & 88A, the Factories
an accident for the purpose of finding the Act).
‘cause’ of event and remedial measures to
prevent its recurrence. See Chapter-4 for further details about
2. Event may be one or more. One thing falls ‘accident’, its causation and prevention and
or many things fall one by one, only fire Chapters-28 & 29 for other definitions.
takes place or explosion follows the fire,
events of primary and secondary explosion, 3.2 Accident Consequence Analysis:
collision of many vehicles, one person dies
or more persons die in a sequence or due to Consequence means effect or result of a
different injuries in one accident may specific event.
constitute one accident. Accident Consequence Analysis is an
3. Idea of ‘accident by chance’ is not analysis of the expected effects of an accident,
acceptable in safety philosophy. Each independent of frequency and probability.
accident has its ‘cause’ or ‘causes’ that need Mostly this is carried out after the
inquiry, investigation and efforts to remove completion of Risk Assessment to predict the
them. Considering accident as chance or consequences i.e. severity of the effects due to
fate does not help to prevent the accident the assumed worst credible accident scenarios.
and may result in another accident. Even if With accident consequence analysis, the
it is considered as chance, the ‘causes’ of Vulnerability Analysis may be carried out of the
that chance occurrence are important. persons, property and environment adversely
4. There may not be immediacy between affected.
event and effect. For example, pain or Computer software is useful in carrying out
symptom may appear after repeated actions consequence analysis and vulnerability analysis.
or few hours or days after the accident, In such type of analyses, determination of
cancer may occur after years from the following things is important –
exposure of a toxic substance. This delay or 1. Type of substance being released e.g. gas,
‘latency period’ hides the effect for some liquid or liquid with vapour etc.
time. However such accident of delayed effect 2. Type of release i.e. instantaneous,
may prove most serious and needs continuous, intermittent etc.
thorough investigation and effective control 3. Leak rate or outflow volume and rate of
measures viz. pesticide poisoning. evaporation in case of liquid pool.
5. Duration or span of event may be short or 4. Dispersion calculation of the released mass.
long. Span of event should be considered Parameters of atmospheric conditions are

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considered e.g. wind speed, weather In its broad meaning it includes detection,
condition (stability class), cloudiness, monitoring and chemical analysis of air
terrain conditions and sinking mechanism pollution control equipment and engineering
(influence of trees, houses etc as measurements and standards of industrial and
obstruction). automotive emissions and common air quality
5. Damage distances i.e. damaging parameters, odours, acid rains, thermal
concentration or effect at different distances discharge, gas and particulate emission, climate
in the direction of wind or other directions. change, greenhouse effect, ozone depletion,
Plotting of footprint. chemical and biological aspects of air pollution,
6. Severity of the effect i.e. vulnerability in radioactive fall out, radiation levels and their
terms of possible deaths, injuries, effects; and effects of air pollutants on soil,
destruction of buildings or damage to plants and animals.
environment. Use of Probit equation.
7. Plotting of ‘risk counters’ on the area map 3.5 APELL:
of place of release and vicinity. Counters
should indicate low, medium and high risk It means ‘Awareness and Preparedness for
areas. Emergencies at Local Level’. It is a co-operative
programme of the United Nations Environment
3.3 Accident Prevention: Programme (UNEP), Industry and Environment
Office prepared in June 1987, and was started in
Accident prevention is both science and art. late 1988.
It represents, above all other things, control i.e. APELL’s main goals are to prevent
the control of human performance, machine or technological accidents (disasters) and, failing
equipment performance and physical this, to minimise their impacts. This is achieved
environment. by assisting decision-makers and technical
The word ‘control’ connotes prevention as personnel to increase community awareness of
well as correction of unsafe conditions and hazardous installations and to prepare
actions. Prevention is the first step of control. coordinated response plans involving industry,
To control unsafe human actions, government and the local community, in case
knowledge of psychology, philosophy and unexpected events at these installations should
management are necessary. To control unsafe endanger life, property or the environment.
conditions, knowledge of engineering, health Thus APELL consists two parts (1)
effects, industrial hygiene, ergonomics etc. are Provision of information to the community,
necessary. which is called ‘Community Awareness’ and (2)
Accident prevention requires five steps: Formulation of a plan to protect the public,
organisation, fact-finding, analysis of the facts which is called ‘Emergency Response’. (On-site
found, selection of remedy and application of and off-site Emergency plans are legally
remedy. Sixth step of monitoring should be suggested).
considered. It includes measurement of result,
assessment i.e. comparing with legal criteria or 3.6 Care and Types of Care:
standard, feedback and further improvement if
necessary. See Chapter – 4 for details. Reasonable care is that degree of care
exercised by a prudent man in observance of his
3.4 Air Pollution: legal duties toward others.
Every person has a legal duty to exercise
In short it means contamination of air by due care for the safety of others and to avoid
harmful substances like toxic gas, dust, vapour, injury to others if possible. Common carriers
acid fumes, flue gases etc. When it exceeds legal must exercise great care.
permissible limit, it is considered legally Responsible care is the safety duty
harmful. towards society. Now this has developed as a
systematic approach.

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Responsible care is a chemical industry
initiative, which started in Canada in the late It is a document offering practical guidance
1970s and is slowly gaining worldwide on the policy, standard-setting and practice in
momentum. It is voluntary and the willing occupational and general public safety and
company has to demonstrate its commitment to health for use by governments, employers and
improve all aspects of performance relating to workers in order to promote safety and health at
safety, health & environment. This helps, in the national level and at the level of the
turn, to develop and maintain public installation. A code of practice is not necessarily
acceptability of that industry. a substitute for existing national legislation,
In India, ICMA has adopted six codes of regulations and safety standards.
management practices for responsible care as
under: 3.11 Confined Space:
1. The Process Safety Code. Confined space as defined in clause (o) of
2. The Employee Health & Safety Code. Part-1, Schedule-19, Rule-102, Gujarat Factories
3. The Pollution Prevention Code. Rules, means any space by reason of its
4. The Community Awareness & Emergency construction as well as in relation to the nature
Response Code. of the work carried therein and where hazards
5. The Distribution Code, and to the persons entering into working inside exist
6. The Product Stewardship Code. or are likely to develop during working.
Normally a confined space is enclosed from
3.7 CASH: all sides except one for entering inside and
coming out from the same e.g. manhole or open
This means Change Agents for Safety & top. It is not a normal place for working. Inside
Health. This is a term used for occupational risks include – possibility of toxic gas or dust,
Health and Safety program where different oxygen deficiency, fire, explosion, high
agents like noise, dust, heat-stress, injures, temperature, sudden flow or pressure,
chemical exposures, PPE, light, ventilation etc accidental starting of stirrer etc., burying under
are considered as target for necessary change to free flowing solid e.g. grain, cement, sugar,
get desired improvement at the work place. drowning in liquid at bottom and similar
causes.
3.8 Chemical Accident: NIOSH, USA describes ‘confined space’ as
a space which has any one of the following
As defined u/r 2(a) of the Chemical characteristics:
Accidents (Emergency Planning, Preparedness, 1. Limited opening for entry and exit.
and Response) Rules, 1996, it means an accident 2. Unfavourable natural ventilation, or
involving a fortuitous or sudden or unintended 3. Not designated for continuous worker
occurrence while handling any hazardous occupancy.
chemicals [defined in rule 2(b)] resulting in
continuous, intermittent or repeated exposure to Confined space is also classified as that –
death or injury to any person or damage to any - has vertical or maze exit, or
property but does not include an accident by - contains loose dust, fluidised materials or
reason only of war or radioactivity. unstable solids.

3.9 Chemical Safety: Examples of confined spaces are – tank, pit,


sump, vat, duct, gutter, tunnel, sewer, drain,
It means ‘safety’ from hazards of chemical. trench, pipe, reaction vessel, boiler, chimney,
See definition of ‘safety’ at Sr. No. 3.77 flue, furnace, oven, ceiling voids, enclosed
following. room, basement etc.

Proper safety work permit, work place


3.10 Code of Practice: monitoring, use of self breathing apparatus,

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rescuer standing outside and holding life line • Collapse or subsidence of a structure.
are the important safety measures. For Dangerous Chemical Reaction see Part 3.39.

3.12 COSHH: 3.16 Disaster:


It means ‘Control Of Substances Hazardous Disaster is a catastrophic situation in which
to Health’ Regulations 1994, published by the the day-to-day patterns of life are, in many
Health and Safety Executive (HSE), UK. It is a instances, suddenly disrupted and people are
guideline, not compulsory but helpful. Its plunged into helplessness and suffering and as a
compliance requires - result need protection, clothing, shelter, medical
1. Assessing the risks to health arising from the and social care and other necessities of life, such
work. as-
2. Deciding what precautions is needed.
3. Preventing or controlling exposures. 1. Disasters resulting from natural phenomena
4. Ensuring that control measures are used and like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, storm,
maintained. surges, cyclones, tropical storms, floods,
5. Monitoring exposures of workers to landslides, forest fires and massive insect
hazardous substances and carrying out infestation. Also in this group, violent
appropriate health surveillance, and draught, which will cause a creeping disaster
6. Ensuring that employees are properly leading to famine, disease and death must be
informed, trained and supervised. included.
2. Second group includes disastrous events
3.13 Damage Control: occasioned by man, or by man’s impact
upon the environment, such as armed
It is directly concerned with the protection conflict, industrial accidents, factory fires,
of machinery, materials and manufactured explosions and escape of toxic gases or
goods assets from accidental loss within the chemical substances, river pollution, mining
factory. Indirectly it is concerned with money or other structural collapses, air, sea, rail and
asset and manpower asset. road transport accidents, aircraft crashes,
Damage can be defined as severity of injury collisions of vehicles carrying inflammable
or the physical, functional or monetary loss that liquids, oil spills at sea, and dam failures.
could result if control of a hazard is lost.
3.17 Disaster Management Plan (DMP):
3.14 Danger:
This is the requirement of Government
It expresses degree of exposure to a hazard. Dept. (MoEF, GPCB, Factory Inspectorate,
By taking suitable precautions, the danger is Collectorate etc.) under various Acts and Rules.
reduced. Machine guarding or safety device It includes On-site emergency plan and Off-
reduces the danger of a particular hazard. site emergency plan. Its key elements are –

3.15 Dangerous Occurrences: 1. Basis of the plan or risk assessment.


Hazards and emergency situations are
Dangerous occurrences are mentioned u/s determined with their possible effects.
88-A of the Factories Act 1948 and u/r 103 of the Typical scenarios and consequences are
Gujarat Factories Rules 1963. They include: outlined for the purpose of off-site
• Bursting of a steam plant under pressure. emergency plan (see part 3.2).
• Collapse or failure of lifting appliances or 2. Accident prevention procedures and
overturning of a crane. control measures. Organisational set-up
• Fire, explosion, escape of molten metal, hot and division of responsibility. It
liquor, gas etc. includes listing of control measures
• Explosion of a pressure vessel. provided in the factory and to be

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managed from outside if not available hazards at the installation together with their
in the factory. Help from outside consequences, describes how such hazards and
agencies. their consequences should be handled either on-
3. Emergency response procedures. It site or off-site. See DMP at Sr. No. 3.17.
includes emergency control centre, See Chapter – 19 for details.
communication system and description
of roles to be played by plant people 3.21 Emergency Services:
and outside agencies.
4. Recovery procedures. It includes safe Emergency services mean external bodies
shut down or flow restriction which are available to handle major accidents
procedure, evacuation and restoring of and their consequences both on-site and off-site,
normal condition. e.g. fire authorities, police, health services etc.
See Chapter – 19 for details.
3.22 Environment:
3.18 Ecology:
As defined u/s 2(a) of the Environment
It includes interaction between microbes, (Protection) Act, 1986, it includes water, air,
plants and animals and their environment, land and the inter relationship which exists
which are primarily affected by climate, water among and between water, air and land, and
resources, soil and man, ecosystem studies, human beings, other living creatures, plants,
ecology of grasslands, woodlands and wetlands, micro-organisms and property.
arid zones and high altitude environments,
coastal ecosystem, mangroves, aquatic 3.23 Environmental Management:
ecosystem, fresh water, river basins, brackish
water, marine, estuarine and soil ecology. In its broad meaning it includes
Government policies, planning, programmes,
3.19 Emergency: regulations and legislations, international
agreements, environmental impact
Emergency could be defined as any assessments(EIA), environmental education,
situation, which presents a threat to safety of environmental law and legal actions,
person or/and property. It may require outside sustainable development, siting of industries,
help also. clean technologies, eco-development and
As defined in clause 2(j) of Schedule 19 of ecosystem management, managerial aspects of
Chemical Works u/r 102 of the Gujarat forestry, biosphere, conservation, waste and
Factories Rules (GFR), emergency means a wildlife.
situation leading to a circumstance or set of
circumstances in which there is a danger to the 3.24 Environment Management Plan
life or health of persons or which could result in
big fire or explosion or pollution to the work
(EMP):
and outside environment, affecting the workers
After identification and assessment of
or neighbourhood in a serious manner,
adverse impacts on environment due to
demanding immediate action.
proposed activity of a new plant or expansion of
It is also defined as, ‘a dynamic incident in
existing plant and after preparation of
which there is continuing potential for major
Environment Impact Assessment (EIA)
injury, ill health, damage to property, to the
document, Environment Management Plan
process or to the environment.’
(EMP) becomes necessary.
The EMP describes general good practice
3.20 Emergency Plan: measures and site-specific measures to mitigate
potential impacts due to the proposed industrial
Emergency plan is a formal written plan,
activities. The EMP provides mechanism to
which on the basis of identified potential
address potential adverse impacts, to instruct

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contractors and to introduce standards of good It means to move all people from a
practice to be adopted for all project works. threatened area to a safer area. It is required as a
For each stage of the programme, the EMP function of Onsite or Offsite Emergency Plan.
suggests effective mitigation of every potential
biophysical and socio-economic impact identified 3.28 Fire Prevention and Control:
in the EIA. It presents following information:
1. A list of mitigation measures. It is a special aspect of damage control. It
2. Parameters to be monitored to ensure protects machinery, materials, manufactured
effective implementation of the action. goods, money assets and manpower from
3. Time schedule to implement actions to damage due to fire.
ensure that the objectives are fully met. See Chapter - 13 for details.

3.25 Environmental Pollutant: 3.29 Flash fire and Jet fire:


Defined u/s 2(b) of the Environment
(Protection) Act 1986, it means any solid, liquid A flash fire is the non-explosive
or gaseous substance present in such combustion of a vapour cloud resulting from a
concentration as may be, or tend to be, injurious release of flammable material into the open and
to environment. which after mixing with air, ignites. A flash fire
Environmental Pollution means the presence results from the ignition of a released flammable
of environmental pollutant in environment. cloud in which there is essentially no increase in
combustion rate. The ignition source could be
3.26 Error: electric spark, a hot surface and friction between
moving parts of a machine or an open fire.
Thus flash fire means a release of
Errors are of different types, viz. human
flammable gas under unconfined condition in
error, design error; planning, production,
the presence of air and ignition source.
operation and maintenance error etc.
Dispersion process occurs between LEL and
Human error can be defined as a human’s
UEL with no increase in combustion rate.
action, which differs from or is inconsistent with
A jet fire occurs when flammable gas
prescribed or established behaviours or
releases from the pipeline (or hole) and the
procedures. It may be of two types: predictable
released gas ignites immediately. Damage
or random.
distance depends on the operating pressure and
Predictable error occurs under similar
the diameter of the hole or opening.
conditions and can be foreseen because it has
occurred more than once.
Random error is non-predictable and 3.30 Foresee-ability:
unique in nature. For example, all of a sudden a
fly or insect enters in eye due to which a worker A man may be held liable for actions that
may throw away a tool or lose his balance and result in injury or damage only when he was
cause error. But if flies become common able to foresee dangers and risks that could be
phenomena i.e. predictable, the error becomes reasonably anticipated.
predictable one and remedial measures are
required. 3.31 Forestry:
Human error takes place due to omission
(failure to perform a required function) or It includes afforestation, including social
commission (performing a function not forestry and energy plantation, deforestation,
required), failure to recognise hazard, poor ecology and management of forests, influence of
response, poor timing, wrong decision, sudden forest on the physical environment, protection
disturbance etc. of forests, soil conservation and erosion of
forests, watershed / catchments management,
3.27 Evacuation: endangered and threatened plant species.

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3.32 Handling of a Substance: diagnosis and elimination are essential to any
successful safety programme.
As defined u/s 2(d) of the Environment Chemical Hazard is a hazard due to
(Protection) Act, it means the manufacture, chemical (including its property, storage,
processing, treatment, package, storage, process, handling, effect etc.) and it is realised
transportation, use, collection, destruction, by fire, explosion, toxicity, corrosion, radiation
conversion, offering for sale, transfer or the like etc.
of such substance. Major Hazard is a large-scale chemical
hazard, especially one, which may be realised
3.33 Harmful Element: through an acute event.
For Major Accident Hazard (MAH) see part
It means a substance, which in contact with 3.55 following.
the human body is likely to cause, during Occupational hazards are the hazards
employment and long after, identifiable by arising in course of and out of employment.
modern methods, injuries and diseases or likely They include physical, chemical, biological,
damage to the health of the present and future mechanical, electrical and psychological hazards
generations. Harmful elements may be and also occupational diseases and poisoning.
injurious, toxic, corrosive or irritating. Rapid ranking method is a means of
classifying the hazards of separate elements of
plant within an industrial complex, to enable
3.34 Hazards:
areas for priority attention to be quickly
established.
Hazard means existing unsafe condition or
action or situation or event or their combination
which has potentiality to cause accident but 3.35 Hazards Analysis:
accident has not happened.
Hazard is an inherent property of a Hazard Analysis is (i) Analysis of
substance, agent, a source of energy or situation mechanism of hazard occurrence and (ii)
having the potential of causing undesirable Analysis of terminal consequences of hazards. It
consequences. is quantitative. Its study is known as HAZAN
Hazard means an intrinsic capacity (Hazard Analysis). It means identification of
associated with an agent or process capable of undesired events, which lead to the
causing harm. materialization of a hazard, analysis of the
Hazard is defined as, ‘any event with the mechanisms by which such undesired events
potential to cause harm, ill health, injury, could occur, and estimation of the extent,
damage to property, plant, products or the magnitude and likelihood of any harmful effects
environment, production losses or increased or consequences.
liabilities.’ In simple term, hazard analysis means
Hazard is a condition with the potential of classification of hazards, eg. chemical hazards,
causing injury to personnel, damage to mechanical hazards, electrical hazards, fall
equipment or structures, loss of material, or hazards, day and night wise hazards etc.
lessening of the ability to perform a prescribed Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA) is a
function. When hazard is present, the possibility procedure for identifying hazards early in the
exists of these adverse effects occurring. design phase of project before the final design
The causes of accidents generally remain has been established. Its purpose is to identify
latent for some time before an accident occurs. opportunities for design modifications, which
These latent or potential causes are hazards. would reduce or eliminate hazards, mitigate the
Hazards are sometimes referred to consequences of accidents or both.
synonymously with accident causes, but there is
a clear distinction that a hazard can exist without HAZAN (Hazard analysis) is generally
an accident whereas an accident cause without an undertaken at the preliminary stage of
accident is an absurdity. Hazard recognition, determining the location, basic design principles
and operational parameters to establish the

10
adequacy of basic safety of design, operation risks are prevented. If risks are prevented,
and environmental control. It may be followed accidents are prevented. If accidents are
by an updated analysis to establish final risk prevented, injuries and losses are prevented and
levels. HAZAN exercise has to be undertaken that is the object of safety.
by a professional team with expertise in failure
mode and effect analysis, fault tree analysis, 3.38 Hazardous chemical:
simulation and modelling, event tree and
consequence analyses. Hazardous chemical is defined u/s 2(e) of
the Manufacture, Storage and Import of
3.36 Hazard Assessment: Hazardous Chemicals Rules, 1989 as a listed
chemical in Schedule 1, 2 and 3 therein. The
Hazard assessment is an evaluation of the same term is also similarly defined u/r 2(b) of
results of a hazard analysis including judgments the Chemical Accidents (Emergency Planning
as to their acceptability and, as a guide, Preparedness and Response) Rules 1996 and u/r
comparison with relevant codes, standards, 68J(1)(a) of the Gujarat Factories Rules, 1963.
laws and policies. When threshold quantity listed in Sch. 2 or
Hazop (Hazard & operability) study is 3 exceeds in a plant it is identified or classified
carried out by application of guidewords to as a Major Accident Hazard (MAH) installation.
identify all possible deviations from design See Part 3.55 also.
intent having undesirable effects on safety or
operability, with the aim of identifying potential 3.39 Hazardous Substance, Process
hazards.
Hazop studies are normally undertaken at
and Reaction:
an advanced stage of project implementation
Hazardous substance is defined u/s 2(e) of
when the design criteria are well established.
the Environment (Protection) Act 1986, as a
The study can be used for both new and
substance or preparation which, by reason of its
working plants. They have to be carried out by
chemical or physico-chemical properties or
multidisciplinary teams of experienced technical
handling, is liable to cause harm to human
personnel having detailed knowledge of both
beings, other living creatures, plants, micro-
the design and operation of a plant.
organism, property or the environment.
A preliminary Hazop study is intended to
It is an element, compound, mixture or
review the general parameters of materials
preparation, which by virtue of chemical,
processed, unit operations and layout of
physical or (eco) toxicological properties
individual units and plant sub-units. A detailed
constitutes a hazard.
Hazop study is required after the finalisation of
Toxic Substances as defined in clause (i),
the designs to identify the potentially hazardous
Schedule 19 on Chemical Works u/r 102 of the
situations and to arrive at agreeable options to
Gujarat Factories Rules, mean those substances
rectify design deviations and anomalies.
which cause fatality or serious health effect and
See Chapter –19 for details.
which exceed their TLV specified in the 2nd
Schedule of the Factories Act (See Table in
3.37 Hazard Identification: Chapter-32).
Hazardous Process as defined u/s 2(cb) of
It is an identification of sources of hazards the Factories Act, means any process or activity
and their causes. It is qualitative. Its study is in relation to an industry specified in the First
known as HAZOP study. Schedule (see Part 6.6 of Chapter-4 for 29
Many methods and techniques are industries) where, unless special care is taken,
available to identify hazards. See Chapter –19. raw materials used therein or the intermediate
In simple term, it means listing of unsafe or finished products, bye-products, wastes or
conditions, actions, situation etc. effluents thereof would –
Hazard identification is the most important
step. If hazards are identified and removed,

11
(i) cause material impairment to the health of 1) The Basel Convention on the Control of
the persons engaged in or connected Transboundary Movement of Hazardous
therewith, or Waste and their Disposal.
(ii) result in the pollution of the general 2) The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior
environment. Informed Consent (PIC) procedure for
Dangerous Chemical Reactions as defined in certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides
clause (k) of Schedule 19 on Chemical Works in International Trade.
u/r 102 of the Gujarat Factories Rules, mean 3) The Stockholm Convention on Persistent
high speed reactions, run-away reactions, Organic Pollutants (POPs).
delayed reactions etc. and are characterised by The activities of the division are carried out
evolution of large quantities of heat, intense under three main thrust areas, viz., Chemical
release of toxic or flammable gases or vapours, Safety, Hazardous Waste Management and
sudden pressure build-up etc. Solid Waste Management.
Unit processes and operations mentioned
in Sch. 4 u/r 68J of the Gujarat Factories Rules, 3.43 Incident:
when involve or likely to involve ‘hazardous
chemical’ as defined in Part 3.38 above, activity An incident is any observable human
in that installation or isolated storage is called activity sufficiently complete in itself to permit
hazardous industrial activity. references and predictions to be made about the
persons performing the act viz. cleaning an
3.40 Hazard survey: unguarded machine, failing to wear PPE, using
compressed air on body, raising pressure or
It means the total efforts involved in an temperature unnecessarily.
assessment of the hazards from installations and It includes accident and a near miss.
their means of control. Incident for accident is defined as, ‘an
unplanned event or series of events that has or
3.41 Health and Toxicology: could have, caused injury to people and / or
damage to assets and / or damage to the
In its broad meaning, it includes toxicology environment and / or loss of reputation.’
of pesticides, heavy metals, industrial and See Chapter – 4 for details.
agricultural chemicals and other environmental
contaminants, effects of toxic materials, 3.44 Industrial Health & Hygiene:
fertilizers, pesticides etc. on human, animals,
plants and soil, contaminants, measurement and This is connected with the protection of the
methodology, occupational and public health, manpower asset from industrial illnesses,
use and transportation of hazardous materials, diseases and other long-term accidental effects
industrial accidents and safety. caused by industrial environment on human
bodies. Indirectly it protects money asset.
3.42 HSMD: Specific areas for consideration include:
noise, dusts, gases, vapours, corrosives, toxic
The Hazardous Substances Management materials, ventilation, heating, lighting,
Division (HSMD) is the nodal point within the humidity, environmental monitoring, biological
Ministry for Management of Chemical monitoring, health checks, general and personal
Emergencies and Hazardous substances. The hygiene, counselling, health education,
main objective of the Division is to promote safe employee screening and placement and medical
management and use of hazardous substances antidotes.
including hazardous chemicals and hazardous Occupational Hygiene Practice includes:
wastes, in order to avoid damage to health and (a) Recognition of the possible health hazards
environment. The Division is also the nodal in the work environment.
point for the following three International (b) Evaluation of hazards, i.e. the process of
Conventions. assessing exposure and reaching conclusion
as to the level of risk to human health.

12
(c) Prevention and control of hazards, which is Disabling injury is an injury causing
the process of developing and death, permanent disability, or any degree of
implementing strategies to eliminate/ temporary total disability beyond the day of the
reduce to acceptable levels, the occurrence injury (Accident Facts, 1997, NSC, USA).
of harmful agents and factors in the
workplace. It will also account for Source of injury is the principal object such
environmental protection. as tool, machine or equipment involved in the
See Chapter –24 for details. accident and is usually the object inflicting
injury or property damage. Also called agency
3.45 Industrial Hygiene Audit: or agent.

Its aim is to examine industrial hygiene Property damage accident is an accident,


practices with a view to establish their which results in property damage, but in which
effectiveness in preventing occupational illness no person is injured.
and their conformance with standards and
regulations. Audit report should indicate Non-fatal injury accident is an accident in
whether key industrial hygiene programme which at least one person is injured, and no
elements (not necessarily degree of compliance) injury results in death.
are present or absent. The presence of a
particular element merely indicates that the See Chapter –4 for details.
organisation is capable of moving towards
desirable preventing goals. Audit worksheets 3.47 In-place (plant) Protection:
should include data gathering format and major
agents (heat, light, noise, radiation, It means to direct people to quickly go
contaminants etc.) review sheets. Industrial inside a building and remain inside until the
hygiene policy, laboratory facility, trained danger passes. It is preferred when evacuation
manpower; communication, structure etc. is not possible or more risky. It is not safe if the
should also be reviewed. vapours are explosive. People inside should
keep doors, windows and ventilating system
3.46 Injury: closed to stop ingress of toxic gases.

Injury (occupational) means an injury that 3.48 Isolation:


result in death, loss of consciousness and
It means to isolate hazard area and to deny
administration of medical treatment, temporary
entry to keep people away from the area if they
assignment to other duties and transfer to
have not to play any emergency response role. It
another job, or inability to perform all duties on
is the first step for any protective action that
any day after the injury.
follows.
Injury is considered to include
Isolation valve means a stop valve.
occupational disease and work-connected
disability. Work injury is defined as an injury
suffered by a person, which arises out of and in
3.49 ISRS:
the course of his employment. It is an external
It means International Safety Rating
damage to human body; disturbance or
System. Safety rating certificate is awarded by
dysfunction resulted from an accident. By cause
DNV to the hazardous plants. The system
it may be mechanical, thermal, chemical,
includes 20 safety elements, which are audited
radiated or combined.
and based on the audit, safety rating number is
Injury is physical harm or damage to the
awarded. The system provides scope for further
body resulting from an exchange of (usually
improvement in safety areas to get higher rating
acute, mechanical, chemical, thermal or other
number in the next audit.
environmental) energy that exceeds the body’s
tolerance.

13
3.50 Labour Protection: 3.53 Loss Prevention:
It is defined as a system of legal acts and It may be defined as the application of
relevant socio-economic, technological and engineering techniques in order to prevent or
organisational measures ensuring safety and reduce the probability of occurrence of accidents
health, accident prevention, industrial hygiene that result in personal injury, damage to
and fitness to work. property, production, equipment, building etc.
and those accidents having no end result i.e. the
3.51 Liability: near miss accident. Prevention is an earlier part
of control. Therefore it is better than subsequent
It means an obligation to rectify or cure. When fire, security, health, hygiene,
recompense any injury or damage for which the pollution control, product liability and business
liable person has been held responsible. interruption control are added to ‘loss
prevention’, it is called ‘loss control’.
3.52 Loss Control:
In safety philosophy the word ‘loss’ has
3.54 Major Accident:
many meanings.
As defined by Rule 2(j) of the Manufacture,
Loss includes injury, illness, disease or
Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals
death to a person.
Rules, 1989, it means an incident involving loss
Loss includes damage to property,
of life inside or outside the installation or ten or
equipment, material, cost of replacement or
more injuries inside and/or one or more injuries
damage to environment.
outside or release of toxic chemicals or
Loss also occurs in terms of time, money,
explosion or fire or spillage of hazardous
material, production, sales etc.
chemicals resulting in on-site or off-site
Loss of time occurs in filling of accident
emergencies or damage to equipment leading to
forms and their reporting, record keeping,
stoppage of process or adverse effects to the
investigation of causes, searching for controls,
environment.
travelling for medical and legal help,
Major Chemical Accident is defined u/r
hospitalisation, Govt. offices, rehabilitation and
2(f) of the Chemical Accidents (Emergency
restoration of public image.
Planning, Preparedness and Response) Rules,
Accident may cause any type of loss. Such
1996 by the words stated in above para but also
losses are considered in counting the costs of
including transportation.
accident.
Loss control is defined as a management
system designed to reduce or eliminate all 3.55 Major Accident Hazard (MAH)
aspects of accidental losses that lead to wastage Installation:
of company assets. In this context the company
assets involved are manpower, materials, As defined u/r 2(g) of the Chemical
machinery, methods, manufactured goods and Accidents (EPPR) Rules, 1996, it means isolated
money. Thus a system of loss control is storage and industrial activity [u/r 2(c)] at a site
designed to improve the overall profitability of handling (including transport through carrier or
a company by reducing both the economic and pipeline) of hazardous chemicals [defined u/r
social costs associated with loss producing 2(b)] equal to or more than the threshold quantities
activities. Legal, humanitarian (social) and specified in Schedules 2 and 3.
economic aspects are included herein. It is also similarly defined u/r 2 (ja) of the
Total Loss Control involves reporting to Manufacture, Storage and Impact of Hazardous
control centres all property damage accidents Chemicals Rules, 1989.
and injury-causing accidents, supplemented by Different rules (Safety Provisions) are
spot checks and safety audits. applicable to such factories, installations or sites
depending on “Threshold quantity” of

14
hazardous chemicals listed in Schedule 1, 2, and Difference between ‘error’ and ‘mistake’ is
3, or processes mentioned in Schedule 4. thin and may be understood interchangeably.
See Chapter -19 for details.
3.58 NHWIS:
3.56 Major Emergency:
National Hazardous Waste Information
Major emergency occurring at a work is System (NHWIS) is online Web based
one that may affect several departments within hazardous waste information system which
it and/or may cause serious injuries, loss of life, gives the status of hazardous waste
extensive damage to property or serious management in India. The database will be
disruption outside the works. It will require the regularly updated by all State Pollution Control
use of outside resources (off-site emergency Boards on web and this will ensure updated
plan) to handle it effectively. status at all times. The NHWIS project has been
Usually it is the result of a malfunction of developed by Environment and Forest
the normal operating procedures. It may also be Informatics Division of NIC in close
precipitated by the intervention of an outside consultation with Hazardous Substance
agency, such as a severe electrical storm, Management Division (HSMD)of the Ministry
flooding, crushed aircraft or deliberate acts of of Environment and Forests. It gives-
arson or sabotage. 1) Records of Management of Hazardous
Emergency due to operating conditions Waste by Generating Units.
(uncontrolled reaction, small fire, small gas leak, 2) Status of compliance to the environment
spill, failure of power, water, air, steam, cooling regulation.
media, scrubbing media etc.) and which plant 3) Data on available disposal option.
personnel alone can handle locally (without 4) Queries / Reports on hazardous waste
outside help) is not considered as major management for authority and general
emergency. Operating instructions in the Safety public.
Manual should cover this area, though the on-
site emergency plan will also be helpful. 3.59 Nature and Natural Resources
Conservation:
3.57 Mistake:
In its broad meaning, it includes all aspects
Mistake, in the sense of safety, can be of conservation of the flora, fauna, genetic
defined as an act of wrong opinion, judgement resources, water, soil and eco-system.
about a thing or situation which results in
hazard or harm to a person, property or 3.60 Near miss:
environment. It means to have wrong
perception about danger or to understand it It means any unplanned, sudden event that
wrongly so that it may cause hazard. could have caused injury to man, materials
Like error, as explained earlier, it is an act (plant) or environment or could have involved a
of omission or commission resulting in hazard loss of containment possibly giving rise to
or hazardous situation. adverse effect but not resulted in such accident.
Mistakes may be committed by men or If near miss is detected and prevented,
machines and can be classified as personal possible accident due to that near miss can be
mistake, mechanical mistake, technical mistake, avoided or prevented. If causes of near miss are
historical mistake etc. It may be small or big. A not removed, they can result in accident.
gross mistake is called blunder. Therefore importance to control near miss is
Examples of mistake are wrong judgement more than that of controlling accident.
of the speed of a vehicle, falling body or a
moving machine, to perceive blue as black, to 3.61 Negligence:
press ‘start’ button instead of ‘stop’ button, to
press clutch instead of brake etc.

15
It means failure to exercise a reasonable norms and without endangering self or the
amount of care or to carry out a legal duty so fellow workers.
that injury or property damage occurs. 3. To assure adequate medical care and
rehabilitation of the occupationally injured.
3.62 Noise Pollution: 4. To encourage personal health maintenance.
See Chapter - 24 for details.
In its broad meaning, it includes noise
levels and effects from domestic, construction, 3.66 Occupational hygiene:
urban, industrial, transportation and other
sources, acoustic measuring and instruments, Occupational hygiene is a modern
noise surveys and standards. specialisation concerned with assessing and
controlling hazards from atmospheric
3.63 Occupational Disease: contamination, skin or body absorption,
radiation, noise etc.
Occupational disease is impairment to Occupational or Industrial Hygienist -
health, illness, poisoning or disease caused to a Serves as the analytical preventive engineering
person by exposure to any substance or process arm of occupational medicine by applying
of the occupation. It may arise out of or in specialised knowledge to the recognition,
course of his employment. evaluation and control of health hazards in the
Occupational Disease is also defined as a work environment.
disease caused by environmental factors, the See Chapter-24 for details.
exposure to which is peculiar to a particular
process, trade or occupation, and to which an 3.67 Occupational Poisoning:
employee is not ordinarily subjected or exposed
outside of or away from such employment. Occupational poisoning is a partial case of
Occupational diseases are many and listed by occupational disease. Continuous or long time
the Factories Act, W.C. Act and ESI Act. exposure to relatively small amounts of noxious
See Chapters – 24 & 29 for details. or poisonous substances is conductive to a
chronic poisoning. e.g. lead or mercury poisoning,
3.64 Occupational Environment: lung diseases etc. Occupational poisoning is
called the acute poisoning or intoxication if caused
It is the sum of external conditions and by penetration into the body of a noxious
influences which prevail in the place of work substance, or immediate local effects e.g. acid
and which have a bearing on the health of the burn, fire or hot burn, sun burn, cold burn, gas
working population. It includes three types of inhalation etc.
interaction - Man and physical, chemical and 3.68 Off-site emergency plan:
biological agents; Man and machine or
equipment, and Man and man. It deals with measures to prevent and
control emergencies affecting public and the
3.65 Occupational Health: environment outside the factory premises. The
manufacturer should provide the necessary
It includes all aspects of a worker’s health information on the nature, extent and likely
and his/her relationship with the environment. effects of such incidents to the Government
Basic objectives of a good occupational authorities that make and operate this plan.
health programme are: Schedule-12 of the MSIHC Rules, 1996
1. To protect workers against health hazards in specifies 13 items. See Chapter-19 for details.
their work environment.
2. To facilitate their placement and ensure their 3.69 On-site emergency plan:
suitability according to their physical and
mental capacities and emotional make-up in It deals with measures to prevent and
work that they can perform with acceptable control emergencies affecting workers and

16
others within the factory and not affecting is known, it becomes practicable to take
outside public or environment. It is controlled necessary precautions against it.
mostly by the plant personnel, resources and “So far as is reasonably practicable”- This
equipment. Factory management makes and can be a defence by an accused person that
operates this plan. precautionary action was not reasonably
Schedule-11 of the MSIHC Rules, 1996 practicable by him. However he has to prove
specifies 13 items. See Chapter-19 for details. this. Ultimately the Court will decide depending
on facts, evidences and balance between the cost
3.70 Oversight: and risk in assessing it.
“Best practicable means” – This indicates a
Oversight means overlooking of something, duty to comply with by taking the best
error or supervision. When there are more measures available in the light of current
switches side by side and looking identical, an knowledge and according to means and
operator may operate a wrong switch by resources. This duty lies between so far as is
oversight. While counting many things, by practicable and so far as is reasonably
oversight, someone may make mistake. Thus practicable.
oversight denotes a state of mind by which error The standard of practicability depends on
or mistake is possible due to lack of current knowledge and invention.
concentration or attention. Result of oversight is The burden of proof that something was
mistake or error. Oversight leads to unsafe not practicable or not reasonably practicable lies
action and that may result in accident. on the accused. Inconvenience and expense
In its second meaning oversight means cannot be used as a defence.
overseeing or supervision which is most
essential in safety work. Good oversight of a
3.73 Probability:
supervisor gives good results. More oversight is It means the likelihood, chance or
required on newly employed workers. frequency that a considered (predetermined)
The words - error, mistake and oversight - occurrence may take place.
have thin difference, all leading to the causation Probability and severity (effect or
of hazard or accident and concern with the state consequence) are two ingredients of a risk.
of mind or human behaviour. Probability includes possible frequency of
hazard occurrence or possible frequency of
3.71 Pollution: effects due to any particular hazard.

In all its aspects it is concerned not only 3.74 Product Liability:


with the environment within the factory but
It extends the protection to all consumers of
also the immediate environment outside the
the company’s products and is primarily
factory. Control of air, land and water pollution
concerned with the protection of money asset.
protects the manpower asset directly and the
Attention should also be paid to a product
money asset indirectly. Special attention should
safety strategy.
also be paid to noise and vibration as pollutant.
See Chapter-28 for statutory definitions of 3.75 Risks:
pollution, pollutant, emission, environment etc.
Risk is the combination of a probability of
3.72 Practicable: occurrence and its severity of consequence.
Thus R=P x S.
In legal terminology, following three terms
Risk is the likelihood of a specific
are used:
undesired event occurring within a specified
“So far as is practicable”- This means if
period or under specified circumstances. It may
something is practicable it should be done. It is
be either a frequency i.e. number of events per
not practicable to take precautions against any
unit time or a probability depending on
hazard which is unknown. But once the hazard
circumstances.

17
As per example risk of death for a man It is a judgement of significance or
aged 30 is 1x10-3 per annum (i.e. during a year, acceptability of risk identified by risk analysis
out of 1000 such men, one may die) and that for and comparing against social, political or legal
a man aged 60 is 1x10-2 per annum (i.e. during a criteria, e.g. comparison of measured or
year, out of 100 such men, one may die). calculated risk with the permissible safe limits
Risk is an expression of possible loss over a and judgement regarding safety (whether the
specific period or number of operational cycles. risk level is within or exceeding the safety limit)
It may be indicated by the probability of an gives risk assessment.
accident times, the damage in rupees, lives or Though Hazard identification is a part of
operating units. Risk Assessment, term HIRA ie Hazard
Risk is expressed for uncertain Identification and Risk Assessment is also used
eventualities and it may be classed as by some company.
speculative or pure. Pure risk can only result in a Objective of risk assessment are:
loss to company, whereas speculative risk may 1. Identification of vulnerable zones (losses of
result in either gain or loss. Risk, uncertainty, persons and property) of the premises.
probability and chance are the words, which 2. Estimation of hazard distances for the
frequently recur and most familiar to insurance maximum credible accident (MCA) scenarios.
people. Risk and uncertainty are ingredients of 3. Suggestions for risk mitigation measures and
life and we are constantly taking risks merely to delineation of approach to disaster
stay alive. management plan (DMP).
Individual Risk is the frequency at which
See also part 3.100.
an individual may be expected to sustain a
given level of harm from the realisation of 3.78 Risk Counter:
specific hazards.
Societal Risk is the relationship between Risk counter is an iso-risk line on the map
frequency of hazardous event and the number at which a hypothetical individual staying there
of people suffering a specific level of harm (level unprotected and for 24 hours per day would be
of concern like IDLH, LD50, LC50 etc.) in a given subjected to a defined probability of fatal harm
population from the realisation of that event due to exposure to hazards induced by the
(specific hazard). It is a measure of the chances industrial activity. This risk indicator is most
of a number of people being affected by a single frequently used to quantify the off-site risk to
event or set of events and is often expressed by the public and is expressed on a per year basis.
f/n curves (frequency vs. no. of people affected). Risk Counters are calculated by
determining the consequences from a number of
3.76 Risk Analysis: scenarios. By adapting certain criteria for death
from toxic substances, radiation heat load from
It means to find out probability of a hazard
fire and explosion over pressure, effect or
occurring and then an estimation of its
damage distances can be determined.
consequence or effect and its severity. It is
Risk transects are like risk counters, but
quantitative.
are used for the risk from transportation by
For example, estimation of probability or
road, rail, pipeline etc.
frequency of possible explosion and its effect on
Risk counters are plotted on the map of the
persons and property in terms of deaths, injuries,
house breakages etc. is called risk analysis. premises and its vicinity (area) to see the effect
of damage distances reaching to the public or
3.77 Risk Assessment: surrounding environment. On each periphery of
a counter, risk level should be mentioned.
It is the quantitative evaluation of the Counters may indicate risk zones like low,
likelihood of undesired events and their medium, high, highest etc.
consequences being caused together and a value
judgement concerning the significance of the
results after comparing with set, legal or
accepted values or standards.

18
3.79 Risk Management: safety, health and environment (SHE or HSE)
protection including protection of property.
It may be defined as the organisational set-
up for prevention or minimisation of the Operational safety concept is a strategy for
adverse effects of risks within a company, via process control, incorporating a hierarchy of
the identification, evaluation and control of such monitoring and controlling process parameters
risk by finding and applying remedial measures. and of protective action to be taken.
It is decision-making and establishing
ownership of actions and monitoring to contain 3.81 Safety Audit:
within limits of criteria.
Risk Management includes following It is a critical examination of all or part, of a
Steps- total operating system with relevance to safety
1. Hazard Identification and to suggest improvements and up gradation.
2. Hazard Analysis A safety audit is intended to measure the
3. Hazard Assessment effectiveness of a company’s safety programs in
4. Risk Analysis and every respect. The objectives should be clearly
5. Risk Assessment. defined such as -
It includes management for safety (injury (a) To carry out a systematic and critical
prevention), damage control, loss prevention appraisal of all potential hazards
and loss control. involving personnel, plant, services and
See Chapter-19 for details. methods of operation.
(b) To ensure that the occupational health
3.80 Safety:
and safety standards fully satisfy the
In general terms, safety means freedom or legal requirements and those of the
protection from harm, danger, hazard, risk, company’s written safety policies,
accident, injury or damage. In an industrial objectives and programs.
context, it means the minimization of contact The word ‘safety audit’ is also used for
between human and hazard and is ‘safety inspection’ intended for-
predominantly concerned with the prevention (a) Identification of possible loss situations.
of physical harm (injury) to persons or/and (b) Measurement of the potential losses
property. Its concept is explained in detail in associated with these risks.
Chapter-1. (c) Selection of methods to minimize the
Industrial safety is that condition of losses.
(d) Implementation of the selected methods
enterprise operations in which, by controlling
within the company and
hazards and risks, accident free production is
(e) Monitoring of the result and suggesting
achieved.
further improvement based on review.
Safety is defined as a positive, organized
See Chapter-19 for details. See IS: 14489 also.
activity or program based on knowledge of the
reaction between man and his working 3.82 Safety Manager:
environment, which aids business enterprise by
minimizing death, losses caused by injuries, Generally connotes a person responsible for
health impairment, fires, explosion and other a safety organization and its activities. This
occupational accidents. person is concerned with the conduct of the
Safety is opposite (antonym) of danger. safety programs at the plant(s) for which he is
Freedom from hazards represents absolute responsible. He may have under his immediate
safety, but this is an ideal, which is seldom supervision, one or more safety engineers or
realised. Safety is rather a matter of protection officers, an industrial hygienist, industrial
from hazards. psychologist, risk manager and other employees
Safety is a situation with acceptable risks. knowledgeable in safety.
Thus safety means to bring or keep the hazard Risk Manager is responsible for the
level, below permissible safe level. It includes function of a safety manager and also for the

19
insurance programs and other activities to planning. The team should include workers or
minimize accidental losses. their representatives where appropriate, and
See Chapter –6 for details. other persons with expertise relevant to the
tasks.
3.83 Safety Management System:
Safety Management System is defined as 3.88 Security:
collectively those elements in the operator’s
management system which ensure that all loss It protects the material, methods,
exposures inherent in the operation have been manufactured goods and money assets.
systematically identified and risk assessed and
that arrangements are in place to control the 3.89 Site:
risks in these loss exposures to a level as low as
reasonably practicable (ALARP) and to As defined u/r 2(m) of the MSIHC Rules,
minimize the consequences of any failure of the u/r 2(k) of the Chemical Accidents (EPPR)
control system should the need arise, and that Rules and u/r 68J(1)(g) of the GFR, it means any
the information, training, auditing and location where hazardous chemicals are
improvement processes are in place. manufactured or processed, stored, handled,
used, disposed of and includes the whole of an
3.84 Safety Premises: area under the control of an occupier and
includes pier, jetty or similar structure whether
It is the duty of an owner or user of land to floating or not.
keep his premises in a condition that is Schedule-7 for notification of site should be
reasonably safe for those lawfully there. e.g. referred under MSIHC Rules.
duty of an owner of cinema or auditorium.
3.90 System Safety:
3.85 Safety Report:
It is the concept ‘to have an accident, there
must be a hazardous or unsafe condition’. If that
It is the written presentation of the
unsafe condition can be eliminated or suitably
technical, management and operational
controlled, there will be no accident even if
information covering the hazards of a major
there is an error on the part of any personnel
accident hazard (MAH) installation and their
involved. Example is an interlocked guard,
control in support of a justification for the safety
which prevents accident due to human error. To
of the installation.
minimize accidents, it is necessary to eliminate
Schedule - 8 u/r 68-J of the Gujarat
or control any of the hazards involved at each
Factories Rules or u/r 10(1) of the Manufacture,
stage of design, manufacture, test, operation
Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals
and maintenance.
Rules, 1989 prescribes such report with 10 items.
See Chapter-19 for details.
System safety requires auto controls to
make the system so safe that human error may
3.86 Safety Committee: not result into accident.
It is prescribed u/s 41-G of the Factories
Act, 1948 and u/r 68 F & Y of the Gujarat
3.91 Transport of Hazardous
Factories Rules. It is similar to the safety team. Chemicals:

3.87 Safety Team: It means movement of hazardous


chemicals by any means over land, water or air.
It is a group, which may be established by
See Chapter –18 & 28 for details.
the works management for specific safety
purposes, e.g. inspections or emergency

20
3.92 Ultra-hazardous Operations: or accidental failure or alteration of the safe
condition. The unsafe condition may be the sole
Any person who conducts an operation accident cause or one of several causes.
that involves abnormal risk to others is strictly Examples are, wrong design, no guard on
liable for injury or damage that results, even if dangerous part, no control of chemical process,
these operations were conducted with care. no provisions of safety devices, poor light, high
noise etc.
3.93 Uncertainty:
Unsafe condition is concerned with the
It exists only in our minds and has much position, situation, existence or accidental
the same meaning as doubt. Its opposite is often alteration of the safe condition into such
regarded as faith or firm determination. position, situation, existence or state of affairs
leading to the causation of any hazard or
accident. Such condition may be because of any
3.94 Unsafe Act:
unsafe act or not. Acts of God are unsafe
condition. Unsafe condition can be rectified,
It means either a positive act i.e. repaired or made safe mostly by engineering
commission of an act or a negative act i.e. controls.
omission or failure to perform an act which a
prudent man should not have done and which 3.96 Unsafe Production Factor:
results in hazard, accident or injury. The unsafe
act might be deliberate (mischief, sabotage etc.) It means an industrial agency or agency
or committed in ignorance or through part, which under certain conditions may invite
forgetfulness (human error, mistake etc.). The an injury or disease.
unsafe act may be the sole accident cause or one
3.97 Vulnerability Models:
of several causes. Examples are standing under
suspended load, design mistake, starting Vulnerability models are used to determine
machine without authority or warning, removal how people may be injured by exposure to heat
of safeguard, chance taking, wrong load due to fire, blast wave due to explosion or
interpretation of safety rule, not following the toxic load of the released material. Such models
safety precaution, poor vision or judgement etc. are designed on the basis of animal experiments
Unsafe act is concerned with the human or on the basis of the analysis of injuries
being and can be corrected by the action of the resulting form accidents, which have already
human being only. Training plays an important occurred. Such models make use of a probit
role. Even if the condition is fully safe, an equation.
accident may happen because of the unsafe act.
At the root of creation of unsafe condition, 3.98 Wastes:
many times the underlying cause is unsafe act
i.e. human failing somewhere, which can be In its broad meaning, it includes collection,
detected and corrected. According to H.W. treatment, disposal, reuse and recycling of
Heinrich, over 80% accidents are due to unsafe agricultural, animal, industrial, municipal and
acts. He considered unsafe acts responsible for domestic wastes; procedures, engineering, plant
most of the unsafe conditions. operation and quality control methods applied
See Chapter-4 for details. in such processes and other aspects of waste
management.
3.95 Unsafe Condition: 3.99 Water Pollution:
It means existence of a mechanical, In its broad meaning, it includes all aspects
physical, chemical or environmental condition, of fresh water pollution (including ground
situation or state of affairs, which may cause water), pollution of water bodies, chemical and
hazard or accident. The unsafe condition might biological contaminants, marine pollution,
be the result of any unsafe act (human failing)

21
detection, chemical analysis and monitoring of E - Engineering controls are most important
water pollutant. and must first be provided and
maintained for safety.
3.100 Worst Case and Maximum T - Teaching and Training for safety to all
Credible Scenarios: concerned including workers and public
Y - Yawl to save the humanity. Yew for the
The worst-case scenario (rarely possible) is shelter of all.
defined as the release of the largest quantity of a Five ‘E’s are also stated as fundamentals for
regulated substance from a single vessel or safety. They are Education, Engineering,
process line failure that results in the greatest Enforcement, Enthusiasm and Example setting.
distance to an end point. eg catastrophic failure. Five ‘L’s are important–Learning, Leadership,
It considers the failure of the control systems. Loyalty, Labour protection and Lawfulness.
Maximum Credible Accident (MCA) Five ‘M’s are important – Man, Material,
scenario indicates most possible accident and Machine, Money and Management.
damage distance which is still believed to be Five ‘P’s are important – People, Protection,
possible in MCA condition (very stable Productivity, Prosperity and Proficiency.
atmospheric condition Pasquill Class F and low Philosophy of each of these words can be
wind speed of 1 m/s is presumed). This gives discussed with plenty of examples. They all
the lowest dispersion velocity and hence the need utmost attention.
highest vapour concentration and the longest
damage distance. MCA scenario takes into 5 PHILOSOPHY OF ACCIDENT
account the existing control measures. It CAUSATION
considers the mal functioning of the control
system, opening of safety valve etc. We are at the junction of old and new
Alternative release scenarios are scenarios theories of safety philosophy which needs some
that are more likely to occur than the worst-case clarification to avoid confusion and to make the
scenario and that will reach an endpoint off-site, safety approach more correct, more perfect and
unless no such scenario exists. more powerful.
The distance to the end point is the distance
The concept of ‘unsafe act as the main
a toxic vapour cloud, heat from a fire, or blast
causative factor of more than 88% of accidents’
waves from an explosion will travel before
has, now, become an old theory though it has
dissipating to the point that serious injuries
not lost its full significance. This was more
from short-term exposures will no longer occur.
strongly propounded by H.W. Heinrich, the
Computer models are more useful to
great philosopher of safety and accident
determine such credible scenarios and to get the
prevention work. He estimated that 88% of
damage distances. Some latest computer models
75000 accident cases reviewed were due to the
are CIRRUS, ARCHIE, PHAST, SAFETI and
unsafe acts of persons (Chapter-4). R.W. King
ALOHA etc. CIRRUS includes four important
and John Magid in their book of 1982 (see
models in one package. These models are
reference no. 10) also presumed human failing
Source Term Model, Dispersion Model, Fire
or unsafe act as an underlying cause of unsafe
Model and Explosion Model.
condition. This philosophy emphasizes the
unsafe act as predominant factor, and
4 MESSAGE OF THE WORD
continuous need to train our workers for their
‘SAFETY’ safe work practices.
The word ‘safety’ is defined in foregoing The psychologists explained the theory of
section. Now its message is philosophically accident-proneness (Chapter-3) and held
explained below by each letter of its spelling. responsible these accident-prone people for
S - Science for Safety of Self and Society majority of accidents. This has also led to the
A - Art and Action for Accident Avoidance same old theory to find out the cause of accident
F - Foolproof safety with Fail-safe devices in human behaviour (unsafe act) only.
including system safety. Factories Act is This old theory is obviously picked up by
the backbone for industry. majority of employers and they do not pay

22
proper attention or invest sufficient money for either unsafe act or unsafe condition is over
safety because they follow this theory and say, simplification and many times data is not
‘Safety is mostly (88%) concerned with available to find out any single cause and the
employee’s behaviour and it is their duty to causation has a sequence of events creating
correct themselves, why should we invest much hazard or accident as a result of combination of
for only 12% of accident causes?’ This unsafe condition and action. Thus accident
philosophy causes great harm to the progress of classification requires high skill and observation
safety movement, and it needs to be discarded and must be proper.
as early as possible.
But the research work was continued on The real Philosophy of Accident Causation:
the real causation of accidents and it is now
inferred that the real cause of accident is an It can be concluded as under:
unsafe condition, which must be detected
properly and removed in such a way that even 1. It is true that unsafe condition and unsafe
human error or mistake may not cause any action, both, exist and play their role in
accident. Interlock or automatic guards, trips accident causation.
and alarms, checks and counter checks, level cut 2. There may or may not be any single cause as
off, auto-stop, auto control and auto-correction ‘unsafe condition only’ or ‘unsafe action only’.
etc. are ways and means to protect against Proper fact data must be searched to find out
unsafe conditions due to human error. This the real cause of accident. In want of sufficient
theory is developed as a new engineering or correct data, no conclusion should be drawn
discipline and system safety. It is well explained about the real or sole cause of accident.
by Willie Hammer and Blake (Chapter-4). 3. ‘Why did the man make mistake?’ should be
Willie Hammer states, “Observation over thoroughly examined in depth and working
the years has shown that this premise (accident- or environmental condition must be detected
proneness) is incorrect. There are persons who as a root or real cause of his human failure.
have more accidents than other persons in The poor vision and illumination, both, are
similar situations.” Explaining the new concept unsafe conditions, and can be rectified by
of system safety he says “system safety necessary spectacles and increase of light.
conceived that accidents could be caused by 4. If the causes are combined, classify them and
personnel error, malfunctions and failures of try to remove them priority wise.
equipment, dangerous characteristic of 5. Unsafe condition has more accident potential
equipment or adverse environmental and can lead to a serious accident. Therefore
conditions. Personnel error could have been by it must be detected first by various safety
designers, test and maintenance men, workers inspection methods or safety audits and
or anyone connected with the process or must be removed by proper engineering
product. To minimize accidents, it is necessary controls. Unsafe conditions have caused
to eliminate or control any of the hazards major accidents in past.
involved at each stage of design, manufacture, 6. Unsafe action requires behavioural or
test, maintenance and operation. If Heinrich’s psychological study of workers, which
data were re-examined in accordance with these should be carried out and unsafe action
newer ideas, it might be found that 88% of the should be rectified before it may cause any
accidents were probably due to causes other unsafe condition, hazard or accident. The
than error by the person immediately involved.” purpose of this causation analysis is to train
Blake has also criticized the ratio theory of the workers properly and to minimize man-
Heinrich as fallacious as it rests on a false made hazards or unsafe conditions timely.
assumption that work connected injuries are the 7. All causes of accident should be considered
result of either unsafe conditions or unsafe acts. together, instead of analysing and separating
The real reason in most of the cases is a as unsafe action or unsafe condition and
combination of correctable unsafe condition and blaming one or the other. It is not cheaper to
faulty behaviour and frequently there are prolong hazard than to remove it.
multiple factors of both. To classify accidents as

23
8. A positive approach of total safety concept 10. It should be accepted that majority of
should include – accidents happen with contract workers as
a) Safe and clean work place and working they are illiterate, untrained, unskilled, less
conditions. equipped and poorly supervised. Therefore
b) Safe and Ergonomic design and more attention must be paid for their safety.
application to reduce health hazards. 11. The concept of accident proneness is not the
c) Safe work method, job performance and real cause of majority of accidents. This
the job itself. concept has historical value (as it was
d) Detection and assessment of risk, deciding originally derived from psychological
what precautions are needed and
studies), but it requires proper
application of eco-friendly process
understanding and its causes (including
technology and hazard control technology.
faulty working conditions) should be
e) Prevention and control of situation and
environment including exposure to
removed. This concept is explained at length
hazards and well maintenance of all in the next Chapter.
control measures. 12. Employer’s mentality based on old theory of
f) Improved methods of selection, training, “unsafe act as predominant accident factor”
placement and supervision of workers. must be removed and they should follow the
g) Periodical medical health check up and new concept that percentage of unsafe act or
follow-up of medical advice for workers. unsafe condition are not important, the
h) Periodical psychological study of human causes are mostly combined, are equally
behaviour for safety. important and require self motivated sincere
i) Public awareness and preparedness efforts and full money investment in
programs i.e. community involvement for removing all of them and making the man,
public health & safety. machine, material, manufacturing process
9. New study of accident causes reveals that and all environment fully safe and healthy.
3% were due wholly to mechanical cause, 2% Good working conditions contribute less error
due wholly to unsafe acts and 95% to a and less hazards. Information and training to
combination of both causes. This should be detect and remove hazards at any level are
accepted. The percentage may vary to some utmost necessary.
extent in different case studies, but it is the
best approach to safety that mostly the This new philosophy of safety is the
causes are combined or complex and they all foundation of safety structure and safety culture.
should be removed wholly.

EXERCISE

1 Explain the Objectives of Philosophy of safety OR Explain the Nature and Subjects of safety
philosophy.
2 Is the term ‘accident’ defined under the Factories Act? Give any two definitions of ‘accident’ and
explain them with illustration.
3 Discuss the term with example:
1 Accident. 10 Mistake. 19 Safety audit.
2 APELL. 11 Near miss. 20 Major accident
3 CASH 12 Occupational health. 21 System safety.
4 Dangerous occurrence. 13 Oversight. 22 Risk Assessment
5 Environment. 14 Product liability. 23 EMP
6 Error. 15 Safety Management System. 24 Ecology
7 MAH installation. 16 In-place protection. 25 Noise pollution
8 Injury. 17 Safety premises. 26 ISRS
9 HSMD 18 NHWIS 27 Vulnerability Models
4 Distinguish with example:
1 Accident & Major accident. 8 Occupational Health & Hygiene.
2 Emergency & Disaster. 9 Onsite & Offsite emergency plan.

24
3 Hazard & Risk. 10 Safety & Security.
4 Error & Mistake. 11 Safety & Risk Manager.
5 Analysis & Assessment. 12 Unsafe act & Unsafe condition.
6 Near miss & Accident. 13 Risk Counter & Damage distance
7 Loss control & Loss prevention. 14 Consequence & Vulnerability Analysis
15 The Worst Case scenario and MCA scenario.
5 Explain the real philosophy of safety emerging from old and new theories.
6 Explain the philosophy of ‘total safety concept’

Reference and Recommended Reading


1. Ÿæè×¼÷ Ö‚æß¼÷»èÌæ (Gita). 11. Safety and Accident Prevention in Chemical
2. The Factories Act & other Statutes. Operations, Fawcett and Wood, John Wiley &
3. Accident Prevention Manual for Industrial Sons.
Operations - National Safety Council, Chicago, 12. Industrial and Occupational Safety Health and
USA Hygiene, AH Hommadi, Indian Bibliographies
4. Handbook of Industrial Safety and Health, Bureau, Delhi.
Modern Surrey, SM4, SEWS, England. 13. Safety in Chemical and Petrochemical
5. Industrial Accident Prevention, H.W. Heinrich, Industries. Report of Department of chemicals
McGraw-Hill. and Petrochemicals, Ministry of Industry,
6. Occupational Safety Management and Govt. of India.
Engineering, Willie Hammer, Prentice-Hall. 14. Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents, ILO
7. Principles of Accident Prevention by Blake. Office, Geneva.
8. Occupational Health and Safety in 15. APELL, UNEP, Paris, France.
Manufacturing Industries, M.K. Poltev, Mir 16. APELL Worldwide, UNEP, Paris, France.
Publishers, Moscow. 17. A guide to Safe Road Transport of Hazardous
9. Industrial Safety Handbook, William Handley, Chemicals, Hazardous Substances
McGraw-Hill. Management Division, Ministry of
10. Industrial Hazard and Safety Handbook, Ralph Environment & Forests, Govt. of India, New
King and John Magid, Butterworth. Delhi, 1995.
18. Guidelines from the Ministry of Environment
and Forest (MoEF).

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