CNET article on Ten simple, common-sense security tips for computer users

http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57528141-285/ten-simple-common-sense-security-tips/

The article from the above link educates us about LXQUICK meta search engine which does not use our IP address, howsecureismypassword.net indicates strength of our password, use of virtual private network for secured internet connections, etc.

Fire in a pharma company - same short circuit reason

In an incident of fire and explosion in a pharma company in the early hours on 09.10.2012, waste solvent drums, diesel drums, generator, cables, etc got burnt leading to a loss of about Rs. 2.0 crores. Window panes in and in neighboring plants were shattered due to the blasts. The reason cited is same as in many fire incidents, that is, of short circuit. A good electrical job would have not cost Rs 2.0 crores that was lost in the fire. Keeping all combustibles at one place is not a recommended practice.
Experts say that the cost of preventing an accident is nominal compared to the loss arising out of accidents and still we allow accidents to occur.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Series-of-blasts-rock-Pharma-City/articleshow/16745498.cms

Explosion in the plant leads to HF gas release

In an explosion in a chemical plant, HF gas leaked causing 5 deaths, injuries to 18 persons and hospitalization of more than 3500 persons. It is stated that the half life of HF is two years and requires monitoring of all affected persons for many years and also ground water contamination.


http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2012/10/202_121828.html

What drives a person to go for safety profession?

Appointment of safety officers/supervisors/captains/coordinators by production facilities under Factories Act is a mandatory requirement. A number of institutions offer certificate/PG courses with duration ranging from one week to two years. There is no bar on educational qualifications or experience for some of these courses. For awareness, I feel this is alright. However, for those for appointment as safety officers, prior experience in plant operations should be a must before joining the course, without which they can't understand the operations and theoretical knowledge alone will not be sufficient.

Though, the respect for safety professionals in reality is not much and is a thankless job as those in other professions feel that safety procedures and advice are only a bottleneck for achieving higher productivity, the reasons for taking up this profession can be many, like, self interest, advice from family members / friends / teachers / others, job opportunities, compulsion (transfer from one post to another or promotion within the organization), notion that work will be less / no responsibility, etc. Salary is generally good and is comparable up to certain level with other professions and is even stated in similar lines in the Factories Act. Monthly salary varies from Rs 5,000/- for freshers/trainees to few lakhs of rupees  for senior positions.

However, last week my colleague who retired from service told his reasons for joining the safety department three decades ago, which I liked very much and felt that without this one can't do justice to the safety profession.

The reasons my colleague stated are,

• love for the profession
• opportunity to help others to identify hazards and suggest measures for their safety
• satisfaction from preventing accidents/losses and feel of social service
• opportunity to interact with all employees and many outsiders 
• opportunity to learn continuously from different situations
• excitement from different problems and situations instead of doing routine work for long periods
• opportunity to teach in training programmes and help the participants to have focused view on 'safe production'

Everyday, safety professionals will be facing tough situations at all levels from bottom to top levels leading to arguments, sometimes by facing rebuke and heart burn. One may become pessimistic and frustrated and carry negative thoughts to home at the end of the day and make life miserable for him/her and family also. But if we realize the importance of safety for the organization, possibly, we may not carry the thoughts and derive satisfaction that from whatever we did, we were able to prevent something which is not desirable for the organization.

If the top management commitment and support is available, then the life of safety professional will be easy. 

Risk Management and Safety Management - How Do They Correlate?

The following article as appeared in Safety Center  Inside Safety Newsletter Vol 12, Issue 9 October 2012 is posted. 

The article is written by

By Ann Richey, ARM-P

Risk Management Director

City of Ontario, CA

Risk Management (according to Wikipedia) is defined as the identification, assessment and prioritization of risks, followed by coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize, monitor and control the probability and/or impact of unfortunate events.  Safety Management is the identification and mitigation of hazards, through proper training, correct equipment and engineering controls.  In other words, Risk Management assumes bad things will happen so it puts appropriate responses in place, and Safety Management strives for the elimination of accidents altogether.

So, which approach is correct?  The answer is they both are correct.  As a former Safety Manager from 1991 to 2002, and a Risk Manager from 2002 to present, I have found there are a vast variety of unanticipated events with unfortunate repercussions, and there truly is no way to prevent or even predict all of them.  Having said that, I still hold firmly to the belief that employees can work injury-free and accident-free if provided the correct equipment, training and working conditions.  The Risk Management approach is very different from Safety Management, and depending on the size of the organization, it may take two people to maximize their effectiveness.

Risk Management looks at situations from a dispassionate, objective, global viewpoint. Safety is just one of many components of Risk Management. Risks, or losses, will happen - so you need to decide whether you will transfer that risk, insure it, or mitigate the cost. An effective Risk Manager works closely with department heads to develop contracts requiring a Certificate of Insurance so that if something does go wrong, you have the ability to successfully reject or transfer the claim over to the contractor. For losses where it is not possible to transfer the risk, then the necessary insurance coverage must be in place. An effective Risk Manager always looks for better ways to insure, from reviewing limits and deductibles, to purchasing coverage as part of a pooled program. When things go terribly awry and you are handling a lawsuit, Risk Managers strategize with legal counsel whether to pursue mediation, arbitration or try the case and weigh the benefits and drawbacks of each.

Safety management, on the other hand, is more intimate.  Effective safety management means getting involved with the using departments, so you are able to view the workplace through their eyes. Then you apply your knowledge to their work environment and come up with ways to work more effectively and with far fewer accidents. Creating a working safety program that is meaningful and practical is just one of the ways good safety managers make their mark on using departments. Another is being a resource for employees who might have safety concerns and do not feel comfortable reporting their concerns to their supervisor. Providing training, monitoring the working environment and equipment to give intelligent feedback to management is crucial to achieving lower injury rates without spending money unnecessarily.  Safety management requires constant involvement, physical presence and ongoing feedback.

If you are responsible for both safety and risk management tasks, it is vital that you dedicate time to anticipating risk as well as being the safety person.  Enlist representatives from various departments to assist in the distribution of materials and provide insight into what is going on in their area. Remember, you chose safety as a career because you are passionate about it.  Nobody else will stay committed to safety if you are not - you must lead by example. 

For further information on Workplace Safety training, please contact Quen or Kei at 916-366-7233. Want to sign up for a class, click here for more info.

Loss Causes: Placing Unreasonable Pressures or Demands on Employees

The following article appeared in Safety Center Inside Safety Newsletter Vol 12, Issue 9 October 2012:

Loss Causes: Placing Unreasonable Pressures or Demands on Employees   

By Bob Lapidus, CSP, CSMS 

In previous Points to Ponder articles, reasons for making wrong and potentially unsafe decisions were discussed to include:

1. Improperly evaluating a problem
2. Not creating expectations, policies, procedures or rules
3. Creating improper expectations, policies, procedures or rules
4. Not giving employees authority to take preventive action

We make thousands of decisions in any given day.  We know that not all our decisions are correct.  That's the way it is.

Nevertheless, when it comes to safety, being right is the only way to go.

Being wrong can lead to injury, accident or other catastrophic consequences.

In addition to the previously discussed reasons for making wrong and unsafe decisions, sometimes we do so because of unreasonable pressures or demands.  Those pressures or demands can be so powerful that we take unacceptable risks to get the job done as quickly as possible, disregarding what we know to be the safe and correct way of working.

Such pressures or demands may come from those people to whom we report.  Pressure has been put on them to get the job done regardless of what it takes.  That means short cuts must be taken to gain speed rather than to maintain caution to prevent employee injuries and property and equipment damage.

Such pressures may come from our peers.  Someone has a game or a concert to go to after work and needs to get the job done faster than the safe rate of speed.

Such pressures may come from ourselves.  Something urgent in our own lives is pressing upon us to get the job done quickly so we can get to whatever else is putting demands on us.

No matter from where the pressure emanates, pressure pushes us to work at an unsafe pace and/or in a way that stops us from working safely, using the correct equipment, following the established safety procedures or even working through an unsafe situation that needs corrective action to be taken now rather than waiting until an accident happens.

Have you ever heard an organization proclaim Safety First? 

Such a proclamation sounds good, but often does not play out in real life.  Safety First occurs when nothing else is present to take its place.  When something is present to take its pace, like getting the job done faster due to pressures and demands, then safety is no longer priority #1.  It is priority nothing. 

Safety needs to be part of the mission of the organization, part of its values, rather than given a superficial priority that only exists when everything is perfectly right.  Safety is not just for the ideal situation.  Not even unreasonable pressures or demands should permit anyone to do the work in an unsafe manner.  Working safely is all the time.

Make Correct Safety Performance Matter on 
a Moment to Moment Basis!

*     *     *     *     *

The ideas for Points to Ponder articles come from Safety Center's 12-day Safety Management Specialist Certificate (CSMS) program, and from Safety Center's short course entitled Safety Management for Employees Who Supervise.  Check out these course descriptions-- Professional Safety Management or contact Quen Cach in the Northern California office at 800-825-7262 or Gayleen Grigoreas in the Southern California office at 909-625-9650.

Working in rooms without sun exposure leads to vitamin D deficiency

Today's news item in Times of India 'Workaholic' city faces Vitamin D deficiency brought out important health issues to those who do not see Sun. This leads to vitamin D deficiency and can cause in lower back ache, leg pain, cramps, fatigue and weakness.The incidence rate is high among IT and medical fraternity. But, now-a-days, there are many jobs which are indoor nature. Except those in marketing who are on the roads, all others are unlikely to get exposure to sun. Many have to leave from their home in the early hours for work and return only after sunset. And, with good income and loan availability, people use cars for their travel. It is reported that sun screens, air pollution and even dark skin prevents absorption of UV rays for synthesis of vitamin D
It is mentioned that vitamin D deficiency might increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. At least 50% of patients with diabetes, thyroid and bone disorders suffer from vitamin D deficiency. Doctors suggest making it mandatory to fortify milk with vitamin D, like iodized salt.
Doctors prescribing 30-minute sun exposure  daily between 11 AM to 3 PM to overcome this problem.

Slow is faster and fast is exhausting - The Slow Movement

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/people/Slow-down/articleshow/16513338.cms

Today (23.09.2012) an article appeared in Times of India's supplement on Life on "The Slow Movement".
All of us are stressed to meet the targets and in the process, though we reach our targets, we are missing the satisfaction or peace of mind at the end. One goal is reached and we set some more goals. We do not stop to enjoy the success and what for we are doing this.
In the article, a para with sub-heading "Slow is the new fast" mentions the saying of Christine Louise Hohlbaum, author of Power of Slow, as "Slow is actually faster whilst fast is merely exhausting! When you slow down long enough to actually think, you make smarter decisions, that leads to better outcomes and thereby saves you time in the long run. You learn the art of managing expectations." As Gandhi once said, "There's more to life than increasing its speed."
The above reminds me of the statement of O.P.Kharbanda on safety as, "Safety is not costly. In fact it is free." We develop myths which in reality are wrong.
'The Slow Movement' is to take a few steps back from the hurdle race, and enjoy every moment of our life. This movement advocates a cultural shift toward slowing down life's pace, and enjoy living, rather than rushing through life, as Gandhi said.
Author, journalist Carl Honore who wrote the best-selling book, In Praise of Slow, describes it as "a cultural revolution against the notion that faster is always better. The Slow Philosophy is not about doing everything at a snail's pace. It's about seeking to do everything at the right speed. Savoring the hours and minutes rather than just counting them. Doing everything as well as possible, instead of as fast as possible. It's about quality over quantity in everything from work to food to parenting."
When we do things at a faster pace, we are likely to make mistakes. We do things faster and this we couple with multi-tasking i.e for example, while we talk to client, we also think about what to talk with next client or what to do for the child at home, etc. Naturally, we don't do justice to our job. Doing one job at a time with all concentration and understanding will make us happy. It is of no use in accepting all jobs and becoming a failure at the end.

My experience in online purchase

I purchased some electronic items and books online on a few occasions in the last 4-5 years. Till date my experience was good. However, recently I booked a tablet at a website as it was the lowest price compared to other sites. Some reviews in the site showed satisfied customers. However, I did not get the item in the committed 21 days period. 

Meanwhile, I came to know about several complaints on this online shopping site in several complaint forums. I contacted the customer care and they promptly registered and sent a mail and then I got a mail from business executive saying that the product is much in demand and they need another 7-8 business days for delivery. I contacted once again after a week and this time my mail to a contact mail ID resulted in automated reply to file complaint through their website, in which I did not register while ordering the tablet. After some attempts with customer care, finally I got the item. 

The above experience taught me a lesson to search for complaints on the site which we want to use in internet, so that we can take an informed decision.

There is a website www.akosha.com in which one can file their complaint against the companies. Depending upon the work, they do for free or charge some amount. The representatives will try to resolve the issue and if not possible at the end, they help the aggrieved to file complaint in local consumer forum.

Ergonomic hazards for dentists

Sometime back, I visited a dentist for tooth extraction and root canal treatment (RCT). Recently, my spouse too had dental care for which I accompanied her. I found that dentists have to stand for 30-45 minutes for 3-4 teeth extraction and if it is tough tooth, more time is required. Further, due to limitations like access, illumination and view, dentists struggle to hold the tooth and extract or give RCT. The patient will be bearing the pain. But, at the same time dentist too suffers as he has to take various postures to do his work. It is my opinion that dentists will suffer back, neck, wrist and palm related problems over a period of time, if they do not limit their work hours and do not take gaps between their consultations/dental work. However, dentists appear to be very busy with their appointment diary full. Some yoga or similar exercises also will help in maintaining a good health to dentists.

Some of the hazards to dentists and patients during their work are,

• touching different patients sometimes with bare hands
• splashing of water droplets on them
• poor ventilation
• need to answer calls from mobiles with fingers that have touched already the patient, leading to spread of bacteria
• use of common items like vaseline, cotton, bottles, etc which will be used for other patients also