Forklift safety

As per a blog article, 100000 personnel are injured / killed in forklift accidents in US, siting OSHA.

The article throws light into possible reasons for accidents and what is to be done.

There are no exceptions. Follow the Rules, even if it is an emergency

In an incident, a coworker was assisting a crane operator in lifting the injured, by standing on a steel structure without a safety belt or any other protective gear. The employer was charged by OSHA for the violation.
This is an emergency case. But, many times, showing some reason or the other as emergency or important, people wilfully disobey the rules trading for short term gains. Even the experienced and senior colleagues preach such practices citing the urgent requirement. Funnily, the activities which were not attended for weeks will become suddenly urgent on the day they propose to take up and do not follow any safety procedure because they do not have time at that moment.
The example in the link below will serve as an eye opener to those who take chance by not following safety.
Lessons from a California Case

LINK

Spread of acid fumes from broken bottles to three villages

A news item in Hindu news paper today is about leakage and impact of acid fumes on residents of three villages. The leakage and spread of fumes from possible broken bottles containing bromine (HBr?) caused health complications such as irritation in the eyes, trachea and stomach, coughing, nausea, skin allergy. Another report says about the quantity stored as 40 bottles of each 750 ml. And as per another report, it is stored in 2 and 5 lit bottles and liquid bromine from one broken bottle reacted with husk in the area. I am unable to guess what quantity of the chemical leaked that caused spread of thick fumes to three villages affecting the people. 
A report on the same incident mentions

OSHA 40 Years Old and Aging Fast

The link below is about OSHA and the views of a safety professional about its efforts in the field of safety. It also describes, how OSHA is losing its influence due to various factors.

http://www.thesafetybloke.com/osha-40-years-old-and-aging-fast/

Process Safety Management - for whom?

Everybody says process safety management (PSM) without knowing or having commitment. Many may be thinking it as day-to-day plant operation. In this regard, to identify, evaluate and control hazards in chemical plants, OSHA has given guidelines and can be read here.
It must be understood that by doing PSM, we are doing favour to ourselves and not to others. Even, production cost can be brought down, if we do PSM sincerely and follow it. If we do not care to spillages/leakages of chemicals, air, steam; do not care to study in detail before going for a new process / chemical / modification; do not make checklists for operations, then it means that enough attention is not paid for plant operations and it adds to cost of production by way of wastage, inefficient operation, accidents, and so on.
We should not feel like Alice in the wonder land when the unidentified hazards manifest into incidents/ accidents. One may feel stressed to follow the safety principles all the while. But, the stress will be more and can also lead to penalties and punishments when there is loss of life/damage to environment/property.
Many times when we land into simple accidents outside factory, we vow not to repeat such mistakes. But, when we commit such mistakes in a factory, the consequences will be very high and at that time we can move the time back to correct our mistakes. There is no time machine yet available to correct ourselves otherthan following safety principles in toto.