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Showing posts from August, 2016

Accidetns do not happen- they are caused !!!

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                                        Use of such electrical work is not the invitation to accidents?

Safety violation is ignorance or something else?

Is accident that result into injury or property loss, only because of less or no knowledge of safety? But, is it a case with every person? Probably not always. Most of the accidents are result of some ones behavioural issues, i.e. behaviour of ease/comfort and overconfidence. Person collide with train manoeuvring closed gate, sustained burn injury while handling acids, get injured while jumping the red lights, get electrical shock attempting repair of live electrical appliances, fell from height while working without fall protection etc. In all above cases or almost in all other likes, the hazards in the activity are known to the person, yet he/she do not follow the safety. We very often conclude with the “lack of training” in almost all investigated cases of accidents and recommend imparting training as remedial measures. As a general safety intervention also, we give focus on training and awareness and a significant amount of time and money spend on this head. These convent

Is safety a fight against the human nature ???

 It is fact that there is constant fight between positive consequence by not adopting safety and Negative consequence in adopting safety. The positive consequence as comfort, easiness and reward of completing the work quickly without safety undermine the behaviour when someone do the similar job with safety. Human behaviour always intends to do something which yields to him a positive consequence, may be comfort, appreciation, ease etc. Therefore , Safety professional need strategy to find a solution to make safety worth reward. Working on behaviour based safety is certainly an effective solution to align human nature towards developing safe attitude i.e. safetitude. 

3 old Es vs 3 new Es in Safety

The 3 Es which have been applied for safety management are Engineering (safe design of the machine and protective devices), Education (making people aware of the dangers) and Enforcement (making people comply the safety rules). The 3 Es, no doubt have reduced number of accidents in industry, however these may not be able to improve and create a active caring atmosphere in the industry. To achieve total safety culture these efforts may not be enough. The 3 new Es namely Ergonomics, Empowerment and Evaluation in addition to traditional ones are means to reach to new heights in safety excellence because these 3 Es give specific directions or principles

Hazardous Area Zone (As per IEC 60079-10-1)

Hazardous area (on account of explosive gas atmospheres) called “hazardous locations”. An area (3-dimensional region or space) in which an explosive gas atmosphere is or may be expected to be present, in quantities such as to require special precautions. Hazardous areas are classified into 3 Zones based upon the frequency of the occurrence and duration of an explosive gas atmosphere, as follows: Zone 0 Area in which an explosive gas atmosphere is present continuously or for long periods or frequently. Zone 1 Area in which an explosive gas atmosphere is likely to occur in normal operation occasionally. Zone 2 Area in which an explosive gas atmosphere is not likely to occur in normal operation but, if it does occur will persist for a short period only. Non hazardous area (safe area) An non hazardous area is an area in which an explosive atmosphere is not expected to be present

Learn CPR

CPR IN THREE SIMPLE STEPS   (P 1. CALL Check the victim for   unresponsiveness . If the person is not responsive and not breathing or not breathing normally. Call 911 and return to the victim. In most locations the emergency dispatcher can assist you with CPR instructions. 2. PUMP If the victim is still not breathing normally, coughing or moving, begin chest compressions.    Push   down in the center of the chest 2 inches 30 times. Pump hard and fast at the rate of at least 100/minute, faster than once per second.   3. BLOW Tilt the head back and lift the chin. Pinch nose and cover the mouth with yours and blow until you see the chest rise. Give 2 breaths.  Each breath should take 1 second. CONTINUE WITH 30 PUMPS AND 2 BREATHS UNTIL HELP ARRIVES   NOTE: This ratio is the same for one-person & two-person CPR.  In two-person CPR the person pumping the chest stops whil

Is ELCB substitute of body earthing of portable electrical Equipment

    Very often at construction site or another, issue of protection from electrical shock   in event of leakage/fault currents from portable electrical tools/machines e.g. welding machine surfaces. Safety practitioners   struggle a lot to ensure that electrical shock related injuries do not happen while using such portable electrical machinery. But it always remains a question of debate   as which provides the best protection, ELCB or Body earthing or combination of both. I would like here to explain the importance of Body earthing.. Good integrated earthing system is indispensable for touch shock or protection of machine from damage and fire. The selection of earth wire of suitable capacity and material is key to the protection and integrity of it is even more important. Robust earthing   gives active protection against the touch shock and saves life. Contrary to this ELCB is a passive protection against the danger and if it malfunctions or improperly fitted, it fails t

10 Golden Rules for Confined space work

  If you are an entrant to a confined space, please ensure following:   ü   See that you have undergone training on “confined space work”. ü   See that you are briefed about the hazards associated with the space. ü   See that the space is isolated effectively from all sources of energy and the isolation points are locked and tagged out. ü   See that the space is cleaned, illuminated, ventilated, at room temperature, and provided with means of ingress/egress. ü   See that there is no danger from external environment e.g. falling materials, water ingress, traffic movement, obstruction etc. ü   See that the inside atmosphere contains oxygen 19.5-23.5%, flammable vapours < 10 % of LFL, no toxic gas contamination and visibility is > 5 feet. ü   See that PPEs like Safety shoes, Goggles, Apron, Gloves and Full Body Harness is worn by you for entry. ü   See that attendant is deputed and you are authorised by permit to enter the space. ü   See that rescu

Safety at Workplace is Safe-Tea at Home

True to the title, everyone of us need to adopt safety in every activity we do at our workplace. While moving from one place to another at same or different level, handling chemicals, sifting materials, driving fork lift , crossing roads using ladders etc. Now a days talking on mobile phone and moving or using stairs is critical unsafe behaviour. Many lives in factory and roads are lost because of this. No doubt, mobile has become indispensable in our life but responding to mobile call while at work is very dangerous because when we involved in talk we are not able to respond to the stimulii around us. Taking selfie has become now a days a trend which is even more dangerous than walking and talking. One should do the following to minimise the accident; Do not respond to every call  when your are driving/moving/ doing some activity Stop the activity, respond the call if essential then move on Do not change position while taking selfie fairly adjust the phone Set a unique tone fo