Safety

WORKPLACE SAFETY
Accidents do not happen; they are caused by unsafe conditions
or unsafe actions.
Someone is always to blame when an “accident” occurs.
For these reasons, every supervisor and manager has to be
careful to make sure that unsafe conditions and actions do not
occur.
An unsafe condition can be an open hole through which one
can fall or it can be dust or toxins in the air that can cause
health problems.
CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS
Either Human Error or Design Error
A/ Human Error
(worker side)
improper contact with machinery.
Lifting and handling of bulk and heavy materials.
Contact with electricity, or hazardous materials.
Failure to follow instructions and rules
Not using the safety devices
 (Supervisors side):
Supervisor did not give adequate instructions or did inadequate
inspections
Supervisor did not plan the activity properly
B/ Design error
Wrong design, construction, and bad housekeeping
Malfunctioning or absence of protective devices
Management for Accident Reduction.
HANDLING MATERIALS
• Use of mechanical equipment.
Where mechanical handling equipment is used, sufficient
safe clearances shall be allowed for aisles, at loading docks,
through doorways and wherever turns or passage must be
made.
Aisles and passageways shall be kept clear and in good
repair and appropriately marked.
• Secure storage. Storage of material shall not create a hazard.
Bags, containers, bundles, etc., stored in tiers shall be stacked,
blocked, interlocked and limited in height so that they are stable
and secure against sliding or collapse.
• Housekeeping. Storage areas shall be kept free from
accumulation of materials that constitute hazards from tripping,
fire, explosion, or pest harborage.
• Clearance limits. Clearance signs to warn of clearance limits
shall be provided.
ACCIDENT PREVENTION
Safety has to do with making sure that people realize that a
specific hazard exists and accidents can happen.
One of the ways to do this is by color-coding the workplace.
1/COLOR-CODING
Color-coding is effective in enhancing safety in the workplace
and should be used in combination with clear printed labels
Color codes are not standardized for all industries, and the
meaning of the code used by the company should be displayed
in all buildings on the site (Table 13.1).
Pipes in the processing area should also be color coded with a
standard coding scheme used in the whole system .
The safety officer is responsible for ensuring that everyone
knows the meaning of the color codes.
Standard Color-Code System to Identify Specific Hazards
Color Related Hazard
Red Fire-fighting equipment, containers for flammable and
combustible materials (flashpoint <27°C), emergency stop buttons
or switches.
Orange Dangerous parts of machinery that can cut, crush, or cause
some damage; all machine guards and inside of fuse boxes
Yellow Physical dangers such as slippery areas, low beams that
you can bump against, curbs, aisles, change in floor levels
Green Safe areas, first-aid stations, and materials including gas
masks.
Blue Caution machine under repair; “out of order,” do not
operate,” and “do not move,” painted in white lettering
Purple Radiation hazards
Black Traffic control and general marking
2/OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
Good, clear instructions about the operation of a machine are
essential for the safety of the operator and the safety of the
process.
Instructions should include a section regarding what to do in case
of a problem.
3/PRESSURE EQUIPMENT
Failure of pressure equipment can be prevented with
installation of an adequate number of relief valves.
The valves must be checked on a regular basis and be
protected against corrosion and fouling.
4/FLAMMABLE MATERIAL
Explosions of flammable materials can occur when discharge of static
electricity causes a spark.
Static electricity can be generated by surface friction between a
conductor and a nonconductor, by friction between similar surfaces
when there is relative motion of surfaces, and by turbulence of dust
or liquid droplet-laden gases.
Moving belts or vehicles, flowing gases or liquids, moving fluidized
solids, and liquid atomization can generate static electricity.
Protection against this hazard requires that the potential difference
be reduced without a spark. Metal parts of vessels and all
connecting pipes should be electrically grounded.
Any tank trucks or rail cars handling flammable materials should
also be grounded.
5/Emergency Escape
In multistory buildings, an alternate means of descent should be
provided from elevated levels.
This could be a ladder, outside staircases, or even a slide pole.
It is normal practice to have an escape route designed so that any
person will not need to travel more than 12 m to get to an exit.
6/Power Guards and Insulation
All moving pulleys and gears should be covered by guards
When equipment is inspected or repaired, a lock needs to
be provided to ensure that the machine cannot be started
accidentally.
Any processing vessel that operates at a temperature above
80°C should be insulated to prevent personal injury.
Where insulation is impractical, guards should be installed.
FIRE PROTECTION

Combustion is a process of self-contained exothermic oxidation.

When any source of fuel is combined with air at the right
temperature, self-ignition occurs.
A spark or flame can cause a localized area of high temperature.
In the case of dust explosions, the mixture is so unstable that
combustion will start at ambient temperatures.
Three major types of fires occur in industry:
1. Fires involving combustible materials, such as paper, wax, and
raw materials like grain
2. Fires involving flammable* liquids, such as oil, solvents, and
petrochemicals
3. Electrical fires
Preventions and Limitations of Fire-related Accidents
1. Eliminate Fire Hazards: Keeping workspaces free of waste paper
and other combustibles, replacing damaged electrical cords and
avoiding overloaded circuits.
2. Prepare for Emergencies: Making sure all smoke
detectors work, knowing who to call in an emergency and
participating in fire drills
3. Report Fires and Emergencies Promptly: Sounding the fire
alarm and calling the fire department.
4. Evacuate Safely: Leaving the area quickly in an emergency,
using stairs instead of the elevator, and helping your coworkers.
Building Fire Exits
• Each workplace building must have at least two means of escape
remote from each other to be used in a fire emergency.
• Fire doors must not be blocked or locked to prevent emergency use
when employees are within the buildings.
Portable Fire Extinguishers
• Each workplace building must have a full complement of the proper
type of fire extinguisher for the fire hazards present, excepting when
employer wishes to have employees evacuate instead of fighting
small fires.
Fire Suppression System
• Properly designed and installed fixed fire suppression systems
enhance fire safety in the workplace.
Automatic sprinkler systems throughout the workplace are among
the most reliable firefighting means.
The fire sprinkler system detects the fire, sounds an alarm and puts
the water where the fire and heat are located.
FIRE FIGHTING
Fires can be extinguished if the source of combustible materials is
removed such as by shutting a valve on an oil line.
Fires can also be doused by removing the source of oxygen or by
lowering the temperature below the firing temperature.
When water is sprayed on a fire, it cools the fire and forms
steam, which will expand rapidly to replace the airflow that
supplies the oxygen.
Spraying with carbon dioxide foam removes the source of oxygen
and cools the fire.
Using sand will limit the flow of oxygen and starve the fire. Two
types of foam are in general use.
The first is foam consisting of CO2 bubbles in water.
The second is mechanically produced foam where air is
beaten into water that contains a foam-producing
substance.
Water and fog should be avoided on electrical fires, because the
potential of electrical shock is great.
CO2 and dry powders are effective against electrical fires and
flammable liquids.
Small fires are normally extinguished with a hand-held
extinguisher.
Portable Extinguishers
All portable fire extinguishers are coded to ensure that they are used
for the right purpose. The extinguishers are classified from Type A to
Type D.
Type A should be used for a fire involving combustibles. Class B
extinguishers are used for fires involving liquids, grease, and gases.
Class C should be used for electrical fires. Class D units are used for
fires involving metals such as sodium, magnesium, potassium, etc.
NOISE CONTROL
Noise* as a cause of hearing loss led to many disability
claims. OSHA has specific noise standards, and it is best to
ensure that safe levels are not exceeded
Noise is a loud disagreeable nonmusical sound. Hearing loss occurs
as readily by listening to music as by listening to noise — there is no
distinction, both are loud sounds.
Noise and sound levels are measured in decibels (dB).
The intensity of sound is measured on a scale starting at one for the
least perceptible sound and increasing with multiplying intensity for
each decibel rise.
Noise becomes painful at about the 120 dB level.
The decibel scale is logarithmic and should be interpreted as such.
The threshold of hearing is –12W/m2
 At an intensity of 1 W/m2, the sound will become painful.
This level is called the threshold of pain.
For our perception, a sound with an intensity of 10–5W/m2 will
be about twice as loud as one with an intensity of 10–6 W/m2 .
By using the threshold of hearing (I0) as the base and the sound
intensity (I) as the numerator, we can calculate the logarithmic
ratio as follows:
EXAMPLE
What is the difference in intensity of a sound when it starts at 40
dB and goes to 70 dB?
Since we are working with logarithms that are exponents of 10, we
have to think of manipulations in terms of exponents. Subtracting
exponents is the same as dividing the numbers.
There is a 1000-fold increase in sound intensity when we go
from 40 to 70 dB.
Noise levels at work should be reduced to less than 85 dB
to prevent all workplace-related noise damage
The length of time that a person is exposed to high noise
levels is also important.
According to OSHA, only 2% of workers could expect to lose
hearing ability after 30 years of exposure to 90 dB of noise each
day.
EXAMPLE
How much noise is created from two sources, when one has an
intensity of 70 dB and the other has an intensity of 80 dB?
Since we are working with logarithms, do not fall into the trap of
simplistic calculations.

The total intensity is the sum of the two intensities.

This is a lot different from the intuitive response of a sound much
larger than 80 dB.