Cheaper ammonia detectors from IGCAR scientists

Here is the link on the above subject. Cheaper ammonia detectors are developed by scientists from IGCAR, Kalpakkam. The news item appeared in The Hindu on 21.03.2013.
http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/cheaper-way-to-detect-ammonia/article4530105.ece

It works in the range 0-525 ppm.

Safety goes off the rails - The Hindu

Safety goes off the rails - The Hindu

The above link is about safety issues related to Indian Rail system. There were 4999 rail and weld fractures during April 2012-January 2013 over 64000 km rail network. Alert gang men identified these problems and thus could prevent rail accidents. Government requires 1.4 lakh rupees over next five years and expressed its inability provide this money to address safety issues. There are about 90000 vacancies related checking of safety issues which the railway minister promises to fill up.

There will be huge cry whenever fares are increased. However, one should realize that there will be compromise mostly with safety when we try to cut costs. Those who raise voice when fares are increased also should not raise voice when their wages are not raised or allowances are not raised. Where from anybody gets money to meet the costs without raising the income. Corruption should be fought and one should ensure and be vigilant that we do not get cheap quality product or service for the money spent.

But, we should understand and help the authorities also when charges are increased and cooperate so that our own safety during travel can be taken care.

Else, the bleeding companies (in road, rail, air, sea transport related) will only risk our lives.

Ego - obstacle to safe practices

Generally, safety professionals have advisory role. Any advise from company's safety professional(s) may be taken with good heart, reluctantly accepted because of pressure from top management or will be rejected vehemently. Sometimes, safety professionals will be questioned about their knowledge/experience/capability in matters of production activities and production managers try to draw a line saying that they are more capable of taking care of their work and also of safety in their work place and that they do not need any advise from safety professionals.
However, when some incident happens, safety professional of the company will become the first target of these production managers, saying that they were not sufficiently warned about the hazard, that the safety professional slept without doing his job, and so on. This will be the case even if there were some incidents in the work place.
Surprisingly, sometimes, even regulators too question safety professionals of the company instead of engaging the production managers for safety related lapses in the work place.
The ego in the minds of production managers (and down below) is an obstacle to listen to the voice of safety professional and this endangers safety of employees in the work place. They do not accept the fact that there is something (mindset to see the dangers and to learn lessons from events) missing on their part leading to occurrence of nearmisses, incidents and accidents. Any occurrence is taken as onetime affair and is not acknowledged for system deficiencies. Even efforts will be made to cover up the issues or not to bring to the notice of safety professional for investigation and thus do not want to learn lessons.
The case studies, lessons from occurrence that are freely available in the internet are taken as too theoretical or that these are not applicable to their work place. Nobody can help such managers and those working under them will only become easy prey to the hidden dangers.

Vitamin D deficiency - exposure to sun helps

In a report published in the news paper, it is stated that vitamin D deficiency can cause weak bones, obesity, chronic pains and depression. Exposure to sun helps in increase of vitamin D levels in the body which helps in quick recovery in case of fractures, and so on. Lack of vitamin D manifests itself through acute pain in the feet, shoulders, neck and joints in some individuals, as per the report. Also there is possibility of low immunity levels, diabetes, etc.
One can have sufficient vitamin D simply by exposure to sun without paying extra money.It is reported that fair skin people need about 20 min/day exposure to sun 3-4 times a week, whereas for dark skin people, it is 30-40 min exposure a day for 3-4 times a week. The ultraviolet-B radiation from sun which is intense during mid day helps to make this vitamin. One should keep moving while having sun exposure and stationary people will receive sun burns.
From the above, for working people who have to put long hours (forced/voluntary) by going to office early and coming out in the late evenings; spending the day in cubicles; not venturing out, etc are more prone to side effects of this vitamin D deficiency. Thus, though we may be in the good books of the boss for  EXTRA hard work by spending more hours in the work place, after few years when we become sick due to vitamin D deficiency, we will be sick and also fall  from the grace (of the boss).

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/diet-and-nutrition/soak-up-some-sun/article4455404.ece

The Hindu : Sci-Tech / Science : Raising the bogey of radiation from cell phone towers

An article appeared on the subject in The Hindu can be read from the link below.

The Hindu : Sci-Tech / Science : Raising the bogey of radiation

LINK

Approach to life - attitude issues

I received the following story from a friend. I thank the original author of the story for such a simple and understanding story.

The old Master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink it. "How does it taste?" the Master asked. "Not good at all," spat the apprentice.

The Master chuckled and then asked the young man to take another handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in silence to the nearby lake and when the apprentice swirled his handful of salt into the lake, the old man said, "Now drink from the lake."

As the water dripped down the young man's chin, the Master asked, "How does it taste?" "Good!" remarked the apprentice. "Do you taste the salt?" asked the Master. "No," said the young man.

The Master sat beside this troubled young man, took his hands, and said, "The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same. But the amount we taste the 'pain' depends on the container we put it into. So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things..... Stop being a glass. Become a lake!"

Fatal prank

In a prank played by a friend, a person playing cards jumped from third floor and died later. When a group of friends playing cards on the third floor of a house, suddenly a friend shouted 'police'. Fearing for the worst, a person in the group playing cards jumped from third floor, fell on insulated electrical wires and then on the ground. Though, there were no visible external injuries, the person died due to internal injuries while undergoing treatment.
Such pranks or horse play anywhere are dangerous, particularly in shop floor areas and shop floor in-charges have to warn all employees particularly those who are fresh from school/college as their awareness about workplace hazards is poor.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Man-plays-deadly-prank-on-friend/articleshow/18424161.cms