The Ten Most Important Safety Lessons-SafetyXChange

The Ten Most Important Safety Lessons I Know SafetyXChange

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Some messages behind the bikes - what it means?

For more than a year, while going to my office, I noted following messages displayed above the number plate of the bikes, that appeared to be funny, entertaining and thought provoking.

1. All girls are my sisters except U
2. Don't worry girls, I will be back
3. Romeo should die
4. Ask ur sister who I am
5. Who's next (to ride on pillion?)
6. Don't look at me, I am not your girl friend
7. I am with your mother, I warn you
8. Love is strong. If it has broken, it is painful
9. Love is like a war, easy to start, hard to end, impossible to forget, so never love any time
10. No girls, no tensions
11. Don't believe girl's smile
12. Don't believe smiling girls
13. GIRL - Ghost In Real Life
14. Love is Trash, Girls Need Cash
15. Girls R like medicine, they come with an expiry date
16. Trust dogs, not girls
17. No fear
18. My bike rages the road
19. Everybody wants to go hell, But nobody wants die
20. Don't touch me
21. Don't follow me, my way is Dangerous
22. Keep distance for your safety
23. You r responsible for ur safety
24. I am bad with my new rule
25. I am not as innocent as I look
26. Hell is full. So, I am back
27. Mom's gift, Father's petrol, My enjoyment
28. Legends live longer. I am a living example
29. Legacy never dies
30. Past is a lesson. Today is yours. So work on it
31. Small things bring big changes

The number of bikes with above displays are very less. Apart from the above, there are regular messages on a large number of bikes, like, Mom's gift / Dad's gift.

A study of these messages reveals that many bike riders are grateful to their parents for gifting them a bike. But,  other messages reveal, hatredness towards girls, love failures, fear, their road rage behavior, road safety concern, philosophers, want to show girls about their machoism, warn others about themselves, their funny side, and so on. 

Some messages, at first instance, even enrage the readers and appear vulgar. 

May be, one can judge the person, depending upon the type of message behind the vehicle and take suitable precaution while dealing with them.

Insurance

Everybody tells us to take life insurance. Elders advise insurance even as a saving measure for future. Insurance agents showcase benefits of insurance to dependents after our death. And eventually, all those having regular income will take life cover for huge amounts and end up paying premiums.
But, we ignore insurance cover for our property. We try to avoid insurance for vehicles.
The loss from property damage can cause huge setback and often will be difficult to earn and build again. If we take loan for purchase of property, we take insurance to the extent of loan amount for loan period. But, as we repay, loan amount will reduce but our exposure to risk will increase. Unless we take insurance for entire property value, we will be taking risk with our hard earned money put in the property.
Similarly, we should take vehicle insurance both for the value of the vehicle and compensation to be paid to the persons in case of any accident. If we look at the amount saved by not taking insurance cover, in times of any accident, we may end up paying all our savings, may also incur loans and receive punishment.

Which accidents are acceptable?

Now a days, people are opposing setting up of every factory.  The reasons cited are accidents, pollution, etc. Projects are delayed and costs run high. Opposition is expressed going to the extent of damaging public property. At the same time, governments are blamed for unemployment, inability to provided public amenities, and so on. Where from funds will come for governments to spend. Only when overall development happens, taxes are paid honestly and participate in  programmes, governments can do something to its people.

Everybody is concerned about accidents. But, concerns are very high about industrial accidents particularly those related to chemical industry, which are rare. Everyday, many persons die/get injured in road accidents. Many die due to  alcohol/tobacco/drug use, adventure sports, cancer, pollution, different lifestyles, etc. The number of persons affected with these are very high compared to those due to industrial activities.  

This makes us wonder which accidents are acceptable/normal and which are not? Are we accepting regular/routine deaths and illness due to our own making in the course of having our own lifestyle and taking them in our stride as a part of life. And, fear about others.

We enjoy our lifestyle every moment and therefore its ill effects are acceptable? Whereas direct benefits from industries are less visible though indirect benefits are huge and can become apparent only when they are closed.

Every activity will have both positive and negative aspects and we draw a line. But, we magnify the events in industries and ignore those outside. 

We should have realistic approach so that industries can be setup incorporating all measures for safety of people and environment. While issuing clearances, authorities have to ensure that clearances are not issued in violation of rules or by finding loop holes in the law.

Accidents during training

A navy officer drowned, when the commander asked him to jump into sea, as a part of training. Contradicting reports state about divers in the sea waters before start of exercises. It is stated that the navy officer was not wearing any life jacket at the time of the incident.
Such accidents can occur in any where, if proper precautions are not taken. Statistics on industrial accidents reveal that most of those injured are trainees/apprentices/contractor workers or those who were allotted new jobs different from what they were doing earlier. It is likely that to cut costs, companies engage trainees/apprentices/contractor workers for skilled jobs. In the absence of proper training, lack of knowledge on hazards involved in the operations and hesitation by these persons to ask for information lead to accidents endangering their lives and that of others. The accidents that are reported regularly in the media confirm this practice.
To avoid such accidents, irrespective of the nature of the job and position of the person, compulsory training shall be provided to them and necessary safety instructions in the form safe operating procedures, checklists, data sheets, emergency procedures, etc should be taught and documents are issued for ready reference.
Managements will certainly reap the benefits of such training provided in the form of safe work atmosphere and better productivity.

Role of behavior in accident reduction

I read an article in (India) Industrial Safety Review (June 2011) on the role of behavior in accident reduction. One particular statement in the article is true for all organizations. The statement reads as, "showing zero accidents record and international certifications do not really ensure safe organization unless we target zero unsafe behaviors at workplaces".
In many organizations, their address will also contains about ISO/OHSAS certification. With the mushroom growth of certifying agencies, competition to get business and marketing skills, these certificates appear to be only for name sake. It is not possible for certifying agencies also to check thoroughly for compliance with applicable requirements, as their audits are based on random sampling. Instead of relying on these certificates, many organizations are developing their own systems to verify the credentials of the company with which they intend to deal with by site visits, field inspections, data collection, interaction with teams of production, quality, safety and health to assess compliance with standards and their own requirements. Certificates also induce a false sense of security/safety among the employees and lead to bad work culture.

In this context, I liked the above statement. Though every organization targets zero accident status, as the author said correctly, the approach should be, intolerance to unsafe behaviors rather than aiming to prevent major accidents. It is true that, to have such status coupled with rewards linked to accident-free working periods, the accidents are not reported.
To achieve true zero accident status, the author suggested, i) forming teams, ii) observing the work for some time, iii) not to blame the persons for at-risk behaviors, iv) interacting with the persons to find the cause for behavior, v) getting suggestions/feedback, vi) maintaining list of critical behaviors, vii) implementing measures for correct behavior by way of training, awareness, monitoring and feed back.
It is stated in an article that the returns will be 3-6 times for every dollar spent on training. Safety inspections by safety department are nothing but monitoring/policing. Any unsafe act or condition observed by safety department will be corrected at that time and it will repeat again, the moment safety inspector leaves the workspot. Unless the persons actually performing the work are aware of their risky behavior, and correct themselves, accidents can't be brought down to zero level by safety department alone.

Nuclear power: The case for a safe, alternative energy source

Wish you all a happy and safe new year 2012.

An article in The Washington Times briefs about nuclear energy as an alternate safe power. Though, every individual sees nuclear energy in his own way, still, it appears as the future alternative after all fossil fuel resources are exhausted in the coming decades.
As an engineering student twenty five years ago, I read about the limited availability of fossil fuels and that they will last only for about twenty years. But, new finds take us to next forty to fifty years. However, the projected solar and wind power as future energy at that time are still nowhere to meet even a fraction of the energy demand. Further, pollution from fossil fuel usage is affecting all walks of life and there is a wide spread global movement for gradual reduction of emissions.
Finally when a day comes with no fossil fuels, we can't start construction of nuclear reactors at that time and keep our fingers crossed. Like water wars, there can be more energy wars in the next fifty years. Already, countries are in search of whatever energy sources available to acquire and secure their future safe. When no other alternate energy sources are availabe to meet growing demands, we have to go for nuclear energy.
Worldwide, thousands of persons work in nuclear power plants and there is not much evidence/data to say that these workers are affected. The risk levels in nuclear industry are far less than that in other industries. It appears that we accept the injuries and deaths in other industries as they occur regularly and fear about the rare events in nuclear industry.

http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/21st-century-pacifist/2011/dec/28/case-safe-alternative-energy-source-nuclear-power/
Nuclear power: The case for a safe, alternative energy source

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Fire in Russian submarine

News reports about Russian nuclear submarine fire state that the fire was extinguished after 24 hr fire fighting. The flames rose 10 m above the submarine. No radiation leak is reported. The reactor was shutdown and onboard weapons were removed before repairs. Nine persons were hospitalized for CO poisoning. It is stated that the fire could have started due to sparks from welding falling on wooden scaffolding and also the rubber coating on the submarine which helps in reducing the noise and prevent detection by enemies.
This incident is a lesson about safety measures to be taken during welding by removing all possible combustibles in the area (atleast 15 m around), cover combustibles which can't be moved with fire resistant cloth, keep atleast minimum number of fire extinguishers ready near the place of work, training to the concerned persons about hazards and safety measures to be followed and proper supervision.

Gas leak smelled 80 miles away

A gas well leak through a quarter inch hole in the valve spread 80 miles down causing throat irritation and rotten egg smell. It is estimated that 135,000 cubic feet gas leaked before it was noticed and arrested. It is reported that the smell is due to high level sulfur compounds in the mercaptans collected in the gas at the well.
The reason for spread of gas so far is stated as "combination of a light south wind and an inversion of cold air trapped below low clouds with warmer atmosphere above the clouds prevented the gas dispersing upward and caused the gas to be closer to the ground, spreading the gas so far north".
Normally, when software models are used for particular weather conditions, we get dispersion distances which appear to be on higher side. "Experts" in the field too question such results stating that they are illogical. But, this incident is warning to users, emergency responders and regulators to be conservative on distance of impact and take protective measures in the area falling under this.

Grayling gas leak smelled 80 miles away

http://www.petoskeynews.com/gaylord/news/ght-n-gasleak-122811,0,693297.story

Fire in a chemical factory

It is reported that in a pharma company, a solvent splashed onto the electrical cables above, due to pressure inside a chemical reactor and this started a fire. Exploding chemical reactors during the fire spread the fire to adjacent factory. Two persons died and four persons were injured in the incident. See the photo here.
http://vebtoday.com/news/andhra-politics/fire-mishap-at-patancheru-pharma-firm.html

NDMA to prepare guidelines for emergencies in hospitals

It is reported that National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) will prepare guidelines to handle emergencies in hospitals. This follows the fire incident at AMRI hospital on 09.12.2011 at Kolkata recently that claimed 93 lives. The guidelines include clarity on roles and responsibilities.

Gas cutting - Two workers burnt and four injured during the fire

It is reported that two workers died and four more were injured during gas cutting of an abandoned chemical plant machinery in a resultant fire. The chemical factory not in use for two years was purchased and renovation work was taken up. While cutting the big machinery with gas cutters, the sparks fell on the plastic boxes nearby that contained residual chemicals and quick spread of fire caused the deaths and injuries. The fire was brought under control after four hours of struggle.

To avoid such incidents, ensure:

1. equipment free from chemicals/combustibles inside and outside
2. absence of all combustibles/ inflammable atleast within 15 m radius of proposed hot work to avoid flying sparks falling on these materials
3. sufficient pressure in oxygen and cutting gas cylinders
4. good condition of hoses, torches
5. flashback arrestors in both hose lines
6. use of friction lighter
7. clear means of access/egress
8. availability of minimum numbers of extinguishers
9. sufficient illumination and ventilation
10. training
11. supervision, etc

Welder dies in blast

In an incident on 16.12.2011 Friday at visakhapatnam, a welder died and another person was injured due to gas cylinder explosion in a tinkering painting workshop. Police suspect the blast is due broken knob of a gas cylinder. The deceased suffered a fatal blow to his skull in the blast.
In another report on the same incident, it is stated that explosion occurred when the person was trying to open a carbon machine and the cylinder exploded and hit his head.
From the above two reports, it appears that the person while working on some equipment/machine, an unintentional action led to hitting and breaking of the adjacent gas cylinder knob and flying of the knob (like a rocket?) hit his head causing the death.
Normally welding gas cylinders are kept in the trolley and chained. The broken knob should not have caused explosion unless other wise it is not secured and is acetylene cylinder. As acetylene is not stable and is sensitive to pressure/impact/shock, any fall of unsecured acetylene cylinder can lead to such explosion. May be the broken knob dislodging with great force due to cylinder gas pressure could have hit the skull and led to death.

In a similar incident earlier at another place, it is reported that a broken knob lead to gas release at high pressure and the resultant blast killed a person.

AP Pollution Control Board orders closure of violators

In a recent special drive, the Pollution Control Board of conducted surprise checks on serveral hospitals, manufacturing and pharma units. It found that some of these units are producing beyond the licenced capacity or by using a different process or not having facilities to treat effluents / biohazard wastes. About 10 firms were asked to shut their operations for violation of terms and conditions of consent for operation and proposes to take action on similar violators. Though it is difficult for any regulator to keep an eye on the violators constantly because of wide spectrum of activities and area of operations, these types of actions will act on the right direction and this can be sustained by slapping applicable charges and takeing them to court.
Following the famous saying, " polluter pays" principle, the cost of treating the polluted land/water/air along with penalty should be recovered from the violators. Bank guarantees should be taken from all production facilities and should be encashed in case of violations and no action taken on these violations even after specified time.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/PCB-seeks-Rs-10L-bank-guarantee-from-3-hospitals-for-flouting-bio-waste-norms/articleshow/11040034.cms

 

 

Hospitals pose health hazard to city

Tonnes Of Trash Dumped Into Water Bodies In Violation Of Rules - Sudipta Sengupta TNN

Hyderabad: The recent crackdown on city hospitals by the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) has exposed just how Hyderabad is facing hazards from the healthcare sector. As much as a few lakh litres of contaminated water from the toilets and laundry of these medical institutions, many of them known for their swank interiors and high-profile clientele, are routinely being drained into the Hussain Sagar lake and Musi river.
   And adding to this stink is the appalling solid waste management system in these hospitals, the series of PCB inspections have found. In fact in the past one week alone, officials have unearthed tonnes of trash, including severed parts of a human body, infectious needles and bottles indiscriminately dumped on the premises of most hospitals in the city. So horrific have been the revelations that the PCB has now decided to continue with these intensive checks, expected to last for a few more weeks, to see if hospitals are abiding by the specified bio-medical waste disposal and pollution norms.
   “Chances are that most are flouting the norms,” said a PCB official before disclosing a startling fact: none of the 6,372 hospitals in AP have consent for operation (CFO) certificate from the pollution control board. “Around 15 of them procured CFO in the past but they have lapsed now. Nobody has come forward for renewal since,” the official added. Interestingly, a close look at the rulebook shows that no organisation discharging chemical waste can operate without a CFO certificate from the PCB.
   “These hospitals have been violating all waste management norms citing an array of reasons,” said sources from the health care industry. While they claim they do not have the space to set up sewerage treatment plants (for the liquid waste), they rue that the fee charged by the private companies appointed by PCB to collect the solid waste is very high, the sources added. This, even as the rate chart of these `collection’ houses is just about Rs 3.50 per bed a day.
   “Our charges have always been very nominal. Yet, we do not see many hospitals keen on signing up with us,” said an official of G J Multiclave (India) Pvt Ltd, one of the two companies engaged in collection of solid waste, refusing to comment any further.
   But while such shocking disclosures raise a question on the credibility of hospitals across AP, city environmentalists feel this also puts the PCB in a tight spot. Recollecting a similar drive initiated by the board about six years ago, they say how that initiative too fizzled out after making headlines for a few days. “It is close to impossible to sustain something like this. Now that the board is active, most hospitals are found implementing the norms. But it will all be forgotten in a few weeks time. Hospitals will again go back to their old ways,” said an environmentalist who has been following the drive closely.

The Musi river flows with hazardous medical waste

 What one can learn from the above is that POLLUTER ALWAYS PAYS - If not immediately, time may catch up with you.

PCB got extensive powers to suspend plant operations. Also, it can direct water and power suppliers to stop their supplies to the erring industry. It can cancel the land allotment and can take back whatever land is allotted. It can file charges and drag to courts for suitable punishments. The reason can be as simple as change of raw material or process through some other process, slight modification of the process, and so on.
It is better to adhere to the process and throughput at what we are permitted and keep PCB in good books.