A place for my personal thoughts/views on safety, with focus on industrial safety.
We are nothing after our death. Let us donate our body organs for the poor.
Be not afraid of anything. You will do marvelous work The moment you fear, you are nobody - Swamy Vivekananda
If you think safety is expensive, try an accident... - O.P.Kharbanda
Preventable accidents, if they are not prevented due to our negligence, it is nothing short of a murder - Dr. Sarvepalli Radha Krishna, 2nd President of India
Zero accidents through zero unsafe behaviors. Do not be complacent that there are no accidents. There may be near miss accidents (NMAs). With luck/chance, somebody escaped knowingly or unknown to the person. But, we can't be safe, if we depend upon the luck.
Safety culture is how the organization behaves when no one is watching.
We make No compromise with respect to Morality, Ethics, or Safety. If a design or work practice is perceived to be unsafe, we do not proceed until the issue is resolved. - Mission statement by S&B Engineers & Consultants Ltd. http://www.sbec.com/safety/
Human meat gets least priority - A doctor's comment on accidents
CSB video excerpts from Dr.Trevor Kletz, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQn5fL62KL8
Sep 9, 2012
Woman found dead, gas leak suspected - Indian Express
In an incident reported, a woman and two stray dogs were found dead in the sleep allegedly due to toxic gas leak from a waste transfer pipe passing through the area from industry to treatment plant. From this, it appears that there is no monitoring mechanism to assess healthiness of the piping. Whether any pipe markers with identification are in place or not is to be seen. In such a state, if somebody digs for something, he can encounter the pipe and any damage can cause jetting of the effluent from the pipe endangering the surroundings. How permission was given to lay the pipe across in the public area also should be enquired.
Sep 6, 2012
Know about eye wash shower
Sep 5, 2012
Safety during excavation
Aug 31, 2012
Punishment for felling trees
Aug 28, 2012
SafetySmart Compliance » Blog Archive The James Beals Tragedy: The Price of Neglecting Confined Spaces Safety
The above link is about confined space tragedy in which a person died due to asphyxiation. Oxygen levels should be measured at the actual place of work before entry and every time before entry so that safe work atmosphere can be checked and ensured. Confined space hazard evaluation should be carried out however short the work is and do not believe by words but verify safe work atmosphere with measurements before entering the confined space.
Aug 21, 2012
Fire safety in theatres
Few years ago, traffic police department released a small video for screening in theatres in which the person purchasing the ticket enquires ticket counter person fire safety of the theatre.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Plea-for-theatre-ticket-hike-meets-fire-wall/articleshow/15576790.cms
Aug 20, 2012
Scaffolding with stairs
Aug 18, 2012
Who is responsible for regulating the factories?
From the above, it is really surprising how safety of the employees, public and environment can be ensured and this can be the reason for existence of illegal units in industrial areas.
This calls for changes in the Acts such that however small and whatever be the nature of operation, permissions should be obtained from departments of factories, pollution control, explosives, electricity, municipality, fire, health, police, etc and then only the local revenue or some identified department permits setting up of the plant.
It is mandatory even for shops to register with local municipality and pay taxes as required. Hence, the ambiguity in safety during industrial activity must be removed by proper legislation.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Factory-fire-Govt-departments-pass-the-buck/articleshow/15523227.cms
Aug 16, 2012
Conveyor belt fire in a thermal plant - 4 killed
It is not clear whether the conveyor belt was halted by pull-chord / emergency switch when it caught fire and whether there is regular cleaning of the conveyor belt and rollers system to clean the dust collected.
4 killed in thermal plant fire
LINK
Fire in a chemical godown
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article3778402.ece
Chevron's safety record hit by accidents
There are many organizations where safety is only a stage talk and give least importance in practice. Unless everybody from top to bottom assume responsibility for safety, no organization however best it is, will fail and therefore needs continuous vigil on its operations so that accidents do not occur.
http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Chevron-s-safety-record-hit-by-accidents-3791793.php#page-1
Aug 14, 2012
Act on near misses instead of cleaning after accidents
Aug 1, 2012
Contract workers - no concern for their safety?
Jul 31, 2012
Fire in Tamilnadu Express train on 30.07.2012 at 0420 hr
- Finding of a kerosene can wrapped in a jute bag in the gutted coach, leading to sabotage theory.
- Short circuit in the battery power supply unit, with sparks flying to ceiling fan near the gate leading to spread of fire. It is reported that 110 V supply is used in the trains and this is unlikely to lead to short circuit.
Jul 27, 2012
Education system - stress on children
Jul 25, 2012
Road accidents in India
As per WHO, every hour 40 persons under the age 25 die in the globe and this is 14/hr in India in 2009. The report says drunken driving is a major factor along with speeding, low use of helmets/seat belts, etc. Deaths are on rise progressive states like Maharashtra, Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh.
From the road safety statistics above, it appears that road accidents are less in states with good rail network compared to others and this calls for increasing the coverage of the country with good rail network. This will also help in decongestion of roads, reduction in import of fossil fuels thus saving foreign exchange, less pollution and better health.
http://www.livemint.com/2012/07/23233225/Path-to-safety.html?h=B news item
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/5973996/Users/Pooja/G-ACCIDENTS.pdf road accident statistics
http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,5519345,00.html WHO report
Jul 18, 2012
Safety audit of Parliament reveals security hazards
Safety audit of Parliament reveals security hazards
The report of safety audit points to temporary nature of jobs that have become permanent, like cabins, partitions, loose wiring, addition of air conditioners, piling of broken furniture along the stairs, etc restricting/altering access, creating hazards and putting the lives of the persons in the building at risk. It is reported that the furniture is removed based on the audit report and canteen kitchen is being moved to avoid use of gas cylinders as explosives and recommended for use of piped gas. Though it is not reported, vehicle parking also should be looked into from safety and security aspects. It will be a Herculean task for the security officials to screen these vehicles apart from the persons, but requires attention.
LINK
Accident Investigation 101: What to Do and What Not to Do » SafetySmart
Accident Investigation 101: What to Do and What Not to Do » SafetySmart
LINK
Jul 13, 2012
Odd and extra working hours - some facilities to staff
Jul 11, 2012
Accident alert - Don't leave the child in the car
http://www.citehr.com/418712-accident-alert.html
Jul 10, 2012
Protect Yourself From Respiratory Hazards » SafetySmart
Protect Yourself From Respiratory Hazards » SafetySmart
Many times, persons actually doing the job also ignore the advice and try to do the job saying that it is a 2 minute job. And, they would never see the light again. Before carrying out any job, particularly in closed spaces, one should measure the concentration of all possible pollutants and also oxygen in the work atmosphere, particularly at the actual place of the work. Pollutants should be exhausted by proper ventilation so that oxygen levels are within permissible range. If it is suitable, one should enter the space by following all precautions. Else, they will become victims of dangerous work place. Though, people say 19.5% of oxygen is sufficient to enter a confined space, but still it is below 21% level in atmosphere. We should find out which are the pollutants in the work place that caused reduction in oxygen level to 19.5%. We know that carbon monoxide at 5000 ppm (0.5%) is fatal.
It is better to ensure oxygen levels nearer to atmospheric levels of 21%, else one should use self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) so that one can work safely.
Apart from confined space jobs, respiratory protection is also required in jobs where fumes, mists, dust, etc are likely to be generated / present in the work place. Engineering measures should be taken and then as a last line of protection, one can go for personal protective equipment, in this case, use of respiratory protection.
LINK
Demolition Job Explodes in Workers’ Face » SafetySmart
Demolition Job Explodes in Workers’ Face » SafetySmart
LINK
Jun 26, 2012
Fire safety of the buildings
- maintaining atleast 6 m radius around the buildings free space to enable fire tender movement (this is also to be maintained free from trees and vegetation so that any fire involving them will not lead to fire in the building)
- have fire detection and alarm system
- have fire hydrants, wet riser, hose reel and automatic sprinkler system
- have atleast 75,000 liter underground water tank and atleast 10,000 liter terrace tank exclusively for fire fighting
- maintain atleast minimum number of (portable) fire extinguishers
- have emergency lighting in and around the building
- have one single switch in every building (at an easily identifiable and accessible location) to cut off power supply in case of short circuits (obviously this should be located in the main corridor, preferably at the entrance of the building)
- have radiant (self luminescent) emergency exit direction markings along the corridor to the nearest exits
- not blocking / locking the emergency exits / stairs with unwanted materials
- test electrical systems also regularly to avoid overload/short circuit (as for any fire, people immediately show short circuit as the reason)
- have CCTV surveillance system
- display cautionary boards like do not smoke
- remove the waste/scrap every day
- test the systems regularly to see and ensure functioning of all fire protection system
- have nodal officer in every building responsible for fire safety
- conduct drills to all occupants to prepare them in case of any fire mishap
- etc
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-24/hyderabad/32392807_1_wet-riser-fire-mishap-detection-and-alarm-system
Jun 25, 2012
A case for adopting inherently safer technologies - Message from Chairman, US Chemical Safety Board
The main reason why industry is reluctant to change from existing conditions is that it costs money. Further, it requires lot of research and development and again it requires money. Governments too can do their bit in this regard to help the industry financially also by offering tax benefits to those who change their processes for achieving more safety.
The processes which are dangerous now, are approved by the government, when they were setup. These manufacturing facilities paid their taxes over the years to the government. Once, we are aware of the dangers, it is the responsibility of all stake holders, mainly, the industry and government, to contribute for a common cause i.e going for inherently safer technologies. As governments dole out subsidies and tax benefits to newly set up facilities, they can do the same to help the ailing industry (w.r.t safety).
Rafael Moure-Eraso: It's time for government and industry to adopt inherently safer technology - Op-Ed Commentaries - The Charleston Gazette - West Virginia News and Sports -
LINK
Jun 24, 2012
Character and culture
Two sewage workers die in a sump of 6 feet depth
Jun 22, 2012
Blast and fire in Vizag Steel Plant
- Impurities from hot metal will be burnt in the mixer with oxygen.
- Operators could not get the oxygen pressure of 17 kg/cm2 and instead they got about 14 kg/cm2.
- They tried to admit oxygen at this lower pressure 2-3 times.
- While people went closer to the unit to see reasons for low pressure, explosion occurred.
- The pipeline for oxygen is of 5 mm thick instead of 10 mm
- The oxygen container and associated piping got burst
- The fire after explosion led to fire causing injuries/fatalities and property damage
- Vehicles flew of about 50 m from the incident site
Jun 4, 2012
Operators are important for safety
We may say that in any activity, the person actually doing the job is an important person and thus his knowledge, skill and interpretation/analysis of data he sees/receives in his job is most important. With poor control on operators regarding their punctuality and discipline, operators already in place may be forced to continue till reliever comes and this may lead to fatigue and errors in his judgement.
Proper selection of the man-power, training, establishing safety procedures, planning of shift duties, procedures for intimation about absence/change of timing well in advance can handle such issues and help in smooth operation of plant.
Jun 1, 2012
Gas cylinder safety
http://www.uq.edu.au/ohs/pdfs/OHYG-BOCGasCylinderSafety.pdf
Location of transformers closer to buildings, walkways - a hazard
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Transformers-buildings-too-close-for-comfort/articleshow/13678673.cms
Wrong chemical mixing - gas leak - 11 injured
Following procedures/precautions can avoid such chemcial accidents/incidents.
- Ensure the fitness of the vehicles by checking for valid certificates before permitting the vehicle into premises.
- Ensure the contents and volume in the tanker by checking the records from the driver.
- Ensure the availability of TREM card for the chemical in the tanker.
- Ensure supervision for the job.
- Label the hoses with chemical names apart from proper colour coding of the hoses.
- Ensure connecting of earthing lines (depending on the chemicals handled) to the tanker.
- Ensure connecting of correct hose to the tanker.
- Instruct the operator to pump required volume by proper setting.
- After pumping, disconnect and wait for backflow of chemicals from hoses, if any and wash the area.
- Disconnect the earthing connections from the tanker.
- Enter the volume pumped or the level in the tank after pumping, in the records of the truck driver.
A video is also available in the above link about the incident.
Treatment to blindness caused by chemicals
http://www.theworld.org/2012/05/stem-cells-india/
Workers may be complacent not to wear goggles while working with chemicals, assuming that the job is simple or short time job. Chemicals, particularly alkalies can cause retina damage when fall into eyes and not washed immediately and treated. Some workers wash with water for few minutes until they feel better instead of the recommended time period of atleast 15 minutes. Later these people develop complications and may risk their eye sight. One has to wash 15 minutes atleast because, studies say, even after this much period of washing, only about 95% of the chemical is washed and this should be followed with treatment/consultation from the doctor. Any neglect will prove costly.
May 30, 2012
Person consumes cow dung powder and dies
May 29, 2012
Dust explosions: little known hazards
Proper measures like closed ventilation, maintaining humidity, earthing and bonding, flameproof electrical fittings, static discharge stations, cotton uniforms, periodical cleaning,etc will prevent dust explosions and its consequences.
Proper collection and disposal of dust needs to be given due attention.
An article in the following link is good reading material. There are few reports and video in www.csb.gov on the same subject.
http://www.iwatchnews.org/2012/05/29/8957/unchecked-dust-explosions-kill-injure-hundreds-workers?utm_source=iwatchnews&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=rss
May 27, 2012
Subsidies by governments - what about safety investment?
I feel government should also include provision for exemptions on the money spent to improve safety in the work place. And while filing their tax returns, they should include the safety performance by way cost of the accidents (direct and indirect) and this much should be penalized for poor safety. This equivalent amount should be credited in to safety promotion fund account managed by the government for appropriate use. And those who do not incur any cost due to accidents, government can give some exemption either a % of their profits or the amount spent on safety betterment as safety reward by proper adjustment in balance sheets.
I am not an economist, but I feel such measures help in improving safety for the workers in the company.
May 26, 2012
Something about "Don't scratch silver foil coat with nails"
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When I tried to know about information about silver nitro oxide, I found the following blogpost on the same subject, as per which the above information is totally wrong.
http://cyberworldfrauds.blogspot.in/2011/08/scratching-recharge-card-coating-silver.html
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Search from internet on the same topic (hazards of sliver coat on recharge cards in google search engine) took me to the following post, which is a health study on scratch cards in Nigeria that concludes heavy metal contamination of food after scratching the cards.
http://www.academicjournals.org/jece/PDF/pdf2011/April/Okunola%20et%20al.pdf
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Anyway, leaving the information out, we can use some coin to remove the coat on the recharge cards or scratch cards, etc instead of using our nails. The coat is some chemical compound and is better to avoid contact with any chemiclas whenever / wherever it is possible.
If we have to recharge our mobile, we can do the same with credit cards or at the street shop by going physically or if we developed some rapport with him, he can do based on our phone call.
May 24, 2012
About probability of reactor accidents based on past accidents
http://cleantechnica.com/2012/05/24/likelihood-contamination-severe-nuclear-reactor-accidents-higher-expected/
Mine accidents - a way to reach the trapped workers
I thought this information though funny but is valuable.
LPG cylinder burst - 5 injured - police book case
In an incident, 5 kids were injured as the mini gas cylinder on which the house wife was preparing food at the time of the incident. Leaking gas caught fire and the house wife tried to extinguish the fire by turning upside down of the cylinder and rubbing over the mud floor. She also put a blanket and poured soap water to extinguish fire unsuccessfully.
The cylinder burst and metal fragments pierced into the bodies of the neighbouring children gathered around the spot. Police booked case against the house wife for causing injuries due to negligent act.
This incident is posted here as many times, cylinder blast is not detailed clearly in the reports. Whether it is gas explosion or bursting of the cylinder will not be stated clearly. Sometimes, people even say gas stove explosion leading misunderstanding of the terms and facts.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article3439539.ece
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-05-21/hyderabad/31799865_1_cylinder-sridevi-lakshmi
May 13, 2012
Molten metal contact with water-blast-2 deaths
The furnace was commissioned recently.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3374003.ece
It is reported that the contract labour use for critical jobs also is a reason for such accidents. Unless proper training and supervision is not ensured, such incidents are bound to repeat.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3379616.ece
Hydrogen balloon fireball injures 140 in Armenia
"The balloons exploded and caught fire after people holding the bunches released them from their hands into the air," a witness told AFP.
From the witness statement, it can be said that the friction between balloons in the bunch while going up could have caused this. As hydrogen can easily diffuse through rubber, it could have caught fire from the friction as the ignition energy for hydrogen is as low as 0.0017 mJ and this could have resulted in bursting of balloons and fireball. One may recall the famous Hindenburg disaster in 1937. Only the quantity of flammable substance differs but reason can be same, that of static charge generated due to friction.
Such incidents were also reported at several places. In an incident, the hydrogen balloons burst in the hands of children who suffered burn injuries.
LINK
Short circuits main cause of fire - is it so?
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-04-23/hyderabad/31386060_1_fire-accidents-fire-incidents-fire-safety
Contractor and mason arrested for building collapse
Being daily wagers, labourers are unable to demand safety at work and work under dangerous conditions to fill their stomachs. Though, Building and Other Construction Workers Act 1996 and Rules are in existence for more than a decade, its implementation is still questionable. Safety officers working for construction agencies are also toothless and they work or forced to work to the wishes of their employer and little attention is paid to the safety of the workers. Safety in such works can be improved only when the government inspectors conduct more inspections and penalize violators instead of charging the violators after the occurrence of the incidents.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-04-24/hyderabad/31391977_1_building-collapse-town-planning-school-building
May 11, 2012
Chemical agent plant construction paused to improve safety » Local News » The Richmond Register
Chemical agent plant construction paused to improve safety » Local News » The Richmond Register
LINK
Thai PM orders assessment of all factories every 3 months
PM orders assessment of all factories every 3 months
LINK
Apr 14, 2012
Unemployment leads to drop in injuries?
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