Health Safety &

Environment
WAQAS AHMED
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SCHEME OF PRESENTATION
» Lecture 1 review
» Causes of Accidents
» Costs of Accidents
» Major Threats
» Fire Incidence
» Fire Prevention & Control
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LECTURE 1
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Definition and Context of Health and Safety

» Health & safety in this subject refers to Occupational
Health & Safety.
» It is a multi-disciplinary field which encompasses the
social, mental and physical well-being of workers.

Definition:
» Occupational health and safety is the discipline
concerned with preserving and protecting human
resources in the workplace.
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Definition and Context of Health and Safety

» Occupational safety is a composite field related to
safety, health and welfare of people at work. It
narrates the strategy and methods in place to ensure
health and safety of employees within a workplace.
» It includes employee awareness related to the
knowledge of basic safety, workplace hazards, risks
relating to hazards, implementation of hazard
preventions, and putting into practice necessary safer
methods, techniques, process, and safety culture in
the workplace.
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Definition and Context of Health and Safety

» It also includes safety rules and regulations designed
mostly on the basis of existing government policies.
Every organization puts in place a number of safety
rules and regulations for its people. Safety training
and education for employees is imparted periodically
with a view to making them aware about and
updating them with latest safety measures.
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Definition and Context of Health and Safety

As per the definition adopted by the Joint ILO/WHO Committee on
Occupational Health (1950),
» Occupational health is the adaptation of work to man and of
each man to his job. It has the following components.
⋄ Promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical,
mental and social well being of workers in all occupations;
⋄ Prevention, among workers, of departures from health caused by
their working conditions;
⋄ Placing and maintenance of a worker in an occupational
environment adapted to his physiological and psychological
needs.
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What is Industrial Safety?

» “An industrial safety system is a countermeasure crucial in any
hazardous plants such as oil and gas plants and nuclear
plants. They are used to protect humans, industrial plants, and
the environment in case of the process going beyond the
allowed control margins.”
» In simple words: “The management of all operations and
procedures in an industry in order to protect its employees and
assets by minimizing hazards, risks, accidents, and near
misses” called the Industrial Safety
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Importance of Industrial Safety

» Accident avoidance:
⋄ The chances of an industrial accident are controlled
effectively with the help of employee safety, which can
be obtained by haying the required safety equipment and
informing the manpower about the various dimensions
of safety.
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Importance of Industrial Safety

» Cost prevention:
⋄ Different types of direct and indirect costs which
can result from industrial accidents in any
organization can be avoided.
⋄ The direct costs of any accidents are mainly the
total compensation amount which is paid to the
employees for any kind of disability or death; on the
other hand, indirect costs are the costs incurred in
the payment of hospitalization and treatment of the
victim employee.
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Importance of Industrial Safety

» Improved employee satisfaction and commitment:
⋄ With the help of employee safety, a working
environment having greater motivation and
satisfaction of the manpower can be created.
Broadly, having a safer working environment for
performing the operations is expected by a worker
from his or her employer. Greater job satisfaction
and higher motivation can be obtained by the
workers if these expectations are fulfilled by the
employers.
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Importance of Industrial Safety

» Legal Compliance:
⋄ By facilitating the worker’s safety, adherence to the
different laws which are made for facilitating a safe
and healthy working place to the employees can be
ensured. Different types of employee safety actions
are initiated by the organizations not only to have
improved job satisfaction, motivation of the
workers, and controlling the HR cost but also helps
in adhering to the statutory guidelines.
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Importance of Industrial Safety

» Better Industrial Relations:
⋄ Cordial and harmonious labor-management
relations can be ensured with the help of employee
safety provisions. For creating a work environment
that is healthy and free from any kind of accidents,
different types of safety methods are used by the
employers and this will manifest in the form of
good feelings in the workforce towards the firm.
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INDUSTRIAL
ACCIDENTS
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Industrial Accidents
» The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
has a concise definition for a workplace accident.
⋄ It's an ''unplanned event that results in personal injury
or property damage.''
» Herbert William Henrich, a founding father of sorts for the
workplace safety movement, defined workplace accidents
⋄ ''unplanned and uncontrolled events'' resulting in
personal injury.
» Whatever variation of the definition you prefer, workplace
accidents can be painful and costly for both employers and
employees.
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Industrial Accidents
» Some employees are more accident – prone as
compared to others. Harell points out that “accident-
proneness is the continuing tendency of a person to
have accidents as a result of his stable and
persisting characteristics”.
» In the words of Sikula, accident-proneness is a
condition in which a “human being is mentally
inclined, strongly disposed, attitudinally addicted or
personally destined to become continually involved
in an on-going and never-ending series of accidents
or injuries”.
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Industrial Accidents
» It is important to detect such accident-prone
individuals and give them safety training and
education and place them on safe jobs, where the
chances of exposure to committing accidents are
less.
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Types of Industrial Accidents

» Accidents in industry can be classified using different
criteria. Specific classifications are shown below
» According to causes of events
⋄ Machine accidents
⋄ Non machine accidents
» According to length of recovery
⋄ Lost time accidents
⋄ Home-case accidents
⋄ First aid cases
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Types of Industrial Accidents

» According to nature of injury
⋄ Fatal accidents
⋄ Total disablement
⋄ Partial disablement
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Types of Industrial Accidents

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According to Causes of Events

Machine Accidents
» Machines are responsible for a large number of
accidents in an industry. Depending on the way harm is
caused, accidents from machines can be classified into
the following groups:
⋄ Contact: physical contact of the body with any
moving part of a machine;
⋄ Impact: parts of the body are violently hit by moving
parts of machines;
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According to Causes of Events

⋄ Traps: parts of the body coming between the
moving parts which mostly lead to crushing of parts
of body trapped;
⋄ Ejection of particles: parts projected at high
velocity from the machine, which causes serious
injury when they hit the parts of the moving body.
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According to Causes of Events

Non Machine Accidents
» Fall of persons which can be due to
⋄ Tripping over obstacles on ground
⋄ Slipping due to oily or greasy substances
⋄ Running inside the shop, sudden fear or excitement
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According to Causes of Events

» Fall from a height which can be due to
⋄ Lack of firm foot hold or unsafe postures
⋄ Working on a machine at a height
⋄ Leaning from ladder to reach a distant object
⋄ Strike against the objects
⋄ Pushes by other persons on the slope
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According to Length of Recovery

» First aid cases: in these, workers receive first
aid attention at plant hospital and then
returns to their job.
» Lost time accidents: lost time accidents are
those in which worker loses a day or shift in which
accident occurred. These require payment of
compensation to employee to employer.
» Home-case accidents: in this type of accidents,
worker loses the remainder of shift or turn on
which the accident has occurred.
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According to Nature of Injury

» Fatal accidents: it includes the accidents
which result in the death of the worker
» Total disablement: which incapacitate an
employee and makes it impossible for him to
engage in any work, resulting in the loss of his
earning capacity
» Partial disablement: this reduces the earning
capacity of an individual as a result of the
accident. Partial disability can be permanent or
temporary
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Major Effects of Accidents

» The losses to be suffered by different sections on account of
accidents can be explained as follows:
» Loss to Industry:
⋄ Expenditure to be made on the medical treatment of the
worker.
⋄ Wages to be paid to the worker for the period when he is
not able to join the work due to the injuries caused to him
due to the accident.
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Major Effects of Accidents

⋄ Expenses to be made for the services of machines and
tools on which the worker is working.
⋄ Expenses to be made for inspection and repairs of the
machines and the tools.
⋄ Expenses to be incurred on recruitment and training of
new worker who has been employed in place of an
injured and deceased worker.
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Major Effects of Accidents

⋄ The cost of the period during which other workers to stop
working out of fear or out of sympathy with the worker
injured by an accident.
⋄ More wages than the normal ones are to be paid on
overtime, in case the production work is held up, for
honoring the orders of customer in time.
⋄ An accident has also its effect on the other workers.
There is a likelihood of occurrence of other accidents out
of fear or nervousness.
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Major Effects of Accidents

» Loss to Workers:
⋄ An industry suffers a lot on account of accidents. It affects
adversely the worker too. In fact the worker’s loss is far more
than the loss of others. Beside the economic loss, worker
has also to suffer more badly and in case of his death, his
family has no one to help. If he is unable to work after the
accident, he becomes a burden for his family. Family losses
the source of income and also to bear increased expenses of
his treatment.
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Major Effects of Accidents

» Loss to Consumer:
⋄ The cost of industrial accident is included in the
production cost and therefore, the accidents make an
increase in the production cost. This again leads to an
increase in the prices of commodities and consumer will
not be able to buy according to his need which will also
affect the standard of living of the consumers.
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Major Effects of Accidents

» Loss to Society:
⋄ If the worker dies or is rendered disabled on account of
the accident and the worker’s family become helpless
and the society has to come to its rescue. The family of
such worker has to depend upon the aid of the donation
given by the different organizations and it is also a
burden on the society.
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LECTURE 2
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LECTURE 2 INCLUDES
» Causes of Accidents
» Costs of Accidents
» Major Hazards
» Fire Incidence
» Fire Prevention & Control
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Causes of Accidents
The Domino Theory
» developed the “five domino model” of accident causation, which is a
sequential accident model.
» Heinrich's Domino Theory states that accidents result from a chain of
sequential events, metaphorically like a line of dominoes falling over.
When one of the dominoes falls, it triggers the next one, and the next... -
but removing a key factor (such as an unsafe condition or an unsafe act)
prevents the start of the chain reaction.
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The Dominoes
» Heinrich suggests five metaphorical dominoes labelled with accident
causes. They are
⋄ Social Environment and Ancestry,
⋄ Fault of Person,
⋄ Unsafe Act or Mechanical/Physical Hazard (unsafe condition),
⋄ Accident, and
⋄ Injury.
» Heinrich defines each of these "dominoes" explicitly, and gives advice
on minimizing or eliminating their presence in the sequence.
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The Dominoes
» Heinrich subdivides the causes into
⋄ Direct causes (unsafe acts and unsafe conditions)
⋄ Underlying/root causes (Social Environment and Ancestry, Fault of Person)

» For example, he says, a worker who commits an unsafe act may do so

because he or she is not convinced that the appropriate preventative
measure is necessary, and because of inadequate supervision. The
former he classifies as a direct cause, the latter as an underlying cause.
This combination of multiple causes, he says, create a systematic chain
of events leading to an accident.
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The Dominoes
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The Dominoes
Social Environment and Ancestry:
» This first domino in the sequence deals with worker personality.
Heinrich explains that undesirable personality traits, such as
stubbornness, greed, and recklessness can be "passed along
through inheritance" or develop from a person's social environment,
and that both inheritance and environment (what we usually refer to
now as "nature" and "nurture") contribute to Faults of Person.
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The Dominoes
Fault of Person:
» The second domino also deals with worker personality traits.
Heinrich explains that inborn or obtained character flaws such
as bad temper, inconsiderateness, ignorance, and recklessness
contribute to accident causation. According to Heinrich, natural
or environmental flaws in the worker's family or life cause these
secondary personal defects, which are themselves contributors
to Unsafe Acts, or/and the existence of Unsafe Conditions.
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The Dominoes
Unsafe Act and/or Unsafe Condition:
» The third domino deals with Heinrich's direct cause of incidents. As
mentioned above, Heinrich defines these factors as things like "starting
machinery without warning ... and absence of rail guards. " Heinrich felt
that unsafe acts and unsafe conditions were the central factor in
preventing incidents, and the easiest causation factor to remedy, a
process which he likened to lifting one of the dominoes out of the line.
These combining factors (1, 2, and 3) cause accidents.
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The Dominoes
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Unsafe Acts
» These acts may be the result of lack of knowledge or skill on the part of
the employee, certain physical defects and wrong attitudes.

» Operating without authority. » Throwing materials on the floor

» Failing to secure equipment or
warning other employees of »
possible danger.
» Failing to use safe attire or
personal protective equipment.
carelessly.
Operating or working at unsafe
levels of speed, either too fast
or too slow.
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Unsafe Acts
» Making safety devices » Throwing materials on the floor
inoperative by removing, carelessly.
adjusting, disconnecting them. » Operating or working at unsafe
» Operating without authority. levels of speed, either too fast or
» Failing to secure equipment or too slow.
warning other employees of » Making safety devices
possible danger. inoperative by removing,
» Failing to use safe attire or adjusting, disconnecting them.
personal protective equipment.
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The Dominoes
» Heinrich defines four reasons why people commit unsafe acts
⋄ improper attitude,
⋄ lack of knowledge or skill,
⋄ physical unsuitability,
⋄ improper mechanical or physical environment.
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Unsafe Conditions
» These, of one sort or another, are the biggest cause of accidents.
Such causes are associated with defective plants, equipment,
tools, materials, buildings etc. These can also be termed
mechanical causes.

Unsafe Conditions
» Improperly guarded
equipment.
» Defective equipment.
» Hazardous arrangement or
procedure in and or around,
machines or equipment.
» Unsafe storage; congestion,
overloading.
» Inadequate safety devices.
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» Wrong and faulty lay-out, and
bad location.
» Improper illumination — glare,
insufficient light.
» Improper ventilation —
insufficient air charge, impure
air source.
» Poor house-keeping.
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The Dominoes
Accident:
» Heinrich says, "The occurrence of a preventable injury is the natural
result of a series of events or circumstances which invariably occur in a
fixed and logical order." He defines accidents as, "events such as falls
of persons, striking of persons by flying objects are typical accidents
that cause injury."
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The Dominoes
Injury:
» Injury results from accidents, and some types of injuries Heinrich
specifies in his "Explanation of Factors" are cuts and broken bones.
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Costs of Accidents
» The occurrence of any accident will cause both
⋄ direct
⋄ indirect costs.
» It is important that all of these costs are taken into account when the
full cost of an accident is calculated. Different studies shown that
indirect costs or hidden costs could be more than 30 times greater than
direct costs of an accident
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Costs of Accidents
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Costs of Accidents
Direct costs:
» Direct, or insured costs for accidents are usually considered those
costs covered by workers compensation insurance and other minor
medical costs for the accident. The company pays insurance to cover
these costs.
» Direct costs include workers' compensation payments, medical
expenses, legal services, and other expenses that arise directly as a
result of a workplace accident.
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Costs of Accidents
Indirect costs:
» Indirect costs are additional or hidden costs associated with an
accident. These are not covered by insurance, are typically unexpected,
and rarely budgeted. Because of this, they can have devastating and
lasting impacts on companies that bear the brunt of them.
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Costs of Accidents
Indirect costs: » Property damage. Time and cost for
repair or replacement of damaged
» Lost production time.
equipment, materials or other
» Productive time lost by an injured
property.
employee.
» Cost of continuing all or part of the
» Productive time lost by employees
employee's wages, plus
and supervisors helping the accident
compensation.
victim.
» Reduced morale among your
» Cleanup and startup of operations
employees, and perhaps lower
interrupted by an accident.
efficiency.
» Time to hire or train a worker to
» Cost of completing paperwork
replace the injured worker until they
generated by the accident.
return to work.
» OSHA penalties.
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Costs of Accidents
Unknown cost:
» these are the costs that are difficult or impossible to measure that may
have a "fatal" impact on the success of the company.
» For example
⋄ Employee morale
⋄ Company reputation
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Major Industrial Hazards

There are different classifications of Industrial Hazards. This is because
industries employ many different processes involving a wide range of
different raw materials, intermediates, waste products and final products.
The hazards encountered are
» Man made Hazards
» Natural Hazards
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Major Industrial Hazards

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Electrical Hazard
» Electrical hazards pose a serious threat to worker safety.
Many workers are unaware of the potential electrical hazards
present in their work environment which makes them more
vulnerable to the danger of electrocution and arc flash
incidents. Unsafe equipment, unsafe acts, and working with
live electrical circuits can lead to electrical accidents and
injuries.
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Electrical Hazard
» Injuries linked with Electrical Hazards falls under following categories
⋄ Direct:
⋄ Electrocution or death due to electrical shock
⋄ Electrical shock
⋄ Burns
⋄ Indirect:
⋄ Falls
⋄ Fire
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Electrical Hazard
» Common Electrical Hazards Include:
⋄ Improper Grounding
⋄ Exposed Electrical Parts
⋄ Inadequate Wiring
⋄ Damaged Insulation
⋄ Overloaded Circuits
⋄ Damaged Tools & Equipment
⋄ Wet/damp Conditions
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Toxic/Chemical Hazard
» Sudden releases of toxic vapors have the potential
to cause death and severe injuries several miles
from the release point. They are carried by water
and air. Their release into public sewage systems,
rivers, canals and other water courses, either
directly or through contaminated water can result in
serious threat to public.
» The number of casualties depends on the weather
conditions, population density in the path of the
cloud and the effectiveness of the emergency
arrangements.
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Types of Toxic/Chemical Hazards

» Asphyxiants
⋄ Chemical asphyxiants deprive the body of oxygen; interrupting the transfer
and use of oxygen by the bloodstream.
⋄ Asphyxiant Chemical Examples: Carbon monoxide and cyanide.
» Corrosives
⋄ Chemical corrosives can cause a localized reaction in the human body at
the point of contact. However, corrosive chemicals also have the potential
to produce systemic chemical exposure away from the point of contact
when mixed with other substances.
⋄ Corrosive Chemical Examples: Sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide.
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Types of Toxic/Chemical Hazards

» Irritants
⋄ Chemical hazards that are classified as irritants cause harm to the eyes,
skin, or respiratory tract of a person. The hazards can manifest as redness,
rashes, inflammation, coughing, or hemorrhaging. Irritants cause mostly
short-term severe illnesses but can also cause an allergic reaction with
long-lasting health impacts or even be fatal.
⋄ Irritant Causing Chemical Examples: nickel chloride and chromic acid.
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Types of Toxic/Chemical Hazards

» Sensitizers
⋄ Sensitizers are also known as allergens meaning they cause an allergic
reaction in people who face repeated exposure over time to certain
chemicals. Chemical exposure can manifest as swelling of the airway or
develop into dangerous illnesses such as lung disease. Some diseases
such as asthma and contact dermatitis become common among people
due to over-exposure to chemicals.
⋄ Allergen Causing Chemical Examples: Chlorine and alkalis.
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Types of Toxic/Chemical Hazards

» Carcinogens
⋄ Carcinogens are cancer-causing chemical substances, and a small amount
of such a chemical is enough to severely harm human health. The hazards
of such chemical substances will only appear many years after the
exposure. There are over 200 known human carcinogens.
⋄ Chemical Carcinogen Examples: Benzene, cadmium, formaldehyde, and
vinyl chloride.
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Types of Toxic/Chemical Hazards

» Mutagens
⋄ Chemicals classified as mutagens cause genetic changes to a cell’s DNA
and RNA. Genetic changes can cause cancer, prevent normal biological
functions, or may result in the malfunction of a particular organ.
⋄ Mutagens Examples: Benzene, ionizing radiation, and hydrogen peroxide.
» Teratogens
⋄ Chemical teratogens can disrupt the normal development of a fetus
causing birth defects and even the healthy advancement of pregnancy.
⋄ Chemical Teratogen Examples: Thalidomide, ionizing radiation, and organic
mercury compounds.
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Types of Toxic/Chemical Hazards

» Reactive
⋄ Chemical substances that cause a chemical hazard such as an explosion
when mixed or combined with other chemical or non-chemical substances
such as water or air.
⋄ Reactive Chemical Examples: Nitric acid, benzoyl peroxide, and silane.
» Flammable
⋄ Many chemicals are characterized as flammable as they can easily burn or
ignite when exposed to oxygen.

⋄ Flammable Chemical Examples: Methanol, acetone, propane, and butane.

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Explosion
» An explosion is the process involving the production of a pressure
discontinuity or blast wave resulting from a rapid release of energy. A
pressure disturbance is generated in to the surrounding medium. Air
becomes heated due to its compressibility and this leads to an increase
in the velocity of sound, causing the front of disturbance to steepen as
it travels through the air.
» The loading and hence the damage to the nearby targets are governed by
the magnitude of and duration of pressure wave. Projectiles may be
generated by an explosion and are capable of causing severe damage
to adjacent plant structures and people.
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Explosion
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Mechanical Hazards
» Mechanical hazards are those associated with power-driven machines,
whether automated or manually operated.
⋄ Concerns about such hazards date back to the Industrial Revolution and the
earliest days of mechanization.

» Mechanical hazards that are not properly guarded are implicated in

thousands of workplace injuries every year.
» Small gains in productivity obtained by willfully bypassing mechanical
safeguards on machines can cost companies huge fines & medical
bills.
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Mechanical Hazards
» Dangerous moving parts in three basic areas require safeguarding:
⋄ The point of operation: that point where work is performed on the material,
such as cutting, shaping, boring, or forming of stock.
⋄ Power transmission apparatus: all components of the mechanical system
which transmit energy to the part of the machine performing the work.
These components include flywheels, pulleys, belts, connecting rods,
couplings, cams, spindles, chains, cranks, and gears.
⋄ Other moving parts: all parts of the machine which move while the machine
is working. These can include reciprocating, rotating, and transverse
moving parts, as well as feed mechanisms and auxiliary parts of the
machine..
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Mechanical Hazards

Series 25 EAGLE EYE INFRA-

This door protects the operator in the The safety door on this machine must be RED LIGHT BARRIER. A point-
event of an exploding or shattering closed or the drill will not operate. of-operation guarding system
grinding wheel. on a roller press machine.
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Mechanical Hazards
» In industrial settings, people interact with
machines designed to drill, cut, shear,
punch, chip, staple, stitch, abrade, shape,
stamp, and slit.
» If workers fail to follow safety
precautions, these procedures can
happen to humans, instead of
workpieces.
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Fire Hazards
» Any actions, materials, or conditions that might increase the size or
severity of a fire or that might cause a fire to start are called fire
hazards.
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Fire Hazards
» There must be a thorough balance
amongst three elements: fuels, oxidizer
and ignition source, like the three sides
of a triangle, for a fire or explosion to
onset.
» The absence or withdrawal of any of
them would not allow the fire or
explosion to set or continue.
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Ignition Sources of Major Fires

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Ignition Sources of Major Fires

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Ignition Sources of Major Fires

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Classification of Fires
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Teaser for next lecture

» Fire Prevention and Control
» Principles of accident prevention
» Hazard analysis
» Legal, humanitarian and economic reason for action.
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THANKS!
Any questions?
You can find me at
» Mechengr_waqas@yahoo.com