Industrial Safety and Health for Goods and Materials Services - Chapter 7

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Nguy cơ an toàn tiềm năng đến từ một số lượng lớn các nguồn tin, mỗi đặt ra duy nhất nguy hiểm, và cũng khác nhau rất nhiều về mức độ rủi ro cũng như các loại năng lượng có thể giải phóng khi không ngăn chặn, kiểm soát. Bảng 7.1 cung cấp một danh sách của một loạt các thiết bị, công cụ, nguồn, vv có thể gây nguy hại an toàn.

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Nội dung Text: Industrial Safety and Health for Goods and Materials Services - Chapter 7

7 Safety Hazards Accident /incident Personal injury Property damage Equipment failure Release of energy Direct and/or causes hazardous material Indirect Unsafe Unsafe causes acts conditions (symptoms) Policies and decisions Basic Personal factors causes Environmental factors Accident-causes levels. (Courtesy of the Mine Health and Safety Administration.) Potential safety hazards come from a large number of sources, each posing unique dangers, and also vary greatly in the degree of risk as well as the type of energy that each can release when not prevented or controlled. Table 7.1 provides a list of a wide range of equipment, tools, sources, etc. that can cause safety hazards. 7.1 EMPHASIS ON HAZARDS The emphasis in this chapter is upon safety hazards. Hazards are deﬁned as sources of danger that could result in a chance event such as an accident. A danger itself is a potential exposure or a liability to injury, pain, or loss. Not all hazards and dangers are the same. Exposure to hazards may be dangerous, but this is dependent on the ß 2008 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
TABLE 7.1 Potential Sources of Safety Hazards Acids Hot processes Power sources Abrasives Forklifts Power tools Biohazards Fumes Pressure vessels Bloodborne pathogens Generators Radiation Blasting Gases Rigging Caustics Hand tools Respirators Chains Hazardous chemical processes Scaffolds Chemicals Hazardous waste Slings Compressed gas cylinders Heavy equipment Solvents Conveyors Hoists Stairways Cranes Hoses Storage facilities Conﬁned spaces Hot items Stored materials Derricks Hot process Transportation equipment Housekeeping=waste Electrical equipment Transportation vehicles Elevators and manlifts Ladders Trucks Emergencies Lasers Unsafe conditions Environmental factors Lifting Unsafe act Excavations Lighting Ventilation Explosives Loads Walkways and roadways Walls and ﬂoor openings Falls Machines Fibers Materials Warning devices Fires Mists Welding and cutting Flammables Noise Wire ropes Hazardous waste Platforms Working surfaces High voltage Personal protective equipment amount of risk that accompanies it. The risk of water contained by a dam is different from being caught in a small boat in rapidly ﬂowing water. Risk is the possibility of loss or injury or the degree of the possibility of such loss. Accidents do not occur in a hazardless environment. If the potential exposure is high, there is a greater risk that an undesired event will occur. An accident is an unplanned or undesirable event whose outcome is normally a trauma. Trauma is the injury to living tissue caused by some outside or extrinsic agent. Trauma is caused by an agent, force, or mechanism impinging on the human body (Figure 7.1). The emphasis here will be to identify the hazard and its danger, and suggest ways to remove, intervene, or mitigate its risk to prevent accidents resulting from the errant uncontrolled release of energy that has a traumatic effect on those who are exposed to that hazard. 7.2 ACCIDENT CAUSES Experts who study accidents often do a breakdown or analysis of the causes. They analyze them at three different levels: ß 2008 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Intervention/ Hazard Risk Danger Safe operations prevention More potential risk Release of agent, force, or mechanism Injury Accident/ Outcomes Death incident Illness FIGURE 7.1 Potential outcomes from hazards. 1. Direct causes (unplanned release of energy and=or hazardous material) 2. Indirect causes (unsafe acts and unsafe conditions) 3. Basic causes (management safety policies and decisions, and personal factors) 7.2.1 DIRECT CAUSES Most accidents are caused by the unplanned or unwanted release of large amounts of energy, or of hazardous materials. In a breakdown of accident causes, the direct cause is the energy or hazardous material released at the time of the accident. Accident investigators are interested in ﬁnding out what the direct cause of an accident is, because this information can be used to help prevent other accidents, or to reduce the injuries associated with them. Energy is classiﬁed in one of two ways. It is either potential or kinetic energy. Potential energy is deﬁned as stored energy such as a rock on the top of a hill. There are usually two components to potential energy: the weight and height of the object. The rock resting at the bottom of the hill has little potential energy as compared to the one at the top of the hill. Some examples of potential energy are represented in Table 7.2. The other classiﬁcation is kinetic energy that is best described as energy motion. Kinetic energy is dependent upon the mass of the object. Mass is the amount of matter making up an object; for example, an elephant has more matter than a mouse, therefore more mass. The weight of an object is a factor of the mass of an object and the pull of gravity on it. Kinetic energy is a function of an object’s mass and its speed of movement or velocity. A bullet thrown at you has the same mass as one shot at you, but the difference is in the velocity and there is no doubt as to which has the ß 2008 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
TABLE 7.2 Examples of Potential Energy Compressed gases Hand or power tool Liqueﬁed gas Object at rest Effort to move an object Dust Spring loaded objects Unfallen tree Electrically charged component Radiation source Idling vehicle Chemical source Disengaged equipment Biological organism Flowable material most kinetic energy or potential to destroy. Some examples of kinetic energy are represented in Table 7.3. Energy has many forms and each has its own unique potential for danger. The forms of energy are pressure, biological, chemical, electrical, thermal, light, mech- anical, and nuclear. Table 7.4 depicts examples of each form of energy. If the direct cause is known, then equipment, materials, and facilities can be redesigned to make them safer, personal protection can be provided to reduce injuries, and workers can be trained to protect themselves in hazardous situations. 7.2.2 INDIRECT CAUSES Indirect causes, or symptoms, may be considered as contributing factors. In most cases, the release of excessive amounts of energy or hazardous materials is caused by unsafe acts or unsafe conditions. Unsafe acts and unsafe conditions trigger the release of large amounts of energy or hazardous materials, which directly cause the accident. This chapter refers to indirect causes as symptoms or contributing factors. That is because unsafe acts and unsafe conditions do not themselves cause accidents. These are just symptoms or indicators of poor management policy, inadequate controls, lack of or insufﬁcient knowledge of existing hazards, or other personal factors. Tables 7.5 and 7.6 depict some examples of unsafe acts and unsafe conditions. TABLE 7.3 Examples of Kinetic Energy Operating tools or equipment Moving conveyors Flow of materials Running machines Falling objects Running equipment Lifting a heavy object Moving dust Moving vehicles or heavy equipment Tree falling Release of energy from radiation, chemical or biological sources Pinch area from moving objects Energy transfer devices such as pulleys, belts, gears, shears, edgers Running power tools ß 2008 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
TABLE 7.4 Forms of Energy and Examples of Their Sources Pressure energy Chemical energy Nuclear energy Pressurized vessel Corrosive materials Alpha particles Flammable=combustible Caisson work Beta particles Explosives materials High energy nuclear Noise Toxic chemicals particles Compressed gases Compressed gases Neutrons Steam source Carcinogens Gamma rays Liqueﬁed gases Conﬁned spaces X-rays Air under pressure Oxidizing materials Thermal (heat) energy Diving Reactive materials Conﬁned spaces Poisonous chemicals Chemical reactions and gases Combustible materials Light energy Explosives Cryogenic materials Intense light Acids and bases Fire Oxygen deﬁciency Lasers Flames Infrared sources atmosphere Flammable materials Microwaves Fuels Friction Sun Dusts or powders Hot processes Ultraviolet light Hot surfaces Electrical energy Welding Molten metals RF ﬁelds Capacitors Steam Radio frequency Transformers Solar Energized circuits Weather phenomena Biological energy Power lines Welding Allergens Batteries Biotoxins Exposed conductors Pathogens Static electricity Poisonous plants Lightning 7.2.3 BASIC CAUSES The cause of most accidents is indeed a release of energy, an unsafe condition, or an unsafe act, but the basic or root causes of most accidents are found to be more a result of failure to address some very speciﬁc underlying causes. These causes fall into three groups: policies and decisions, personal factors, and environmental factors depicted in Tables 7.7, 7.8, and 7.9, respectively. While we often think of hazardous acts and conditions as the basic causes of accidents, they are actually symptoms of failure on another level. Unsafe acts and unsafe conditions can usually be traced to the basic causes: poor management policies and decisions, and personal factors. The ﬁrst category of basic causes—management safety policies and decisions— includes such things as management’s intent (relative to safety); production and safety goals; stafﬁng procedures; use of records; assignment of responsibility, authority, and accountability; employee selection; training, placement, direction, ß 2008 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
TABLE 7.5 Unsafe Acts (95% of all accidents) 1. Operating or using equipment without authorization 2. Failure to prevent unexpected movement 3. Working or operating at unsafe speeds 4. Failure to warn or signal 5. Removing, nullifying, or not using guards 6. Using defective tools or equipment 7. Using tools or equipment unsafely 8. Taking an unsafe position 9. Failure to shut down and lockout 10. Riding equipment 11. Horseplay, startling, or distracting 12. Failure to wear or use personal protective equipment 13. Failure to warn coworkers or to secure equipment 14. Improper lifting 15. Alcohol or drug use 16. Violation of safety and health rules TABLE 7.6 Unsafe Conditions (5% of all accidents) 1. Lack of or inadequate guards 2. Lack of or inadequate warnings or signaling systems Improper storage of ﬂammable or explosives 3. 4. Unexpected start-up conditions 5. Poor housekeeping conditions 6. Protruding objects 7. Congestion conditions 8. Atmospheric conditions 9. Improper placement or stacking 10. Defective tools or equipment 11. General working conditions 12. Improper clothing 13. Radiation exposure 14. Poor illumination 15. Excessive noise 16. Unstable work areas or platforms No ﬁreﬁghting equipment 17. 18. Dangerous soil 19. Hazardous conditions 20. Radiation ß 2008 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
TABLE 7.7 Policies and Decisions Safety policy is not . In writing . Signed by top management . Distributed to each employee . Reviewed periodically Safety procedures do not provide for . Written manuals . Safety meetings . Job safety analysis . Housekeeping . Medical surveillance . Accident investigations . Preventive maintenance . Reports . Safety audits=inspections Safety is not considered in the procurement of . Supplies . Equipment . Services Safety is not considered in the personnel practices of . Selection . Authority . Responsibility . Accountability . Communication . Training . Job observations TABLE 7.8 Personal Factors Physical . Inadequate size . Inadequate strength . Inadequate stamina Experiential . Insufﬁcient knowledge . Insufﬁcient skills . Accident records . Unsafe work practices (continued ) ß 2008 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
TABLE 7.8 (continued) Personal Factors Motivational . Needs . Capabilities Attitudinal . Toward others . People . Company . Job . Toward self . Alcoholism . Drug use . Emotional upset Behavioral . Risk taking . Lack of hazard awareness and supervision; communications procedures; inspection procedures; equipment, supplies, and facility design; purchasing; maintenance; standard and emergency job procedures; and housekeeping. The second category—personal factors—includes motivation, ability, know- ledge, training, safety awareness, assignments, performance, physical and mental state, reaction time, and personal care. The third category is the actual physical facility design, the unsafe procedures being used, and the geological and climatic conditions. TABLE 7.9 Environmental Factors Unsafe facility design . Poor mechanical layout . Inadequate electrical system . Inadequate hydraulic system . Crowded limited access ways . Insufﬁcient illumination . Insufﬁcient ventilation . Lack of noise control Unsafe operating procedures . Normal . Emergency Weather Geographical area ß 2008 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
7.3 SUMMARY As can be seen, accidents that result because of safety hazards are actually the result of a complex set of events or elements that have come together from nature, human error, and failure of systems that should have protected workers from injury and death. Thus, the emphasis seen in this book and Industrial Safety and Health for Infrastructure Services, Industrial Safety and Health for Administrative Services, and Industrial Safety and Health for People-Oriented Services, is regarding the need for an organized approach to occupational safety and health and the protections and beneﬁts from implementing a well thought out approach to job safety and health. The remainder of this book is directed toward managing, preventing, and controlling hazards that occur within the goods and material service sector of the service industry. This includes the wholesale trade, retail trade, and warehousing sectors. ß 2008 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
ß 2008 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.