OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH

What is Occupational Safety and Health?

It refers to the psychological/physical and socio-psychological conditions of an

organisation’s work force resulting from the environment.

WHY IS HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAINING IMPORTANT?

Over 200 people are killed each year in accidents at work and over one million people are
injured. Over two million suffer illnesses caused by, or made worse by, their work.

Preventing accidents and ill-health caused by work is a key priority for everyone at work.
As the owner or manager of a business you know that competent employees are
valuable.

Providing health and safety information and training helps you to

 ensure your employees are not injured or made ill by the work they do;

 develop a positive health and safety culture, where safe and healthy working
becomes second nature to everyone;

 find out how you could manage health and safety better;

 meet your legal duty to protect the health and safety of your employees.

Effective training

 will contribute towards making your employees competent in health and safety;

 can help your business avoid the distress that accidents and ill health cause;

 can help you avoid the financial costs of accidents and occupational ill health.
Don’t forget that your insurance doesn’t cover all these costs. Damaged products,
lost production and demotivated staff can all result.

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 SOURCES CONDITIONS OUTCOMES

Physical work Physical/Physiological High turnover

Environment - loss of life Absenteeism
- loss of limb
Occupational - cancer
Accidents - leukemia Dissatisfaction
- cardiovascular diseases Medical Claims
Occupational - emphysema
Diseases - arthritis

Low efficiency
Low productivity

Sociopsychological Psychological High worker

Work environment - dissatisfaction Compensation cost
- apathy
Low quality of - confusion
Work life - withdrawal Low job involvement
- forgetfulness
- vacillation indecision making
Organisational - inattentiveness
Stress - irritability
- procrastination

Model of occupational ill-health in organisation

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Benefit of improving Occupational Safety and Health

- reduced rates and severity of occupations accidents, diseases and

stress;

- improve the quality of work life for their employee;

- more productivity due to fewer lost work days for absenteeism;

- reduced medical and insurance cost;

- lower worker compensation rates and direct payment because of far

fewer claims being filed;

- greater flexibility and adaptability in the work force as a result of

immense participation and feeling of ownership in changes from quality
of life project;

- better selection ratios because of the increased attractiveness of

organisation as a place of work.

HEALTH AND SAFETY AND THE LAW

The legal framework which formulates the Health, Safety and Welfare of persons whilst
at work is based upon the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The Act, which
introduced wide ranging new powers to protect people at work has several basic aims;
these include:

1. To secure the health, safety and welfare of persons at work.

2. To protect persons other than persons at work against risks to health or safety
arising out of or in connection with the activities of persons at work.

3. To control the keeping and use of explosives or flammable or otherwise

dangerous substances, and generally preventing the unlawful acquisition,
possession and use of such substances.

4. To control the emission into the atmosphere of noxious and offensive

substances.

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 5. Arrangements for ensuring as far as is reasonably practicable, the safety, and
absence of risks to health in connection with the use, handling, storage and
transport of any item of equipment or substance.

NOTE: The term substance may be defined as any solid, liquid, gas or
vapour, in fact everything that is used at work.

6. The provision of such information, instruction, training and supervision as may

be necessary to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health and
safety of all employees whilst they are at work.

7. The provision of a safe place in which to work as far as is reasonably

practicable, and its maintenance in such a condition that it is safe and does not
impart risks to health. The employer must also provide and maintain a safe
means of access and exist to and from the workplace without risk to health and
safety.

Objectives of the Act

One of the principal objectives of the Act is to involve everybody at the workplace,
management and work people, in their own safety. It also seeks to create an awareness
of the importance of achieving high standards of health and safety.

The Act allocates primary responsibilities for doing what is necessary to avoid accidents
and occupational ill-health to those who create the risks. The promotion of health and
safety is a function of good management. To put this into effect, employers must
allocate responsibilities to the different levels of management, and will need a plan of
how it is to be put into effect. They must also have an effective organization which pays
due regard to objectives and accountability. Indeed many employers now appoint a
Safety Officer, whose duty it is to implement the requirements of the Act on behalf of his
employer.

General duties of an employer under the Act.

The Act makes it the duty of every employer to ensure that as far as is reasonably
practicable, the health, the safety, and the welfare at work of all employees. This
includes: The provision of equipment and systems which are as far as possible, safe to
use and do not risk the health of the user. This includes all equipment that may be
found in a workshop.

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General duties of employees under the Act.

The Act also sets out the responsibilities of the employee. These include:

1. To take reasonable care for health and safety of himself AND of the other persons
who may be affected by his acts or omissions at work.
2. To co-operate with the employer or any other person who are required to
implement any of the provisions within the Act.

3. Not to interfere intentionally or recklessly with, or misuse anything provided in the

interest of Health, Safety or Welfare.

It is important that everyone within a working environment must consider both

themselves, and everyone else within that work area with regard to Health, Safety and
Welfare.

DANGERS AND HAZARDS

Common hazards at Airport/Maintenance work area.

- Vehicles striking aircraft and/or people.

- Hazards to passengers on the apron.
- Moving aircraft including aircraft on push back or being towed.
- Live aircraft engines including (including helicopters)
- Falls and falling objects
- Operation of air bridges
- Manual handling
- Noise
- Work equipment (including Machinery)
- Hazardous substances and Dangerous Goods including Radioactive
substances
- Inadequate lighting, glare or confusing lights
- Adverse weather conditions
- Slips and trips
- Electrical hazards
- Faults and detects

Dealing effectively with these hazards will require a good management of aircraft safety
and occupational health and safety as well as cooperation and coordination between the
aerodrome operators, ground handlers, airlines and other aerodrome users such as
maintenance personnel and contractors.

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NOISE
Excessive noise exposure can result in both short term and permanent hearing loss. It
can also compromise effective communication during safety critical tasks. The relevant
regulations are the noise at work Regulation of 1989.

Lifting equipment
Lifting equipment also poses risk to people and aircraft people may fall from elevated
working position or may be struck out by loads falling or release from the equipment
lifting equipment may overturn or collapse resulting in injury and damage. Aircraft may
be struck and damaged by lifting equipment as it moves up or down.

Chemical hazards
Chemical hazards are present in excessive airborne concentrations of mists, vapour,
gasses, dusts or fumes or in liquid solution of such chemicals in hazardous
concentrations.

Range of chemical hazards includes.

Metal - Beryllium is the most toxic mental known. There is currently a controversy
about acceptable threshold limit values (TLV) for Beryllium. Many now say the current 2
parts per million should be halved other hazardous metals include mercury and lead.

Liquids – Many liquids can be hazardous obviously acids and bases in high
concentration, are serious hazards. Other commonly found in work-place environments
include hydrazine, jet fuel, hydraulic fluid and many solvents.

Gases and fumes from fire. The product of fire should always be considered
hazardous carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless, tasteless; non irritating gas. It is
a by-product of incomplete combustion and is found in varying degrees in all smoke and
fumes from burning carbonaceous substances. Exceedingly small amount of the gas are
dangerous. A concentration of 0.02% (2 parts in 10000) may produce headache, mental
dullness and physical loginess within a few hours.

- Dust – These are more subtle than fire products for they may present
after the fire is extinguished.
- Explosives – this is a special category of chemical and requires careful
attention.

Physical hazard – Physical hazards include excessive levels of electromagnetic or

ionizing radiation, noise and extremes of temperature or pressure.

Example of physical hazards are:

 The most common hazard from composites, particularly carbon fiber composite is
irritation or physical injury from penetration of the skin by the carbon fibres.

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 Boron fiber composites are more hazardous since the boron needles used are
extremely sharp and can actually penetrate human bone. Carbon fibres while very
irritating is too large to penetrate into the lungs and cause problems as asbestos
do.
 Radioactive materials – Several military application particularly munitions make
use of depleted uranium. Radiation sources like microwave, x-ray and Gamma
rays. Microwaves are exploited for an array of application. Military and Civil radar
and communication function are concentrated in range 3 to 40 gigahertz (billion of
hertz). X-ray and Gamma rays extends from 1016-1022 hertz of the
electromagnetic spectrum. X-ray and gamma rays are used in Non-Destructive
Testing and Inspection (NDTI) to examine aircraft parts during maintenance.

Excess pressure and high pressure pneumatic sources

High pressure vessels, like gas cylinders, high pressure air, nitrogen and oxygen gases
are stored in cylinders and are used to service aircraft systems during maintenance.
Actuators that have been exposed to fire or physical shock are potentially unstable and
can explode without warning.

High pressure pneumatic sources are also used in workshops for various job. Safety
precaution must be observed while working with these high pressure sources, because
personnel have lost their fingers while trying to open them.

Extreme heat or cold. These temperatures are not the result of weather conditions but
unsteady condition from fire or chemical reactions or such things as liquid oxygen or
nitrogen chilling materials or surface.

Biological hazard

These are mists, molds, fungi and bacteriological hazards and also indigenous plants and
animals. The category also includes hazards to the individual from reaction to
temperature (heat or cold) dehydration or sunburn. Biohazards, like HIV; Hepatic,
Staphylococci etc.

Ergonomic Hazards

These are stress imposed by awkward positions or by lifting or moving heavy objects also
the hazards of cuts from sharp edges or corners included in this category are hazards
from darkness, fog and other reduction to visibility.

Engine Hazards

There is a clear operational need for the running of aircraft engines on apron areas. The
associated safety hazards caused by exhaust blast vibration fumes, turning propellers and

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rotors and the intake suction of jet engines are well recognised. As part of the safety
management system, personnel and operators should ensure that rules and procedures
for safe engine running on the aerodrome are promulgated and understood by flight
crews and handling staff.
Loss of life

Aircraft Propellers

When personnel are working around propeller driven aircraft. They must be alert to the
danger of running propeller. When the engine is running every one should stay out of
the area of the propeller for safety reasons, propeller tips are usually painted so that the
plane of rotation may be visible.

Rotor

Helicopter operations particularly those of large helicopters should be segregated from

fixed wing apron operation due to:

 Heavy down-draught produced by helicopter movement

 Vulnerability of helicopters and aircraft to jet blast, strong winds and rotor down
wash from other helicopters.

Manual handling is the term that applies to activities such as lifting, lowering, pushing
pulling or supporting a load by hand or badly force. It accounts for almost 50% of
accident reported to HSE by their transport industry.

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