Chapter - 7

Safety Hazards
 What Does A Industrial Hazard Meant?

 Industrial safety refers to reduce the risk of injury or loss and

danger to persons, property from the industrial hazards.
 Hazard is a term associated with a substance,

-That is likely to cause injury to a personnel, or

-One which may lead to loss of property, products etc., or
-A substance that might prove fatal to the personnel.
 Toxic corrosive chemicals, fire explosions and personnel falling
into accident are major health and safety hazards encountered in
the operations of chemical and pharmaceutical industries.
 Safety hazards are the most common and will be present in
most workplaces at one time or another.
 They include unsafe conditions that can cause injury, illness
and death.
 Identification of hazards and employing protective measures
to control the hazards are important to protect the people from
their consequences.
 Cont’d…
Safety Hazards include:
 Spills on floors or tripping hazards, such as blocked aisles or cords
running across the floor , Working from heights, including
ladders, scaffolds, roofs, or any raised work area
 Unguarded machinery and moving machinery parts; guards
removed or moving parts that a worker can accidentally touch
 Electrical hazards like frayed cords, missing ground pins,
improper wiring
 Confined spaces
 Machinery-related hazards (lockout/tagout, boiler safety, forklifts,
etc.)
 Common Accident Causes
Accidents occur for many reasons. In most industries, people tend to
look for "things" to blame when an accident happens because it is
easier than looking for "root causes.”
• Taking Shortcuts: Every day we make decisions that we hope will
make the job faster and more efficient. Short cuts that reduce your
safety on the job are not shortcuts but are an increased chance for
injury.
• Being Over Confident: Confidence is a good thing.
Overconfidence is too much of a good thing. "It'll never happen to
me" is an attitude that can lead to improper procedures, tools, or
methods in your work. Any of these can lead to an injury.
 Cont’d…
• Starting a Task with Incomplete Instructions: To do the job
safely and right the first time, you need complete information.
Don't be shy about asking for explanations about work procedures
and safety precautions. It isn't dumb to ask questions; it's dumb not
to.
• Poor Housekeeping: When clients, managers or safety
professionals walk through your work site, housekeeping is an
accurate indicator of everyone's attitude about quality, production,
and safety. Poor housekeeping creates hazards of all types. A well
maintained area sets a standard for others to follow. Good
housekeeping involves both pride and safety.
 Cont’d…
• Ignoring Safety Procedures: Purposely failing to observe safety
procedures can endanger you and your co-workers. You are being
paid to follow the Colby and OSHA safety policies—not to make
your own rules. Being "casual" about safety can lead to a casualty!
• Mental Distractions from Work: Having a bad day at home and
worrying about it at work is a hazardous combination. Dropping
your “mental” guard can pull your focus away from safe work
procedures. You can also be distracted when you're busy working
and a friend comes by to talk while you are trying to work. Don't
become a statistic because you took your eyes off the job "just for a
minute."
 Cont’d…

• Failure to Pre-Plan the Work: There is a lot of talk today about

Job Hazard Analysis (JHA). JHA's are an effective way to figure
out the smartest ways to work safely and efficiently. Being hasty in
starting a task or not thinking through the process can put you in
harm’s way. Instead, Plan Your Work and then Work Your Plan!
 Chemical Hazards
• Many chemicals can cause severe burns, if these coming to contact
with living tissue or other routes like inhalation.
• Living tissue may be destroyed by chemical reactions such as
dehydration, digestion, oxidation etc.
• Eye and mucus membrane of the throat are particularly susceptible
to the effect of corrosive dust, mist and gases.
• Hazards may arise when impure or contaminated chemicals are
used.
• By products may accumulate relatively high concentrations in parts
of the plant and cause un expected effects
 Common Chemical Hazards
• Acids
• Caustic substances
• Cleaning products such as toilet cleaners, disinfectants, mildew
remover and chlorine bleach
• Glues
• Heavy metals, including mercury, lead, cadmium, and aluminum
• Paint
• Pesticides
• Petroleum products
• Solvents
• Photocopier toner
 Avoiding Chemical Hazards in the Workplace

• So in order to ensure chemical safety in the workplace,

information about the identities and hazards of the chemicals
must be available and understandable to workers.
• OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) is designed
to ensure that information about chemical and toxic substance
hazards in the workplace and associated protective measures is
disseminated to workers.
 Explosive and Compressed Gas Related Hazards
• An explosion is a sudden and rapid increase in volume and release of
energy in an extreme manner.
• This is usually accompanied by the generation of high temperatures and
release of gases caused by changes in pressure, temperature and phase.

Explosions can be:-

 chemical - high explosives, gas ignition, and fine particulate or dust
sulphide dust ignition (SDI)
 electrical or magnetic - high current arc flashes or excessive magnetic
pressure in an ultra-strong electromagnet
 through mechanical failure - change to the safe operating conditions of a
classified plant, or a tyre failure.
 An uncontrolled explosion may result from:

• Mechanical failure of components

• Incorrect design of work area e.g. poor ventilation
• Where there is no or incorrect isolation of hazardous energies
• Removal or bypassing of safe work processes
• Incorrect use of equipment and non-standard maintenance
techniques
• Modifications, demolition or scrapping (e.g. hot work on empty
flammable liquid containers).
 Options for Explosive Risk Control

 From most to least effective, control measures are grouped as

follows.
 Elimination - remove or design out the hazard (i.e. no exposure
means no risk)
 Substitution - use something else (e.g. substance, process) that has
a lower level of risk
 Isolation or segregation - separate people from the hazard
 Engineering controls - make a structural change to the working
environment or work process to add a protective barrier between the
hazard and workers
 Cont’d…
 Administrative controls - if a risk remains after considering
higher order controls, reduce exposure to hazards through
administrative means such as compliance with procedures and
instructions, or by providing training or changing work scheduling
 Personal protective equipment (PPE) - PPE is the last line of
defense should other controls prove ineffective or not practicable,
or it can be used to support other control measures.
 Compressed Gas Hazards
• Compressed gases can be toxic, flammable, oxidizing, corrosive,
inert, or some combination of these hazards.
• In addition to the chemical hazards, the amount of energy resulting
from the compression of the gas makes a compressed gas cylinder a
potential rocket.
• Appropriate care in the handling and storage of compressed gas
cylinders is essential.
 Primary hazards of compressed gas
• Fire and Explosion: Fire and explosion are the primary hazards
associated with flammable gases, oxygen, and other oxidizing
gases.
• High Pressure: All compressed gases are potentially hazardous
because of the high pressure stored inside the cylinder.
• Improper Handling of Cylinders: Compressed gas cylinders are
heavy and awkward to handle. Improper handling of cylinders could
result in sprains, strains, falls, bruises, and broken bones. Other
hazards such as fire, explosion, chemical burns, poisoning, and cold
burns could occur if gases accidentally escape from the cylinder due
to mishandling.
 Electrical hazards
• Electricity can kill or severely injure people and cause damage to
property.
• However, you can take simple precautions when working with or near
electricity and electrical equipment to significantly reduce the risk of
injury to you, your workers and others around you.
The main electrical hazards:

 electric shock and burns from contact with live parts

 injury from exposure to arcing, fire from faulty electrical equipment or

installations

 explosion caused by unsuitable electrical apparatus or static electricity

igniting flammable vapor's or dusts, for example in a spray paint booth
 Construction Related Hazards
• A construction site is an area of land where roads, buildings, or
some form of infrastructure are being built or renovated.
• Working on a construction site will mean you will be working with
or alongside large operational plant machinery and tools, working
at height and in environments where hazardous materials may be
present.

• The dangers in construction are heavily dependent on the type of

construction work that is being carried out.
Common Construction Hazards:

• Working at Heights: Working from heights is the most common

cause of fatal injuries to workers.
• Moving Objects: A construction site is an ever-changing
environment, with many objects moving around, often on uneven
terrain.
• Slips, Trips, and Falls: Slips, trips, and falls can happen in almost
any environment, and, in construction, there are slightly fewer
incidents of these kinds of injuries than in other industries.
• Noise: Working around loud, excessive and repetitive noise can
cause long term hearing problems, such as deafness.
 Cont’d…
• Material Handling – Manual and by Equipment: Materials and
equipment are constantly being lifted and moved around construction
sites, whether manually or by equipment and either have risk.
• Excavation: Incidents commonly occur within excavations on
construction sites, such as an unsupported excavation collapsing with
workers inside.
• Site Security: Having inadequate security around a construction site
may danger the public and lead to an unnecessary incident.
• Electricity: Most of these accidents arise from contact with overhead
or underground power cables and electrical equipment/machinery.
Safety approaches and precautions for construction Hazards
 Avoid the need to work at height.
 Minimize the consequences of a fall by providing a safety net.
 Wear the necessary P.P.E. such as a safety harness.
 Never stand behind large operating plant machinery and never
stand under suspended loads.
 Avoid working close to moving object and be careful of their
surroundings
 Ensure that all operatives are provided with obstruction-free access
and egress to their working areas.
 Cont’d…
 Keep work and storage areas tidy and designate specific areas for
waste collection.
 Where surfaces are slippery with mud, they should be treated with
stone.
 Where surfaces are slippery with ice, they should be treated with
grit.
 All slippery areas should be signposted, and footwear with a good
grip should be worn.
 Training must be provided to ensure employees can lift and carry
materials safely.
 Cont’d…
 Never work in an unsupported excavation.
 Ensure an excavation is supported and fully secure.
 Regularly inspect the excavation both before and during the work
shift.
 Always check that the edge protection of an excavation is 100%
intact before you enter it.
 Always maintain a safe distance from the edge of all deep
excavations.
 Always make sure that boundary safety fencing is 100% secure and
there are no openings for the public to access.
 Fire Hazards
• Any actions, materials, or conditions that might increase the size or
severity of a fire or that might cause a fire to start are called fire
hazards.
• The hazard might be a fuel that is easy to ignite or a heat source
like a defective appliance.
• Smoking, trash, electrical appliances, storage, and heating are
common to most occupancy types.
• Chemicals, spray painting, welding, combustible dusts, and
flammable liquids are special fire hazards.
 Electrical fires

• Worn-out or "tired" electrical equipment: cause the largest

percentage of electrical fires. Examples include worn out or dirty
electric motors and deteriorated insulation.
• Improper use of approved equipment: The most commonly misused
electrical equipment includes electric motors, overloaded cords, and
improper use of heating appliances.
• Accidental occurrence or operator error: such as clothes left in
contact with lamps, items dropped into electric equipment, heating
equipment left on, or defective installations.
  Heating

 Heat-producing appliances and associated equipment are also a

prevalent accidental cause of fire.
 Issues include proper maintenance, clearance to combustibles, fuels
and fuel storage, fuel controls, proper chimneys or vents, and
available air for combustion.
 Open flame (Operations using flammable gases)
 Welding and cutting with torches are also common ignition sources
for fires and many times occur some time after the welding or
cutting operation is over.
 Smoking: Hazardous areas need "no-smoking" policies. Fire-related
no-smoking policies need to be strictly enforced.
 Static Electricity: Static electricity is formed when materials that
do not conduct electricity move.
 Hazards of handling, using, and storing materials
 Systems using combustible hydraulic fluids
 Accumulation of combustible dusts from manufacturing
processes.
 Industrial furnaces or ovens.
 Controls and safety interlocks on fuel fired boilers and hot
water heaters, which can present a risk if inadequate or poorly
 Precautions for control of hot work
• Combustible and flammable materials are removed from the work area.

• Items that cannot be removed are covered with fire-retardant blankets.

• The floor is swept clean.

• Any wooden floor is damped down.

• A suitable fire extinguisher is at hand.

• A “fire-watcher” is present in the area while the work is carried out.

• The work area is visited routinely after the work has finished to check

the area for smoldering.

Prevention methods of fire hazards
• Good Housekeeping is Crucial
• Maintain Machinery and Electrical Items
• Store and Use Chemicals Responsibly
• Maintain Easy Access to All Electrical Control Panels and Fire
Alarm Equipment
• Test the fire alarm system regularly
• Only Smoke in Demarcated Areas
 Types of Extinguishers
Before looking the classification of extinguishers, it is better to
understand the types/classes of fires.
• Class A: Ordinary solid combustibles such as paper, wood, cloth and
some plastics.
• Class B: Flammable liquids such as alcohol, ether, oil, gasoline and
grease, which are best extinguished by smothering.
• Class C: Electrical equipment, appliances and wiring in which the use or
a nonconductive extinguishing agent prevents injury from electrical
shock. Don’t use water.
• Class D: Certain flammable metallic substances such as sodium and
potassium. These materials are normally not found in the Medical Center.
 Fire extinguishers are classified as types A, ABC, BC or K.
 It is important to use the right type of extinguisher on the specific
class of fire to avoid personal injury or damage to property.
 The wrong type of extinguisher could cause electrical shock,
explosion, or spread the fire.
Type A: Pressurized water to be used on Class A fire only. Do not use
on Class B or C fires; may cause fire spread or electrical shock.
Type ABC: Dry chemical effective on all classes of fires
Type BC: Carbon dioxide to be used on chemical or electrical fires
Type K: Used in kitchens on grease fires