Safety in workplace

Freedom from accidents It includes

Minimization of hazards Healthy working conditions Minimizing risk ensure safety, health and welfare of people

engaged in work or employment

Occupational safety and health (OSH) is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment and entrants. As a secondary effect, OSH may also protect co-workers, family members, employers, customers, suppliers, nearby communities, and other members of the public who are impacted by the workplace environment.

Maintaining a safe and healthy working environment is not only an important human resources issue, it's the law.

Whether they're entry-level workers, seasoned veterans, supervisors, or plant managers, employees need to understand health and safety risks, the steps they need to take to minimize those

risks, and common safety standards and compliance procedures.

The definition reads:

"Occupational health should aim at: the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations;

Moral - An employee should not have to risk injury at work, nor should others associated with the work environment. Economic - many governments realize that poor occupational safety and health performance results in cost to the State (e.g. through social security payments to the incapacitated, costs for medical treatment, and the loss of the "employability" of the worker). Employing organisations also sustain costs in the event of an incident at work (such as legal fees, fines, compensatory damages, investigation time, lost production, lost goodwill from the workforce, from customers and from the wider community). Legal - Occupational safety and health requirements may be reinforced in civil law and/or criminal law; it is accepted that without the extra "encouragement" of potential regulatory action or litigation, many organisations would not act upon their implied moral obligations.

A hazard is something that can cause harm if not controlled.

The outcome is the harm that results from an uncontrolled hazard.

A risk is a combination of the probability that a particular outcome will occur and the severity of the harm involved

Oganisations are required to make a risk assessment of operations.

This assessment should: Identify the hazards Identify all affected by the hazard and how Evaluate the risk Identify and prioritise the required actions The calculation of risk is based on the likelihood or

probability of the harm occuring and the severity of the consequences.

This can be expressed mathematically as a quantitative assessment (by assigning low, medium

and high likelihood and severity with integers and multiplying them to obtain a risk factor,

or qualitatively as a description of the circumstances of harm

arising.

The assessment should be recorded and reviewed periodically and whenever there is a significant change to work practices.

The assessment should include practical recommendations to control the risk.

The precautionary principle is an increasingly used method for reducing potential chemical or biological risks.

Workplace hazards are often grouped into physical hazards,

physical agents, chemical agents, biological agents, and psychosocial issues

Physical Hazards Slips and trips Falls from height Workplace transport Dangerous machinery Electricity Heavy metals

Physical conditions: noise vibration radiation heat and cold stress lighting

solvents Biological agents Chemicals Vapours temperature, humidity, lighting,

Work related stress, caused by excessive working time overwork Violence from outside the organisation emotional, verbal, and Sexual

harassment

Refers to man – machine system Machine should be user friendly Lay out should provide for easy, comfortable, safe

movement of men and materials one examples of ergonomic design in a chemical

factory Temperature gauge in a reactor placed at the eye level of

operator Gauge is sufficiently large in size Readings are marked in bold letters and are legible and

easy to read The valve to control temperature is placed near the gauge The operator can control the valve easily as it is at his

height He can watch the temperature variation and adjust the

valve at the same time

Panel board for instruments and the other accessories like steering , brake, wiper knob, horn switch etc. in an automobile.

Add other examples of common house hold appliances.( exercise)

Ergonomic design helps to reduce accidents

It is a British Standard for occupational health and safety management systems

Its proponents claim that an occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) promotes a safe and healthy working environment by with

consistently identify and control health and safety risks

reduce the potential for accidents

improve overall performance The OHSAS 18000 standards provide

organizations with the elements of an effective OHSMS that can be integrated with other management requirements

BS OHSAS 18001 specifies requirements for an OH&S management system to help an organization develop and implement a policy and objectives

accounts legal requirements and information about OH&S risks.

It provides generic assistance for establishing, implementing or improving an OH&S management system

It also demonstrates successful implementation of BS OHSAS 18001.