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EDITORIAL BOARD

R ParameswaranW A BalakumaranP ManoharanG S SwaminathanK N SenPrinted at Sunitha Printers, Chennai – 600 002

VOL: 13 No. 4 OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2014

QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF SAFETY ENGINEERS ASSOCIATIONBlock III , Flat No. 28, Maanasarovar Apartments, 11-A, Arcot Road, Chennai – 600 116.

Tel : 044-24764101 E-mail: info@seaindia.org Website: www.seaindia.org

INDIAN SAFETY ENGINEERSEA (INDIA)

Inside....Page

NEBOSH Course Update 2

From the Desk of President 2

Controlling HexavalentChromium Exposures duringElectroplating 3

BCSP Provides those holdingIndia's Diploma in IndustrialSafety a new path to theCSP 5

Work-related Asthma? 6

Safety in the use of MetalWorking Fluids - A Guidefor Employees 6

Environmental Impacts ofthe Industry 7

Ethylene Oxide - Fact Sheet 9

CASE STUDY

Serious accident while workingon Pressure Die CastingMachine 11

Serious Accident duringmaterial handling due toUnsafe System of Work 12

IN THE NEWS

A world without fatal workaccidents is possible 14

Industrial accidents bring tofocus the need for SafetyAudit 15

(Regn No: 1391 / 2000)[Registered under Societies Act, 1975]

At the State Level SafetyAwards and State levelSafety Competitionsfunction of National SafetyCouncil, TamilnaduChapter held on 18thDecember 2014 atChennai, SEA India washonored by Thiru PMohan, HonorableMinister for Rural Industriesand Labour Welfare,Tamilnadu for thecontinued patronage toNational Safety Council.

Thiru S Ulaganathan, President, SEA India received the mementofrom the Honorable Minister.

NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL - TAMILNADUCHAPTER’S AWARD TO SEA (INDIA)

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NEBOSH Course UpdateThe International General CertificateCourse of NEBOSH, UK was conductedat Sri Ramachandra University, Porur,Chennai from Monday, December 8th to19th 2014 and the examinations wereconducted by British Council onDecember 22 & 23, 2014 as usual. Thecandidates expressed satisfaction and theresults are expected by February 2015.

SEA India encourages its members andother safety professionals to pursue thiscourse to enhance their professionalknowledge and career prospects. Thosewho are aspiring to join this course arerequested to contact Mr Ramesh 04424764101, SEA India or by mail,

info@seaindia.org or paramesh48@msn.com for getting admission.

FROM THE DESK OF PRESIDENTDear Members,Wish you all a Happy, Prosper-ous and Safe New Year - 2015.A retrospect to the past yearshows it to be eventful withseveral activities that we cancherish. There were few impor-tant activities that we can con-

sider to be towards the growth of SEA. Safety Profes-sional Meet was organized at Chennai on 24th Janu-ary 2014 to give an opportunity for the members to meetand interact with regulatory bodies and the feedbackwas so overwhelming. First Students Chapter of SEAwas formed and inaugurated at AC Tech, Anna Uni-versity, Chennai on 24th February 2014. SEA has joinedhands with another professional body, American Soci-ety of Safety Engineers (ASSE) - India Chapter incollaborating with their organising “ASSE Safety In-dia 2014 - Conference & Exhibition” at Chennai on26th & 27th May 2014. SEA has also supported an-other national level OSH India Conference & Exhi-bition programme organized by UBM and held atChennai on 17th -18th July 2014. Annual GeneralMeet of SEA was held on 28th June 2014 and the newExecutive Committee was elected and took charge.National Safety Council (Tamil Nadu Chapter)recognised SEA (India) association with them andawarded a Memento for Continued Patronage duringa state level function held on 18th December 2014.Seventy Second Executive Committee meeting ofSEA was held on 3-10-2014. Professional Development

Programme on “HSE Challenges in Oil Industry &Control” will be held on 04-01-2015. Our quarterlyjournal “Indian Safety Engineer” and the monthly‘Safety Alerts’ are brought out and distributed toMembers periodically. Organsing a second Factory visitprogramme to “Chennai Metro Rail - UndergroundTunneling System” was not successful. However, weare trying to organize a Factory visit programme shortly.

Sixteenth Batch of NEBOSH IGC course was con-ducted during 08th-19th December 2014 and Examswere held on 22nd and 23rd December 2014. Sixteenmembers including few of the PG students in Indus-trial Safety participated.

Mumbai Chapter of SEA and Students Chapter atAnna University, Chennai are active. Safetyprogramme on Disaster Management was conductedto a group of about 85 Safety Engineering students ofKnowledge Institute of Technology, Salem. SafetyAwareness programmes were also conducted at AnnaUniversity (Mechanical Eng. Students) and SaveethaEngineering College.

Our efforts to relocate SEA office to a more spaciousand convenient location continues.

Members are advised to actively take part in differ-ent programmes of the association and contribute theirmite.

Best Wishes and Seasons Greetings!

S. UlaganathanPresident, SEA (India)

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CONTROLLING HEXAVALENT CHROMIUMEXPOSURES DURING ELECTROPLATING

Electroplating is a metal finishingprocess in which an object is cov-ered with a metal coating. Work-ers performing electroplating areexposed to hexavalent chromium[Cr(VI)] which can cause severehealth effects including lung can-cer. Electroplating uses an electri-cal current passed through achemical electrolyte solution con-taining the plating metal.

Types of chrome electroplating

• Hard chrome (HC) plating: athick layer of chromium iselectrodeposited on a basematerial (usually steel) toprovide a surface withfunctional properties such aswear resistance, a lowcoefficient of friction, hardnessand corrosion resistance. It isused in:

o Piston rings

o Hydraulic cylinder rods

o Machine rollers

• Decorative or bright (DC)plating: a thin layer ofchromium is electrodepositedonto a base metal or otherelectrodeposited metals(nickel) for cosmetic andtarnish resistance purposes. It isused in:

o Chrome alloy wheels

o Appliances

o Plumbing fixtures

Anodizing, sometimes con-fused with electroplating, isused to increase the thicknessof the natural oxide layer onthe surface of a metal part. Alu-

(Contd. on next page)

minum alloys can be anodizedusing chromic acid.

Hard chrome electroplating baths

Workers are exposed to Cr(VI)from mist generated during theelectroplating or anodizing pro-cess. Severity of exposure tohexavalent chromium from thedifferent processes can be rankedin the following order:

How electroplating operationscause Cr(VI) exposure in theworkplace

There are several factors that con-tribute to hexavalent chromiumexposure in the workplace, includ-ing:

• Mist generation during plat-ing: hydrogen bubbles that

Hard ChromeDecorative bright

Anodizing

Highest

Lowest

form in the plating tanks burstwhen they reach the surface,causing small droplets of elec-trolyte solution, which con-tains Cr(VI), to go into the air.Conditions that increase theamount of mist generated in-clude:

o Higher electrical current inthe bath

o Longer plating times

o Higher bath surface ten-sion

o Higher temperature of theplating bath

o Increased agitation of theplating bath

• Drag-out: mists can be gener-ated and spills can occur whenworkers insert the racks orbarrels into, or remove themfrom, the plating baths.

Photo courtesy of NIOSH

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Controlling....(Contd. from previous page)

• Addition of Cr(VI): addingchromic acid and chromiumpowders/solutions to platingbaths may result in spills orgenerate dusts or mists.

• Work practices: using com-pressed air to dry parts, notcleaning up spills promptly, andleaving containers open canincrease the amount of Cr(VI)in the workplace.

Health Effects of Cr(VI)

• Lung cancer and nasal andsinus cancer

• Eye, nose and throat irritation

• Nasal septum ulcerations andperforations, gastritis, and gas-trointestinal ulcers

• Contact dermatitis, irritation,ulcers, and sensitization fromskin contact

How workers are exposed

• Inhaling mists/dust or fumescontaining Cr(VI).

• Skin contact with Cr(VI) so-lutions.

Role of personal air monitoring

• Air monitoring helps to deter-mine the amount of Cr(VI) aworker may be exposed to.

• Monitoring results are com-pared to applicable exposurelimits to evaluate compliance.

• Results of the air monitoringmust be provided to the af-fected employees within 15workdays.

Controlling hexavalent chro-mium levels

• Product substitution. Use a lesstoxic substitute in place of

Cr(VI). For example, trivalentchromium is less toxic thanCr(VI). There are a variety ofalternatives available that pro-vide similar characteristics tochrome electroplating.

• Reduce mist generation.Chemical surfactants or wet-ting agents can be added tothe plating bath to lower sur-face tension and reduce mists.Foam blankets or plastic ballscan also be used as physicalbarriers to reduce mists fromgoing into the air. However,precautions should be taken ifthey are used. Foam blanketscan cause explosive hazardsand the plastic balls need to behandled carefully to preventspills.

• Use eductor nozzles for mixingchemical baths. Eductornozzles are used to reduce agi-tation in the tank during mix-ing and to ensure a uniformbath solution. Space con-straints may be an issue whenusing eductors.

• Remove mists from the airusing ventilation. Local ex-haust ventilation (LEV) is themost effective method to re-duce overall Cr(VI) concen-trations during electroplatingoperations. The LEV needs tobe properly designed andmaintained to effectively re-move Cr(VI) mists from thebreathing zone. The LEV sys-tem should undergo regularinspections by qualified indi-viduals to maintain proper airflow.

How workers can reduce theirCr(VI) exposure during electro-plating

• Use good work practices:

o Remove parts slowly andcarefully.

o Rinse parts with low pres-sure.

o Do not use compressed airfor drying.

o Clean up spills quickly andcarefully.

o Keep chemical tanks andcontainers covered whennot in use.

o Add chromic acid to theplating bath as a solution.Avoid dry chromic acidadditions.

o Clean surrounding worksurfaces (tables, etc.) at theend of each shift.

• Personal protective equipment(PPE): Where skin or eyehazards are present due tolikely contact with Cr(VI),employees must use appropri-ate protective clothing andequipment. In electroplatingwork, such PPE can includechemically-resistant aprons orsuits, shoes/boots, gloves, aswell as face shields, safetyglasses with side shields orgoggles. PPE must be properlymaintained and laundered.

• Respirators: If work practicesand engineering controls arenot sufficient to reduce Cr(VI)exposures to or below thePEL, workers must use respira-tory protection.

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BCSP provides those holding India's Diploma inIndustrial Safety a New Path to the CSP

The Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) has completed an evaluation of the

Government of India's Diploma in Industrial Safety, finding those who hold the diploma qualify

for the Certified Safety Professional (CSP)examination by waiver of the Associate Safety

Professional (ASP).

The Diploma in Industrial Safety is offered by the Government of India, Ministry of Labour &

Employment's Regional Labour Institutes (RLI) in Chennai, Faridabad, Kanpur, and Kolkata and

the Central Labor Institute in Mumbai (CLI). BCSP evaluated its equivalency against the ASP's

requirements, noting the similarities in the processes and standards used by BCSP and the

RLIs/CLI.

"Safety is valued by people around the world," explains BCSP Board of Directors President

Dr. Lon Ferguson, CSP. "This agreement promises to strengthen the protection of people,

property and environment."

"BCSP is committed to working alongside organizations that share our vision, and we look

forward to further collaboration in India and elsewhere," added BCSP's CEO, Dr. Treasa

Turnbeaugh, CSP, CET. BCSP maintains Memoranda of Understanding with organizations in

several countries, is a member of the International Network of Safety and Health Practitioner

Organizations (INSHPO), and attended the first ASSE Safety India conference this year.

While the agreement is in effect, individuals who have earned the Diploma in Industrial Safety

from CLI/RLIs of the Government of India, remain in good standing with that body, meet any

continuing requirements, and meet the eligibility requirements of BCSP have the opportunity

to apply for the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) via this new agreement.

DISCLAIMER: All information contained in this Journal, were obtained from sources, believed to be reliable and are collated, based ontechnical knowledge and experience, currently available with the Editorial Board of SEA (India). While SEA (India) recommends referenceto or use of the contents by its members and subscribers, such reference to or use of contents by its members or subscribers or thirdparties, are purely voluntary and not binding. Therefore the Editorial Board of this Journal or SEA (India) assumes no liability or responsibilitywhatsoever towards any bad or undesired consequences.

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WORK-RELATED ASTHMA?What is work-related Asthma?

Work-related asthma is a lungdisease caused or made worse byexposures to substances in theworkplace. Common exposuresinclude chemicals, dust, mold,animals, and plants. Exposure canoccur from both inhalation(breathing) and skin contact.Asthma symptoms may start at workor within several hours after leavingwork and may occur with no clearpattern. People who never hadasthma can develop asthma due toworkplace exposures. People whohave had asthma for years may findthat their condition worsens due toworkplace exposures. Both of thesesituations are considered work-related asthma.

A group of chemicals called

isocyanates are one of the mostcommon chemical causes of work-related asthma.

Why you should care about workrelated Asthma

Work-related asthma may result inlong-term lung damage, loss of workdays, disability, or even death. Thegood news is that early diagnosisand treatment of work-relatedasthma can lead to a better healthoutcome.

What to do if you think you havework related Asthma

If you think that you may havework-related asthma, see yourdoctor as soon as possible.

Work-related Asthma quick facts

o Work-related asthma candevelop over ANY period of

time (days to years).

o Work-related asthma may occurwith changes in work exposures,jobs, or processes.

o It is possible to develop work-related asthma even if yourworkplace has protectiveequipment, such as exhaustventilation or respirators.

o Work-related asthma cancontinue to cause symptomseven when the exposure stops.

o Pre employment trainingcovering work related Asthma,causes, and symptoms isadvisable

Periodical medical check up andmonitoring the health condition isthe best remedy to do away withwork related asthma.

SAFELY IN THE USE OF METAL WORKINGFLUIDS - A GUIDE FOR EMPLOYEES

Introduction

This leaflet aims to help employeeswho work with metalworking fluidsunderstand the main risks to theirhealth. It contains general adviceon the precautions which you andyour employer can take to avoidthese risks.

What are metalworking fluids?

Metalworking fluids - sometimesreferred to as suds, coolants, slurryor soap - are used during themachining of metals to providelubrication and cooling, and to helpcarry away debris such as swarf andfine metal particles. They can alsohelp to improve machiningperformance and prolong the life ofthe cutting tool, as well as providecorrosion protection for the surfacesof workpieces.

How can metalworking fluidsaffect you?

Metalworking fluids are mostlyapplied by continuous jet, spray, orhand dispenser.

They can affect you:

• if you inhale the mist, aerosol orvapour generated duringmachining operations. Yourexposure will depend on thetype of machining you are doingand how well the machine isenclosed and ventilated.Exposure is likely to be highest:

• near the metalworkingmachine;

• in operations involving high-speed tools or deep cuts;

• at machines where theprocess is not enclosed;

• where there are inadequateventilation arrangements.

• through contact with theskin, particularly hands and

forearms, if appropriateprecautions (eg the use ofgloves, overalls or faceshields) are not taken. Skincontact can occur duringthe preparation or drainingof fluids, handling ofworkpieces, changing andsetting of tools, and duringmaintenance and cleaningoperations. Fluids can alsosplash onto you duringmachining, eg. if there areno splashguards or if theyare inadequate;

• by entering your bodythrough cuts and abrasionsor other broken skin; or

• by entering your bodythrough the mouth if youeat or drink in work areas,or do not wash your handsbefore eating or smoking.

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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF THE INDUSTRYINTRODUCTION

Oil plays a vast and vital role in oursociety as it is organized today. Oilrepresents much more than just oneof the main energy sources used bymankind. Besides being animportant energy source, petroleumproduct serve as feedstock forseveral consumer goods thusplaying a growing and relevant rolein people’s lives.

On the other hand, the oil industryholds a major potential of hazards forthe environment, and may impact itat different levels: air, water, soiland consequently all living beingson our planet. Within this context,the most widespread and dangerousconsequence of oil and gas industryactivities is pollution. Pollution isassociated with virtually allactivities throughout all stages of oiland gas production, fromexploratory activities to refining.Wastewaters, gas emissions, solidwaste and aerosols generated duringdrilling, production, refining(responsible for the most pollution)and transportation amount to over800 different chemicals, amongwhich, prevail oil and petroleumproducts.

Other environmental impactsinclude intensification of thegreenhouse effect, acid rain, poorer

(Contd. on next page)

water quality, groundwatercontamination, among others. Theoil and gas industry may alsocontribute to biodiversity loss as wellas to the destruction of ecosystemsthat, in some cases, may be unique.

Most potential environmentalimpacts related to oil and gasindustry activities are already welldocumented. It is still necessary tofind ways to conciliate industrydevelopment with environmentalprotection, that is, with sustainabledevelopment.

After recovered and transported,crude oil has to go through refiningprocesses in order to be convertedinto products that hold commercialvalue. Oil refineries are majorpolluters, consuming large amountsof energy and water, producing largequantities of waste waters, releasinghazardous gases into the atmosphereand generating solid waste that aredifficult both to treat and to disposeof.

On the other hand, despite itspotential threats to theenvironment, the oil industry playsa positive role in society as well,creating many jobs and generatinga significant volume of tax revenuesand royalties to nationalgovernments.

Therefore, oil companies may profiteven more in different ways byadopting proactive environmentalstrategies. However, manycompanies in the oil business arestill not adopting pollutionprevention practices. Theirenvironmental policies are orientedtowards the compliance of rulesestablished by the environmentalauthorities, which reflects an End ofLine Control corporate culture aswell as a reactive approach toenviromental management.

Taking the environmental variableinto account in productive processhas been a serious and imporantchallenge for the oil industry. Today,the commitment to promotesustainable development goesbeyond ethical and moralobligations, and has become ademand from society. Thiscommitment alone is a limitingfactor to the survival of companies,since numerous companies may beinfluenced by the negative imageassociated with companies thatharm the environment.

The following table presents asimplified manner the main andpotential environmental impacts ofthe oil industry, as well as somefeasible alleviating measures.

Potential Environmental Impacts Mitigation Measures

• Water contamination due to different waste water • No wastewaters shall be discharged withoutcooling water discharges, and seepage from storage appropriate treatment into rivers or otherand waste tanks locations where infiltration may occur.

• Water contamination due to dischrage of water • Water effluents may be treated by neutralisation,effluents rich in inorganic salts without appropriate evaporation, aeration, flocculation, oil andtreatment (saline pollution) grease separation, carbon absorption, reverse

osmosis, ion exchange, biotreating etc.,depending on the contaminant to be removed

• Thermal pollution due to discharge of effluents with • Liquid effluent discharges into recipient watertemperatures higher than recipient water bodies; bodies must comply with standards governed by

laws and regulations adopted in each country.

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Environmental....(Contd. from previous page)

• Water contamination due to oil spills; • Materials that may seep due to rains must beplaced in covered storage areas equipped withdrainage systems, in order to avoid contaminationof rain waters.

• Areas for storing and handling of raw materialsand products should be water proofed and havea drainage system, so that any spills and washwaters can be directed to treatment

• Particulate emissions into atmosphere generated • Particulate emissions can be controlled byduring operations at production and refining plants equipment such as cyclones, bag filters, electro

static precipitators and scrubbers, among others;• Acidic emissions such as sulfur and nitrogen oxide

can be controlled with the use of scrubbers;• Dust emissions from patios and outdoor areas free

from chemical contaminants can be controlledwith water sprays

• Sulfur and nitrogen oxides, ammonia, acid mist and • Gas emissions can be controlled by wet scrubbersfluorine compounds gas emissions from production or carbon absorption, among other techniquesand refining plants operations

• Soil, surface water and/or groundwater contamination• Solid wastes cannot be recycled must beby inappropriate disposal of soild waste resulting from treated appropriately before final disposalchemical industry processes, including effluent • The choice of appropriate treatment musttreatment sludge and particulate matter from dust comply with the waste classification accordingcollectors to the pertinent regulation(s)

• Depending on the nature of the waste, possible,treatment, methods include: incineration,controlled landfill disposal, chemicalimmobilization and solidification, encapsulation,burning in cement kilns, etc.

• Should these treatments be unavailable at thesite, the waste may be treated in other plantswith suitable facilities, in which case specialcare must be taken during waste transportation

• If the waste is not teated immediately afterbeing generated, there must be suitable areasfor storage at the plant site.

• Changes in local traffic due to truck circulation • Accessibility and road system conditions must(including dangerous cargos) be assessed during feasibility studies, selecting

the best routes to reduce impact and risk ofaccidents

• Noise pollution caused by equipment and operations • Acoustic treatments by enclosure of equipmentthat generate loud noise. or soundproofing buildings that hold loud

equipment and/or units that operate at significantnoise levels.

• Accidents that impact the environment, such as • Emergency Response Plan.large oil spills, leaks, fires and explosions on plants.Eventual deaths.

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ETHYLENE OXIDE - FACT SHEETWhat is ethylene oxide?

Ethylene oxide (EtO) is a flam-mable, colorless gas at tempera-tures above 10.7o C that smellslike ether at toxic levels. EtO isfound in the production of sol-vents, antifreeze, textiles, deter-gents, adhesives, polyurethanefoam, and pharmaceuticals.Smaller amounts are present infumigants, sterilants for spices andcosmetics, as well as during hospi-tal sterilization of surgical equip-ment.

How can ethylene oxide harmworkers?

In addition to eye pain and sorethroat, exposure to EtO can causedifficult breathing and blurredvision. Exposure can also causedizziness, nausea, headache,convulsions, blisters and can resultin vomiting and coughing. Bothhuman and animal studies showthat EtO is a carcinogen that maycause leukemia and other cancers.EtO is also linked to spontaneousabortion, genetic damage, nervedamage, peripheral paralysis,muscle weakness, as well asimpaired thinking and memory. Inliquid form, EtO can cause severeskin irritation upon prolonged orconfined contact.

What should employers knowabout ethylene oxide?

Employee exposure is limited toone part EtO per million parts ofair (1 ppm) measured as an 8-hourtime-weighted average (TWA).Employee exposure may notexceed the short-term excursionlimit of 5 ppm EtO averaged overany 15-minute sampling period.

When employers can demonstratethat the processing, use, orhandling of products containingEtO will not release airborneconcentrations of EtO at or abovethe standard’s action level of 0.5ppm. The action level is calculatedas an 8-hour TWA and is thethreshold for increased complianceactivities (e.g., air monitoring,medical examinations, labeling,employee information, andtraining).

What must employers do whenexposures exceed the standard’spermissible exposure limits?

If employee exposures exceedeither the PEL or the excursionlimit, employers must take thefollowing actions:

• Use engineering controls andwork practices to controlemployee exposure.

• Establish and implement awritten compliance program toreduce exposures to or belowthe TWA and exposure limit.

• Establish personal airmonitoring as well asinformation and trainingprograms for employeesexposed to EtO at or above theaction level or above theexcursion limit. Conducttraining upon initial jobassignment and annually.

• Establish a regulated areawherever airborneconcentrations of EtO areexpected to exceed the 8-hourTWA or the excursion limit.

• Establish a medical surveillanceprogram for employees exposed

to EtO at concentrationsabove the action level of 0.5ppm, measured as an 8-hourTWA, for more than 30 daysper year.

• Place warning labels on allcontainers that might causeemployee exposures at or abovethe action level or excursionlimit.

• Remember that employeerotation is prohibited as ameans of compliance with the8 hour TWA or exposure limit.

• Select, provide, and maintainappropriate personal protectiveequipment and ensure thatemployees use it to preventskin and eye contact.

When must employers requireworkers to use respirators?

Employers must ensure thatworkers use respirators to controlEtO exposure in the followingcircumstances:

• During installation orimplementation of feasibleengineering controls and workpractices;

• During maintenance, repair,and certain operations whenengineering and work practicecontrols are not feasible;

• When engineering and workpractice controls are notcurrently available to reduceexposures to or below the PEL;and

• During emergencies.

(Contd. on next page)

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What are employers required todo concerning exposuremonitoring?

To help protect workers,employers must conduct thefollowing exposure monitoring:

• Initial monitoring to determinethe airborne concentrations ofEtO that workers are exposedto (representative sampling ofemployees’ exposures ispermitted).

• Periodic exposure monitoring ifthe airborne concentration ofEtO is at or above the actionlevel or above the 15-minuteexcursion limit.

• Additional monitoring if therehas been a change inworkplace conditions, such asprocess or materials used, and ifthe change could increaseemployee exposures.

Note: If the exposure level ismaintained below the actionlevel, you may discontinue TWAmonitoring until there is a changein production, equipment,processes, personnel, or controlmeasures that may result in new oradditional exposure to EtO.

Employers must also do thefollowing:

• Allow affected employees ortheir designated representativesto observe the monitoring.

• Notify affected employees ofthe results of the monitoringwithin 15 working days ofreceiving the results.

Ethylene....(Contd. from previous page)

Do all businesses where EtO ispresent need medical surveillanceprograms?

Employers must implement amedical surveillance program,conducted or supervised by alicensed physician, for anemployee under the followingcircumstances:

• If the employee is assigned toan area where exposure to EtOmay be at or above the actionlevel for 30 days or moreduring the year.

• If the employee has beenexposed to EtO in anemergency situation.

What steps must employers taketo communicate with workersabout EtO exposure?

Employers must do the followingto communicate information toaffected workers:

• Establish regulated areas whereoccupational exposure to EtOexceeds the 8-hr TWA orexcursion limit, and clearlymark them to limit the numberof workers in the regulated areaand to allow only authorizedpersons to enter.

• Provide the signs and labelsspecified by the standard clearlyindicating EtO’s carcinogenicand reproductive hazards inregulated areas.

• Train workers upon initialassignment and then annuallyif they are at risk of exposure ator above the action level orabove the excursion limit.

• Maintain a material safety datasheet for EtO.

Are there any recordkeepingrequirements concerningemployee exposures to EtO?

Employers are required tomaintain the following recordsrelating to employee exposure toEtO:

• Retain employee exposurerecords for 30 years.

• Keep employee medical recordsfor the duration of employmentplus 30 years.

What should employees do toprotect themselves from EtOexposure?

To protect against EtO exposure,follow these safety precautions:

• Wear goggles and skinprotection at all times in areaswhere there is a risk of splashesfrom liquid EtO.

• Wear proper protectiveclothing and other approvedpersonal protective equipmentwhen working with EtO.

• Discard clothing that has beendegraded by EtO.

• See a doctor if you are exposedto EtO.

• Do not eat, drink, or smokewhile working with EtO.

How can you get moreinformation on safety and health?

OSHA has various publications,standards, technical assistance,and compliance tools to help you,and offers extensive assistancethrough workplace consultation,voluntary protection programs,grants, strategic partnerships, stateplans, training, and education.

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CASE STUDY

SERIOUS ACCIDENT WHILEWORKING ON PRESSUREDIE CASTING MACHINE:

Accident Type: Caught Between

Type of Industry: Engineering

Size of work Crew: 4/600

Work Site Inspection Conducted: Yes

Designated competent Person on Site:No

Employer Safety and HealthProgramme: No

Training and Education forEmployees: No

Craft/Type of Deceased Employee:Unskilled

Age and Sex: 19, Male

Time on the Job: A month

Time on the Task: 6 Hrs

Description of the Accident:

In a factory involved inmanufacturing Aluminum castingsfor automobile industry, a workerworking on one of the severalPressure Die Casting Machines(PDCM), was crushed to death. Inthe said factory there were severalPCDMs. One of them was of 800MT capacity. The cylinder headswere manufactured on thismachine. The machine had twolarge platens of size about onesquare meter, carrying molds on it.One on them was mounted on thetail stock, a reciprocating die carrierof the machine and the other wasmounted on head stock of themachine, a stationary die holder ofthe machine. There was aninterlocked guard on the machineconsisting of two cages made outof wire mesh. One of the cages wasa fixed one fencing the movingparts of the tailstock of the (Contd. on next page)

machine. The other was areciprocating telescopic type.

The process involved,

• inserting loose cores in to thedie on the tail stock,

• spray the dies with a special kindof oils for easy removal of thecastings,

• insert a loose sleeve on the diemounted on the headstock ofthe machine,

pouring a molten aluminummetal into the hopper of theinjection cylinder of themachine,

• pull the reciprocating telescopicguard to cover the open spaceinto which the die holdingreciprocating tailstock wouldmove to close the dies, and setthe machine ready for injection,

• operate two interlock switches(push buttons )on the body ofthe machine, and actuate theinjection operation,

The operation of two switcheswould actuate the tail stock of themachine to move forward to closethe dies and the molten metalwould then get injectedautomatically in the die cavities.After the injection of the moltenwas complete, following was thesequence of the operation of themachine.

• The reciprocating tailstock ofthe machine wouldautomatically traverse back intoits earlier position,

• Open the reciprocating guardon the machine manually,

• Remove the castings from themachine, remove the loose

cores from the castings, andkeep them into trolley forfurther machining operations,

• set the machine for the nextcycle,

The cycle for the describedsequence of operations was ofabout 3 minutes. The closing ofdies would take hardly 5 seconds,after the guard was set in its place.Four workers were involved intothe manufacturing of theAluminum Castings in the mannerprescribed above. Three of themwere on one side of the machineon which a control panel wasinstalled, on the pillar of theheadstock of the machine andanother worker, a forth one wasrequired to work on the oppositeside of the machine. One of thethree workers was the mainmachine operator. His job was tospray the oil mist on the dies whenthey were ready for closing andinjection, pour the molten metalinto the injection cylinder of themachine, operated two interlockswitches on the machine, toactuate the closing of the molds,followed by injection. The secondwould put the loose cores into thedie cavities, and the third workerwould help transfer the casting intothe trolley, after it was taken out.The job of worker on the oppositeside of the machine was to keep theloose sleeve on the die, mountedon the headstock of the machine.

On the fateful day, the slidingportion of the interlocking guard(front gate) was not functional,and the machine was beingoperated without using the front

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gate of the guard. It resulted in diesclosing even before the slidingportion of the interlocking guardwas pulled over to cover theopening into which the tailstock-die would move. The activity ofmanufacture had been going onthis fashion for over two hours,with proper coordination amongstall four workers. At one stage, whenthe main machine operator wasabout to actuate the two interlockswitches on the control panel, theforth worker on the other side ofthe machine noticed that the loosesleeve he had kept on the diemounted on the head stock hadmoved little away from its position.He therefore, leaned into theopening between the dies, andtried to set it right into its position.However meantime, unaware ofwhat the worker on the side of themachine was doing, the mainmachine operator pushed the twoswitches on the control panel ofthe machine, for closing dies forinjection. As the tailstock movedforward to close the dies forinjection, the worker on the otherside of the machine, who wasleaning into the opening betweenthe dies to set the loose sleeve rightinto its position, was caught withhis upper portion of his bodybetween the moving tailstock andthe headstock, of the Pressure DieCasting Machine, and was crushedto death on the spot.

Accident Prevention Measures:

• An electrical interlockarrangement shall be providedso that the molds cannot beclosed unless front safety gate isfully closed and on opening thefront safety gate, the moldswould stop automatically,

Case Study....(Contd. from previous page)

• A hydraulic safety shall beincorporated with the frontsafety gate such that it willprevent the tailstock mold plateforward, on opening of the frontsafety gate,

• The interlock arrangement soprovided shall be maintained ineffective working condition.

Serious Accident while Materialhandling

In one factory worker met anserious accident, while loading theM. S. Plates on the platform of thetruck, sustaining serious headinjury which proved fatal. Thisaccident occurred due to adoptionof unsafe system of work.

ABOUT ACCIDENT:

On the day of accident, thedeceased worker, had attended theduty at 8.30 am as usual along withthree co-workers. The work ofloading the M S plates (size – 5m.x 1.25m. x 6mm ) in the truck wasbeing carried on in the store yardof the factory.

In store yard of the factory, thereare various types of material suchas MS bars, angles, channels, pipesincluding MS Plates and on thesaid day the work of loading of MSplates was to be completed, whichwas started with the help of JCBloader for lifting the plates,employing four workers.

The system and arrangement ofloading the M S plates in the truckwas as follows.

The plate which was to be loadedin the truck was being made holeslengthwise at a distance of onemeter from both the ends of theplate by gas cutter. Then the wirerope (5/ 8’) with Dshackle wasbolted in both the holes and theplate was lifted vertically by JCB

(power-76 hp.) 6 inch above theheight of platform of the truck (4ft.) and was being dropped on theplatform which was fallinghorizontally with huge sound onthe platform with most of theportion outside the platform of thetruck in imbalance position Thenthe four workers were used to pushthe plate inside, on the platform soas to load it completely on theplatform.

It is marked that, the JCB which isused specifically for digging purposewas used for lifting and loading theheavy plates resulting into the saidfatal accident.

On the day of accident, thedeceased worker, along with hiscoworkers started the work ofloading at 9 am. and completed theloading of one M S plate till 9.30am. under the supervision of aSupervisor. As there were total 12Plates the supervisor, thought thatloading may consume more time ifplates are loaded one by one andtherefore second time two plateswere taken at a time, which weremade holes by gas cutter and wirerope with D shackle was bolted toboth the plates and was liftedvertically by the hand (bucket) ofJCB and dropped on the platformof the truck. The plates fellhorizontally on the platform insuch a way that most of the portion(75 %) was outside the platform.Immediately after falling the plates,the deceased worker who wasstanding there itself, started loadingthe plates, along with threecoworkers by pushing the saidplates inside, on the platform andwhile doing so, the plates whichwere in imbalance position due tomaximum portion outside, fell onthe body of the workers. However

(Contd. on next page)

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the other coworkers escapedmiraculously and the plates fell onthe back of the deceased sustainingserious head and neck injury. Theother workers nearby rushed to thespot. However the deceased workerwas profusely bleeding. He wasimmediately taken to Hospital.However Doctor examined anddeclared him dead.

SPOT ANALYSIS :

The spot examination, work systemof loading the plates , working ofJCB, Position of lifting plates,position of truck platform , workingposition of the deceased worker etc.revealed the details which are asfollows-

Machine / Mechanism: JCB Loader

Make: BEML Ltd.

Bucket Capacity of lifting soil: 1 cum.

Power : 76HP

Operating height : 5.8 m.

Size of wire rope with D shackle : 5/8”

Dimension of M S plate: 5m x 1.25mx 6mm

Weight of one Plate: 300 kg

Size of loading platform of truck: 5.3x 2.4 m.

Distance of loading platform fromground level: 4 ft.

Position of plates while lifting: Vertical

Position of plates after dropping onplatform: Horizontal

Portion of plates outside platform afterfalling: 75 %

Case Study....(Contd. from previous page)

Plates lifted at a time: 2 No.

System of loading plates: Improperand Dangerous

Arrangement for handling of plates:Unsafe and Risky

WHAT WENT WRONG:

The lifting of heavy M S plates byJCB loader is itself very dangerousact since it is not meant for liftingplates but for the use of digging thesoil. Further for loading the platesafter falling in imbalance positionon the platform of the truck, theworkers should not have allowedto push it inside , on the platformof the truck unless stable positionof the plates was ensured whichwas not done and resulted into thesaid fatal accident.

Secondly, the arrangement used inconnection with handling that islifting the plates was done by JCBloader which is at all not meant forthe said purpose.

The Management should haveprovided and carried out the saidwork of lifting and loading bymaking the arrangement of suitable

crane to ensure the health andsafety of the workers at work andfurther by adopting the propersystem of work that are safe andwithout the risk to health, whichcould have prevented the saidaccident.

REMEDIAL MEASURES :

1) The suitable crane withadequate lifting capacity shall beprovided for lifting / handlingthe heavy M S plates.

2) The plates shall not be liftedvertically and dropped downfrom the distance which isdangerous to cause accident.

3) The proper system of lifting andloading shall be adopted toensure safety and absence of riskto the health of the workers.

4) The workers shall be wellacquainted and properly trainedto carry out the loading ofheavy plates.

5) Protective wears like safetyshoes, helmet, hand gloves shallbe provided to the workers.

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IN THE NEWS

A world without fatal work accidents is possible

GENEVA - A world without fatal or serious occupational accidents is possible, the organizers ofthe XX World Congress on Safety and Health at Work 2014 have appealed, as the largest globaloccupational safety event opened in Frankfurt, Germany.

Nearly 4,000 occupational safety experts, politicians and scientists from 141 countries will, untilWednesday evening, be discussing ways of making work safer and healthier. The triennialCongress is coorganized by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International SocialSecurity Association (ISSA), and is hosted this year by the German Social Accident Insurance(DGUV).

According to the ILO, 2.3 million people worldwide die annually as a result of occupational illnessesand accidents at work. In addition, there are 860,000 occupational accidents every day, withconsequences in terms of injuries. The direct or indirect cost of occupational illness and accidentsat work is estimated at US$2.8 trillion worldwide.

“These figures are unacceptable and yet these daily tragedies often fail to show up on the globalradar. Clearly, there is still much to be done. Serious occupational accidents are, firstly, humantragedies but economies and society also pay a high price,” said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder.“The right to a safe and healthy workplace is a basic human right - a right to be respected atevery level of development and in different economic conditions. Respecting this human right isan obligation - as well as a condition for sustainable economic development. Prevention is possible,it is necessary and it pays."

“Investment in risk prevention has led to remarkable socioeconomic benefits,” declared ISSAPresident Errol Frank Stoové, referring to a recent ISSA study that calculates the return oninvestments in prevention as averaging more than twice the amount invested. “However, with adramatically changing world of work, the health and well-being of workers remain a concern, inparticular due to mental and ergonomic strain. This requires that we develop new, integratedstrategies for prevention, which connect the safety, health and well-being of the individual."

“Vision Zero is no ivory tower idea. It’s feasible,” is the view of Dr Joachim Breuer. The ManagingDirector of the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) pointed to the occupational accidentstatistics for DGUV. “A hundred years ago in Germany there were 10,000 deaths a year at work.Last year the figure was less than 500 deaths for the first time.” The number of reportable accidentshad been halved in the past 20 years alone. “This success is not just specific to Germany - it'srepeatable. Experience and many examples from our international cooperation efforts have shownus this,” Dr Breuer stated.

Dr Walter Eichendorf, President of the 2014 World Congress, added: “Solutions to occupationalsafety problems are being developed worldwide. There are examples of best practice, withmeasures being tested and evaluated in the most diverse of countries. The exchange of ideasat the World Congress prevents anyone from having to start again from zero.”

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IN THE NEWS

Industrial accidents bring to focus the need for safety audit

“Though safety apparatus is being reviewed nothing is materialising”. “It's a matter of serious

concern that there is no let-up in industrial accidents. We have to review the safety situation and

conduct audit each industry-wise”, Mr. Srinivasa Rao (Minister for Human Resources, Primary,

Secondary, Higher & Technical Education, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh) said.

Frequent industrial accidents notwithstanding the talk of safety audit have remained an empty

rhetoric.

It has become a normal practice to review the safety apparatus vis-à-vis the protocols being

implemented for occupational safety and health whenever a major accident occurs but in practice

nothing concrete is materialising, say trade union leaders.

Another point for deplorable track record, some due to safety negligence and others due to

pollution, is stated to be lack of supervisory mechanism for want of manpower by the AP Pollution

Control Board, Factories, Fire and other concerned departments. Though there was a proposal

to locate the headquarters of APPCB in Visakhapatnam due to location of several industrial units,

there appears to be no serious move in this regard as yet.

The death of one worker and injuries sustained by 10 others at Anjaneya Alloys Limited in a furnace

blast at AP Special Economic Zone on Sunday is a case in point on the need for regulator safety

audit. Some of the workers injured in the accident told Ministers Ganta Srinivasa Rao, Ch. Ayyanna

Patrudu and CPI (M) team led by State Secretariat member Ch. Narsinga Rao that despite warning

on water leakage no immediate action was taken to halt production.

Cause for concern

“It’s a matter of serious concern that there is no let-up in industrial accidents. We have to review

the safety situation and conduct audit each industry-wise,” Mr. Srinivasa Rao said.

Visakhapatnam has witnessed some of the worst industrial accidents. Two engineers of a private

firm died following suspected gas leakage in June at Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. Frequent gas

leakages have been reported in some of the units at Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City, Parawada.

Three workers died in fire at Hetero Drugs, Nakkapalli last year. While 19 died in an explosion

at oxygen pressure reduction station of VSP on June 13, 2012, cooling tower collapse at HPCL

Visakh Refinery claimed 27 lives on August 23, 2013.

“All these accidents buttress our claim on deteriorating safety status of our industrial establishments

mainly due to over-dependence on outsourcing and cost reduction,” said INTUC district president

Mantri Rajasekhar.

The Hindu - Dated 29.12.2014

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