od oa WORK ENVIRONMENT, INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS, SAFETY AND HEALTH CHAPTER | INTRODUCTION Employees are endowed with skils, knowledge, bites, values, aptitude, attitude el They come to the organisation with all these varieties of human resources. Though the job and the organisation mostly require employee's skis and knowledge, itis inevitable to the management to boar and respect the total employee. ‘Then onlythe employee commits himself tothe organisation. The committed employees valuable assetto tho company as he contributes his maximum skill and knowledge. Further, the committed ‘employee is loyalto the company. In the process of maintaining human relations, the company provides: ‘congenial work environment to its employees. Now, we study this chapter in the following lines: Meaning “The organisation has to create conducive environment atthe work place to make him committed to the company. Work environment includes various intemal and external factors which exist at the work place. ‘These factors influence the employee's mind and body. “The work onvironment should match with the requirements of plant and machinery n case of production requirements and job requirements, in ase of other requirements in ackition to the conveniehe™ and comtort of tho employee. The work environment which suits the requirements of ob and conveniences one employee maximises the workers’ efficiency and productivity. industrial psychologists, therefore, suggest that the organisations should provide condvelve work «environment, in order to reduce employoe's problems at work, annoyance, boredom, monotony, anxiety and fatigue. Work environment consists of (? physical environment (i) social environment and (i) psychological environment. (Physteal Environment: Physical work environment consists of building location, type of the building ventlatio’ lighting, rest rooms, toilets (or WCs), furniture, temperature moisture, humidity. n0!8°- colours of tho walls, roof, height ofthe roof, passages, greenery etc. (See Box 22.1). ih esi n ui alnaennaid ‘Awarpur Cement Works of LAT took up special intrest in preserving the environment and planed 3,98,000 trees. It won the Vanastroo Award from the Government of Maharasha and also awards from Indian Bureau of Mine® {ii Social Environment: Social work environment consists of management's policies and practices regarting formation of work groupsiteams, allowing and encouraging the employees {0 form work groups!vironment, Industrial Accidents, Safety and Healts Sa informally, making use of grapevine, utlsing open-space concept regarding te lay-out of offices and 8. rs ike encouraging/allowing the employees to interact socially with other employees, open and Fs and subordinates, easy access of the top management to employees ‘work environment, ‘chological Environment: Psychological work environment significant influences certain factors. (uy Psy crnuman resources ike values, attitudes, aptitude ot. psyenological work environment includes perception, personality, motivation, morale, group formation, spainenance,utlisation, leadership styles, loves of job saistacton, individual ferences, human relations, Monier, superor-subordinate interaction and relations, organisational climate, communication ete. (See Box 22.2). PRP eka aaah ood > Fun at work and Fun at play 4 Growing up in the midst ofthis information age economy, fsa new generation of young professionals, whose fundamental Gourees of wealth are knowledge and communication rather than natural resources and physical labour 4} The young manager in today’s organization is proactive, independent, has a high degree of self-awareness, is gxpressive of deep, important abiltios, has long term perspectives and occupies a positon higher than that of poors. Coe ReaD | FATIGUE Meaning ‘Tho term ‘fatigue’ is defined as decrease in the capacity or efficiency or ability of a person to carry outthe work because of previous work. Fatigue is also defined as “the general state of an employee resulting from continuous work - both physical and mentat". Ogden defines the term fatigue as, “diminution of the capacity for work which follows excess of work or lack of rest.” Implications of Fatigue Implications of fatigue are: {Fatigue is generally psychological in nature. When the employee works continuously without et, human energy is consumed. Consequently, lactic acid is accumulated in the blood resulting into break-down of tissues. (i) Fatigue has psychological, emotional and behavioural aspects. (ii). Fatigue reduces the capacity ofa person to carry out the work leading o fallin efficiency and production. Symptoms of Fatigue Fatigues tiredness. Itreduces efficiency and output fora given level of input. Fatigue results in psychological changes. They are: «Fatigue reduces glycogen or sugar in the blood and consequently lactic acid is accumulated in the blood.Personnel and Human Resource Management © Nerve and musole cells functions are changed. ‘* Changes in the nerve fiber to conduct itself normally ‘* Changes in the bre ‘* Normal fatigue is simple tiredness. It can be overcome by rest. ‘* Cumulative fatigue is caused due to overwork and overstrain. Cause of Fatigue Fatigue is caused due to the following reasons: Long hours of work without adequate rest pauses * Inconvenient layout of plant, equipment, machines and other ancillary facilities. © Inconver nt layout of furniture and computers. ‘* Lack of adequate space between one worker and another worker. ‘* Poor lighting, ventilation and heavy noise. ‘¢ Allotment of the work to the employee in which he is disinterested. ‘© Absence of strong physique of the employee. ‘ * Absence of the studies of ergonomics in lay-out. Heavy demands of work on the employee by his superiors. ‘+ Placing the work in isolation without taking the social needs of the employee into consideration. ‘© Autocratic leadership style of the leaders, * Either under motivation or excessive motivation. © Poor or less quality of raw materials. ‘Traditional technology, poor machinery and tools. # Bureaucratic organisational structure and excessive controls. Types of Fatigue Different types of fatigue include: (i) Physiological Fatigue (i) Psychological Fatigue and (ii) Nervous, Fatigue. (Physiological Fatigue: This type of fatigue is caused due to the absence of conducive physical work environment. Excessive and continuous work cause overstrain of the worker. At this stage, workers’ organs fail to cooperate with him. Therefere, worker's efficiency, activities and output is reduced at this stage. The sigiais of fatigue include inefficient eye movements, closing the eyes, looking around, strain in muscles, strain on nervous system; increase in heart beat, high blood-pressure, feeling of insufficient oxygen, tension, stress etc. (i) Psychological Fatigue: Employees doing mental work, managers, executives and scientists normally experience mental/psychological fatigue. They experience fatigue due to excessive mental strain, excessive thinking, excessive analysis and decision-making under pressure due to competition. This fatigue occurs when the mind is tired and is restless. Employees sometimes feel fatigue when they are allotted disinterested work or the work in which they do ‘not have aptitude. Psychological fatigue is also known as monotony. (iii) Nervous Fatigue: Excessive work sometimes results in inactiveness of muscles. This type of fatigue occurs when the employee is dissatistied with the job, organisation and the managementenvronmont, industrial Accidents, Safely and Health azordng to Haro "Monotony isa stato of mind caused by performing repetitive tasks. It implies no ont, Jd enlergament mosly causes monotony Job enlargement ‘overloads the job horizontally.” spank computer programmer and an accountant —these obs are examples forjob enlargement ge jobs perform the same activites repeatedly and hence they experiance monotony. onotony, thus, i state of mind oranatttude ofa worker foward ris job. Monotony is caused due to re ropaiive tasks. Monotony is caused even ifthe worker isnot tired ‘mentally and/or physically. For ample, @ worker watching a machine at work ‘continuously and does not keep his mind fully occupied, ‘experiences monotony: | BOREDOM Boredom is causod due to lack of interest or aptitude in the job. tis characterised by depression anda esrofor change of activities. According to Thomas W. Harrell, "boredom is tinged with emotional distaste and t accompanied by a corresponding attitudinal outlook Thus, boredom is heavily affected by factors like personaly, atitude, aptitude or interest pattems rather than doing repetitive tasks. Boredom is a desire for Change in work rather than for a rest or relief from work. Rpottve tasks, less challenging jobs, insignificant obs in the organisations, insignificant jobs from the viewpoint of customers and society and family members and friends of the employee cause boredom. Boredom vw tothe subjctive aspects of fatigue, itis highly spect. Aworker experiencing boredom can do the work ttfciently, physically and mentally, but he has no desire or apttudevinterest to do the work. Differences between Fatigue and Boredom ‘The following Exhibit 22.1 presents the differences between fatigue and boredom. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FATIGUE AND BOREDOM Fatigue Boredom 1. Fatiguo is reduced capacity for doing work carrying out the activities. 2. Fatigue is associated with physical and psychological depletion. 3, Its conscious inability to continue the work ater a cartain stage. 4. Itexpresses in the form of a gradual dectine in the work curve with a final end spurt, 5, Itcan be measurable with certain limitations 6. Itcan be reduced through the rest pauses. 7. All workers experience fatigue. 8. Itcan be reduced but can't be prevented avoided. ‘Boredom is lack of interest or decreased interest in a particular work/actvity Boredom is a concomitant of mental duliness, Boredom is a basic disinterest towards an activity or the work due to the nature of work It expresses in the form of irregularities in the work curve with intermittent sports of short duration. It is a subject attitude and therefore, cannot be ‘measurable. can be reduced / avoided through assigning the work in which the worker is interested. ‘Some workers only experience boredom. It can be preventediavoided, it work is assigned based on the interest.Measurement of Fatigue Personnel and Human Resource Managemen, Angelo Masso developed an instrument called “ergo graph.” This instrument helps to investigate the relation between fatigue and work ina relatively isolated part of the body. ‘The principle of ergo graph is that all fingers except middle are similarly immobilised. A string is then fastened tothe free finger which is to be put to work. The tree finger can be made to pull against the load, by lacing the load on the other side of the string. A recording device is fastened to the moving string in order to ‘obtain the graph of the output. ‘The following figures show the work curves. Eien feet) a Warming up Output Maximumspeed | FalingRato | — End Spur Hours ——» Output ERs ee air Cutout Eee eaters t Hours ——>arcEnviconment, industrial ACCIGENIS, Safety and Health Eu 2 of Fatigue, Boredom and Monotony Per Trough there are differences among fatigue, boredom ‘and monotony, they affect the employee andthe axgorzation more ess similarly. These ofoots include: «Deterioration in employee's physical and mental health ‘Increase in accidents «increase in absenteeism and labour tumover «Decline in the quality of products and services « Deciine in the quality of output «Increase in the rate of rejections, breakage and wastage pisinterested workers create similar feelings among other workers ‘¢ Decline in the level of employee morale «Under ulisation of the human resources in case of monotony and boredom «Decline in the level of job satisfaction. Measures to Reduce Fatigue, Boredom and Monotony “The folowing measures are useful to reduce fatigue, boredom and monotony. «s Somotimes, fatigue is caused due to long working hours. Reduction in working hours minimises fatigue. Cine de ea Ra ance Flext-working may signal tho end of a traditional arrangement that several generations of workforce have Beon ancass in, since a ong time. The benefits of flex-working, in addition to reduction in boredom are: ‘Allows proximity to the extended famiy 4 Allows spouse to pursue career while attending to family needs Jon to choose an environment more suitable rom a socio-economic point of view + Allows employee treed 4 improves productivity by saving time spent commuting to and from work 4b Reduces number of people hopplng jobs by decreasing the need for constant taining * ‘Allows closer proximity to and involvement with family used due te conflicts between office and family ng stros Improves health by redu Promotes safely by reducing highway use. «Rest pauses and flexi-working schedules reduce fatigue (See Box 22.3). «Time and motion studies may be conducted to know unnecessary mations and to eliminate them. Further, the worker may be trained to eliminate unnecessary motions. «+ Conducting medical examination forthe workers at least once in six months and provide adequate modical taclities to the worker to make him physically strong, It helps to prevent fatigue, «© Conducive work environment should be provided. Itinctudes good lighting, ventilation, avoidance of noise, furniture and space based on ergonomics. This environment prevents fatigue. «Factory layout and office layout should be convenient and comfortable, They prevent fatiguePersonnel and Human Resource Manag. ¢ Workers should be allowed and encouraged to form groups and teams. This measure reduces’ fatigue caused due to social factors. @ Organie:structure, job enrichment and job rotation provides the challenging work to the worker: help to reduce boredom. ‘« Empowerment also provides challenging work and helps to minimise boredom. «¢ Allocating the job to the worker in which he is really interested, helps to prevent boredom. Job Enrichment, empowerment, job rotation provide the employee with a variety of tasks. They pre monotony. «¢ Job rotation also helps the employee to have a variety of tasks to be performed. Thus, job rota prevents monotony. ‘» Building teams and groups provide the employee to interact with other members of the team perform a varioty of tasks. Thus, team workis the best measure to prevent monotony. | INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS, EMPLOYEE SAFETY AND INDUSTRIAL HEALTH’ Psychologists are concerned with the theoretical considerations of accident causation and the reso into accident control, through proper selection, training and education of the employee; and the social psychological factors that influenco the individua's behaviour in general. Enginoers and safety ofieers us render necessary practical advice on certain aspects of safety in the industry. They look upon prevention ‘cident basically as an engineering problem to be tackled through proper designing of mechanical s devices. In fact, accident prevention and safety are inter-related and, therefore, require a mult-cimens approach. iis importance has increased because of large-scale industralisation in which human beings subject to mechanical, chemical, electrical and radiation hazards. Industrial Accident and Industrial Injury ‘An industrial accident may be defined as “an occurrence which interrupts or interferes progress of workin an industrial establishment." According tothe Factories Act of 1948, itis"an ooo industrial establishment causing bodily injury toa person which makes him unfitto resume his dues ext 48 hours" In other words, itis an unexpected event which is neither anticipated nor dasigned 0 0° is always sudden for a gradual process does not constitute an accident. ‘An industrial ijuryhas been defined as “a personalinjury to an employee which has been caused bis accident ot an occupational disease, and vhich arises out of, or in the course of, employment, and aevsid oni such an employe to compensation, under the Workmen's Compensation Act 1928." Causes of Accidents According to safety experts, there are three basic causes/tactors that contribute fo accidents organisations — Chance occurrences, unsafe concitions and unsafe acts on the part of ‘employees. 4. Unsafe Conditions (work-related causes): Those, of ne sort or another, are the bigges! accidents, Such causes are associated with defective plants, equipment, tools, materials, bulcino® tc. Th Ganbe toned technicalcauses.’ They arise when there are improper or inadequate safety guards on when machines break down; when improper personal protection equipment is installed; when mechar on dl <—Gau Teamnenr hs Sesion draws hlosmatn fom GB, Marra, -Posonnel Management. wan te pes publisher in writing.onment, Industrial Accidents, Safety and Health Eu ion of machines safe and accident free are lacking or defective; or when there is an absence of proper .ce and supervision of these devices. ‘¢ Inadequate safety devices. ‘« Wrong and faulty lay-out, and bad location. tight. Improper ventilation — insufficient air charge, impure air source. Improper illumination — glare, insuffi « Poorhouse-keeping. The other work related causes of accidents are: (a) The job itself: Some jobs are inherently more dangerous than others, such as the job of craneman in comparison to that of the foreman. Similarly, work in some departments (like personnel) is inherently safer than the workin others (ike production department). (0) Work schedules, accidents increase late in the day. They do not usually occur during the early hours ofthe work day. They are more frequent during the night shift. This is due partly to fatigue and partly to the fact that nights the period when one requires rest, (©) Psychological climate of the work place also attects the accident rate. Psychological, mental and ‘emotional imbalances are at the root of several accidents. 2. Unsafe Acts: These acts may be the rosult of lack of knowledge or skillon the part of the employee, certain physical defects and wrong attitudes. These acts include acts like: ‘© Operating without authority. ‘© Failing to secure equipment or warning other employees of possible danger. ‘Failing to use sate attire or personal protective equipment. ‘+ Throwing materials on the floor carelessly. Operating or working at unsafe levels of speed, either too fast or too siow. ‘+ Making safety devices inoperative by removing, adjusting, disconnecting them. ‘© Using unsafe equipment or using equipment unsately. ‘+ Using unsafe procedures in loading, placing, mixing, combining, ‘+ Taking unsafe positions, under suspended loads + Lifting improperty * Cleaning, adjusting, oiling, repairing, ete., or moving a dangerous equipment. '* Distracting, teasing, abusing, startling, quarrelling, day-dreaming, horseplay.Personnel and Human Resource Managem Personal Characteristics also influence accident behaviours of individuals. For example, characteris like personality and motivation serve as a basis for certain behaviour tendencies — such as tendencies to ta risks and undesirable attitudes. 3, Other Causes: These causes arise out of unsafe situational and climate conditions and variations ‘such as bad working conditions, rough and slippery floors, excessive glare, heat, humidity, dust and fu laden atmosphere; very long hours of work; unsatisfactory behaviour of domineering supervisors; excess noise and carelessness in the handling of such inflammable materials such as gasoline, solvents, cil a grease, explosives ete. such as: «Young, untrained and new workers generally sustai experienced employees. «Those addicted to alcoholism and drugs, and those who suffer from boredom and fatigue or indulge in exhibitions, generally account for a higher rate of accidents. Tho way the management motivates employees affects the rate and frequency of accidents. tensions which aggressive and negative supervisors generate among the employees also tend i increase this rate and frequency. 4 ‘© Unmarried employees generally have more accidents than married employees. ‘* Accidents are more frequent during the night shift. * Woman employees have a better safety record than their male counterparts. ¢ Workers who work under stress or who feel their jobs are threatened or insecure, seem to have more. accidents than those who do not. | EMPLOYEE SAFETY Every organisation should formulate and implement a safety policy. The procedure to be adopted naturaly depends upon the size of a company, the number of plants it operates, the nature of the industry in which t ‘engaged, the production technology it uses, and the attitude of the top management. After ithas spelt out ts safety policy, a company should establish a safety programme, the primary goals of which should be to redues the number of hazardous factors which are likely to cause accidents, and to develop safe working habit ‘among its employees. Companies should take concrete efforts to provide safety measures. These safely measures will reduce the accidents (See Box 18.4). Paw mer Saree tar reste amd ‘Awarpur Cement Works of L&T considered safety of all personnel working as a matter of supreme and vital concern. ‘Therefore, the plant was audited for safety practices and correctives/preventives mandated. A dramatic drop in the accident rate took place arising out of these concerted efforts. ieee ae} ‘The safety organisation plans and implements the safety procedures (Fig. 22.4).Zea work Environmont, Industral Accidents, Safety and Health siti - sag Se Top Exextve 3 Production Engineer Salty Director re ie superintendent <— an ¢Generl Soporvsore—| J —supenisore—] ios |< —suponisore—| ind i —————Worker¢——1 >in Safety Commitoe he Coniral Safety Comite i Exeoutve Comptor Maivonance Suptntendent Departmental Departmental Departmental Safety Committee Safoty Committoo Safety Committan 2 Supervisors 2 Suporvisors 2 Supervisors 2 Workors 2 Workers 2 Workers te Safety Committee In some organisations, safety work is primarily carried out by Safety Committee. ts function is to ensure the establishment of safe working conditions in an organisation. The size of the committee depends on the size ofan organisation, and generally includes one or more persons from among the employees. The idea is that the 'y | workers themselves should be interested in the safety programmes which are designed and developed for their 's | good and offer their own suggestions for the procedures to be adopted for their safety. &s 5 Appraisal of employee attitude to safety programmes: A knowledge of the attitude of the employees § | totho safety programmes developed for them and the specific measures adopted for that purpose — such as | the setting up of builtin boards, csplays of safely measures, pamphlets, Booklets, posters, magazines and ‘motion pictures which highlight them — would help the safety director in presenting safety information to the ‘employees ot an organisation. Safety engineering: The adoption of proper engineering procedures to minimise and, it possible, eliminate work hazards is fundamental to any organised safety programme. “The machinery which poses danger to the employee working on itis generally covered or fenced carefully when itis in operation. Safety glasses or plastic eye-shields to protect the eyes from the hazards of fre, glare, dust and fumes; hard protective caps to prevent head injuries; gas masks to prevent the inhalation of poisonous fumes; gloves to protect the hands against acids and explosive materials; safety shoes, overalls, skin guards and safety apparel for the protection of the body — all these are provided for the use of workers. Materials handling is the most prolific source of accidents. Hence, the flow of materials during all the stages of the manufacture of a product should be properly planned to eliminate hazards. The flow of work between machines and departments should be facilitated by the provision of proper equipment, and therePersonnel and Human Resource Management should be well-designed and well-marked storage spaces, aisles and roadways to ensure risk-free performangg of work, Safety education and training: Safety education for all levels of management personnel and for ‘employees is vital for any successful safety programme. The goal of safety education is two-fold: to develop safety consciousness among employees and build up a favourable attitude on their part towards safety measures and precautions; and secondly, to ensure safe work performance on the part of each employee by developing his skil in the use’and operation of safety equipment. | INDUSTRIAL HEALTH The term “health” is a positive and dynamic concept and implies more than an absence of iliness, The Worid Health Organisation (W.H.0.) has defined health as: “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Industrial health refers to a system of public health and preventive medicine which is applicable to industrial concerns. According to the joint I.O.WW.H.O. ‘Committee on Organisational Health, industrial health is: ()) the prevention and maintenance of physical, ‘mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations; (i prevention among workers of il-health caused by the working conditions; (i protection of workers in their employment from risks resulting from factors adverse to health and (iv) placing and maintenance of the worker in an occupational environment adapted to his physical and psychological equipment. The term health is a positive and dynamic concept and implies more than an absence of illness. The World Health Organisation (W.H.O.) has defined health as: a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Industrial health refers toa ‘system of public health and preventive medicine which is applicable to industrial concerns. According to the joint .L.O.W.H.0. Committee on Organisational Health, industrial health is: (the prevention and maintenance of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations; (ii) prevention among workers of il health caused by the working conditions; (ii) protection of workers in their employment from risks resulting from factors adverse to health and (iv) placing and maintenance of the worker in an occupational environment adapted to his physical and psychological equipment. The basic objective of industrial health is the prevention of disease and injury rather than the cure of disease. Itinvolves a programme of health conservation and prevention of occupational disease. Importance of Industrial Health Since a large number of workers spend a great deal oftheir time in an industrial setting, their environment isnot usually conducive to a healthy life. Moreover, malnutrition, insanitary and psychological concitions, and the strains and stresses under which they live, impair their health, “On the one hand, efficiency in work is possible only when an employee is healthy: on the other, the industry (in which he is emploved) exposes him to certain hazards which he would not meet elsewhere and which may affect his health. Its with tho intention of reducing these hazards and improving the worker's health that the discipline of industrial health came into boing as a branch of public health in its own right." The symptoms of bad health are a high rate of absentosism and turnover, industrial discontent and indiscipline, poor performance and low productivity. That is the reason why when industrial health programmes are introduced, both employers and workers benefit. Areduction in the rate of labour turnover, absenteeism, accidents and occupational diseases has been the natural consequence of industrial health programmes. The other benefits, which cannot be easily measured, include reduced spollage, improved morale, increased productivity per employee and a longer working period of an individual. Occupational Hazards and Risks Employees in an industrial establishment are often subject to certain health hazards and occupational diseases.nvnment, Industrial Accidonts, Safety and Health ‘4scoding to Roland Blake, the normal occupational health hazards may be classified into chemical, jical, ‘environmental and psychological hazards. such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide, irons, ozone, sulphuric acid, acetic acid, fumeric acid and tannie aed, mes and alkalis cause injury gn they are absorbed by the skin, or when they are ingested or inhaled. The results are often disastrous. fatory diseases, skin diseases, allergy, heart disease, cancer and neurological igeorders all of which often shorten life expectancy. The disease or sickness may be chronic or acute, and it tray appear affar a fong dormant period, when it may be difficult or impossible to treat it effectively. Often, a fsease may be dificult to diagnose because its symptoms are not apparent at all tumes and dust raised by such processes as grinding and crushing of stones or minerals may be use a serious injury, or even death. Coalminers often suffer from what is known as yyees in manufacturing industries are often exposed to such health hazards as ile those working on lead or zinc smelters, often show indications of zine or ‘Chemical substances, ri Workers may suffer from respi Gases, f inhaled by workers and cat ‘plack lung” disease. Emplo asising rom dust and fumes, wi tead poisoning. ‘Among the biological haza dietary deficiencies, excessive strain with their psychological concomitants of fear, employees. ‘Among the environmental hazards may be included radiation, noise, vibrations, shocks, and improper 1ds are included diseases which are caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses, insects, drinking, imbalances, allergies, brain fever, tetanus, emotional stresses and rage, worry and anxiety. All these attect the health of atmospheric conditions. ‘The increasing use of X-rays or radioactive isotopes exposes the workers in an industrial setting, to the feks of undotacted radiation, and may cause redness of eyes and pain, genetic disorders, cancer, sterility or even death, Noises another serious problem. Many manufacturing processes are accompanied by such noise as is capable of impairing tho hearing of a worker, making him iritable and inefficient, and making it dticuif not impossible for him to hear any warning cries of an impending danger. thas been found that a worker may suffer substantial damage i the noise levelis above 80 decibels (1,200 cycles per second). There may be temporary erpormanent deafness, nervousness, dificully in communication and thus loss of efficiency. Vibrations and shocks cause nerve injury and inflammation of the tissues of the joints of the operators’ ands. A very low vibration —less than one cycle por second — is often encountered in certain vehicles, ships and airplanes, and this often causes motion sickness. ‘Among atmospheric conditions are included such hazards as arising rom inadoquate ventiation, improper lighting, to very high or very low temperature in the work place. inadequate ventilation and improper lighting impair vision, leading to the ineficiency which results from imperfect visibility, headaches or glare with fatigue and eye-strain, In hot and moist conditions, heavy physical or mental work exhausts a worker. Fatigue and boredom, the result of long and uninteresting hours of work, create conditions of discomfort and consequent Aisebilty which makes it difficult fora worker to be attentive, which slows down his reflexes and often induces him to ignore certain necessary precautions. All these are capable of causing fatalities too. Excessive heat may cause burs, heat strokes, heat cramps and increased accident rates. Occupational Diseases Occupational diseases are the results of physical conditions and the presence of industrial poisonous andnon-poisonous dustin the atmosphere. Raw materials, products, by-products and waste products may, in the process of being extracted or manufactured, enter the body in such quantities as to endanger the health of the workers. For example, workers on lead (as cable makers, lead pipe makers, compositors, painters, plumbers,Personnel and Human Resource Manager etc) are subject to “painters colic” or “wrist drop" disease which may result in lass of appelio, nausea vomiting, stomach pains, muscular and joint pains, anemia and intestinal disorders; death. ‘Similar, the barometer and thermometer makers, laboratory workers and electric moter repairers, etne of gold and siiver are normally affected by mercury poisoning, through fong and continued inhalation, of meroui vapour. Protection Against Health Hazards ‘An industrial establishment should protect its employees against health hazards: (By substituting a less toxic substance for the hazardous chemical, by isolating the profess or by providing protective clothing, handling and warning devices, and by providing safely education: (By ensuring that firms using radiation in their manufacturing process insist that their employees wear badges which indicate the amount of radiation they have been exposed to; a By controling noise in factories, by segregating noisy equipment, by dampening vioration, OF by redesigning nosy equipment or by the use of viration-absorbing material atcerain points The employes may be asked to wear ear-coverings or ear-plugs; @v)_ By devoting adequate attention to lighting, temperature and atmospheric conditions, by controlling dust, fumes and gases, and by providing protective devices, clothing, goggles and shields. — Work Place Violence (Refer chapter 33- Recent Techniques in HRM) — Sexual Harassment (Refer chapter 33 Recent Techniques in HRM) Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (Refer chapter 33 - Recent Techniques in HAM) I QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION 4. Whats ‘work environment’? Explain the factors of work environment. 2. Whats ‘fatigue’? Explain the symptoms and causes of fatigue. 3. Whatare the different types of fatigue? 4, What is ‘Monotony’? 5, Whatis boredom’? Mention the difference betwoen fatigue and boredom. 6. How do you measure fatigue? 7. Whatare the effects of fatigue, boredom and monotony? 8. Suggest measures to reduce the effects of fatigue, boredom and monotony. 9. idents and to Why do accidents occur in industries? Suggest the measures to prevent industria acci provide safety to employees. 40. Whats industrial health? Explain the significance of industrial health. & we &