Employability Skills
Employability Skills
Employability Skills
SAFETY
Safety refers to freedom or protection from harm, danger,
hazard, risk, accident, injury or damage. Safety is a common
word we all come across in our daily lives. Need for safety is
stressed upon in everything we do. It is because no matter
wherever we are, risks, dangers, hazards and accidents always
surround us. Therefore it is necessary to follow safety rules and
regulations at work. If a worker working in a factory is injured
then it would not only affect him but also his family. It will result
in both health as well as financial loss. Such accidents may
even prove fatal.
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
Occupational health refers to the identification and control
of the risks arising from physical, chemical, and other
workplace hazards in order to establish and maintain a safe
and healthy working environment. These hazards may
include chemical agents and solvents, heavy metals such
as lead and mercury, physical agents such as loud noise or
vibration, and physical hazards such as electricity or
dangerous machinery.
OCCUPATIONAL HYGIENE
The definition used by IOHA is: Occupational Hygiene is discipline of
anticipating, recognizing, evaluating and controlling health hazards in
the working environment with the objective of protecting worker
health and well-being and safeguarding the community at large.
Occupational Hygiene has also been defined as the practice of
identifying of hazardous agents; chemical, physical and biological; in
the workplace that could cause disease or discomfort, evaluating the
extent of the risk due to exposure to these hazardous agents, and the
control of those risks to prevent ill-health in the long or short term.
Recognition:
hazards.
OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS
The occupational hazards can be categorized as follows:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
Poorly
Biological Hazards which arise due to some biological reasons are termed as
biological hazards such as by any living entities like bacteria, viruses, insects,
plants, birds, animals, humans, etc.
b.
Chemical Hazards which arise due to some chemical reasons depend on the
physical, chemical and toxic properties of the chemical. The severity of the
hazard depends on the toxic properties of the chemical.
c.
d.
Physical Some hazards which arise due to some physical reactions such as
radiation, magnetic fields, pressure extremes (high pressure or vacuum), noise,
etc. These are termed as Physical hazards.
e.
f.
Safety Safety hazards arise when the safety at workplace is neglected. These
include slipping/tripping hazards, incorrect machine shielding, and apparatus
faults or halt.
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE
An occupational disease is a disease or disorder that is
caused by the work or working conditions.
This means that the disease must have developed due to
exposures in the workplace and that the correlation between
the exposures and the disease is well known in medical
research. Alternatively, put in another way, it must not be
likely, beyond reasonable doubt, that the disease was
caused by factors other than work.
Exposures in the workplace that may cause some of the
above diseases:
Repetitive work movements
Work with arms lifted above shoulder height
Heavy lifting work
Work in a very noisy environment
Work with hazardous substances
prevention
and
MEANING OF ACCIDENT
Accident refers to an unexpected and undesirable
event, especially one resulting in damage or harm
to any person, property or environment.
CAUSES OF ACCIDENT
Some examples of indirect causes
Knowledge / skill deficiencies
Motivations conflicting with safety (eg. Desire to save time,
complete a job within a deadline)
Management failures to instruct, train, supervise, inform
Failure to follow a procedure eg in a script or risk
assessment
Design or engineering faults eg insufficient safety devices
Inadequate maintenance and /or preventative maintenance
Improper use of equipment, eg beyong its rated capacity
Unsafe procedures by others eg contractors
Lack of, or incomplete understanding of information given
in the English language
CLASSIFICATION OF ACCIDENT
There are various ways to classify accidents.
Based on Hazards
Accidents can be classified based on
hazards. These are as follows:
Fall of people
Fall of substances
Splashing of substances
Based on agency
Machine equipments
Environmental
stresses
Floor/passages/stairca
ses
Explosion/fire
Furnaces/kings/digest
Hit by objects
Exposure to
heat/cold/chemistry/electricity
Explosion/fire
er
Chemical
Radiation
Injury
Based on seriousness
Accidents fall into two categories, serious and non-serious. Nonserious accidents do not cause lost workdays even though the
worst that could happen did happen. Examples of these include
paper cuts, minor scratches or abrasions, or system failures that
have minor consequences, such as low-pressure hose that
ruptures and sprays cool water. Serious accidents include both
those, which did involve lost workdays, and those, which might
have. This second type of serious accident is called a near miss
Examples of near misses with serious injury potential include:
A worker twists an ankle in a fall from a low scaffold (this could easily
have been a broken leg or worse);
A worker tips back in a chair and topples backward (backward falls are
always serious because head injury might result);
A worker turns on a machine and gets a slight shock (shock from voltage
potential greater than 75 volts DC or 40 volts AC is considered serious).
INJURY
Injury is the outcome of the accident or mis-
happening.
Nature of injury
Cut
Crush
Laceration
Contusion
Abrasion
Asphyxiation
Amputation
Effect of heat/cold/radiation
COST OF ACCIDENT
Accidents are more expensive than most people realize
because of the hidden costs. Many people suffer due to the
accident at workplace. The costs that are involved are both
direct and indirect; however, the employee who was injured
will be the one who pays the most. The costs associated with
an accident are always more than just pounds and pence. Let
us discuss the cost of accident to various entities.
Cost of friction or Direct Costs for the Employee
It refers to the accident cost borne by the injured person.
These are:
Physical pain and suffering
Mental anguish, Worry
Loss of wages and overtime
Loss of productivity on and off the job
Medical expenses
Loss of limb or life, etc.
Sick pay
Insurance premiums
Production delays
Cost to Society
Cost to Society
Enforcement: When employees fail to observe safe practices, which they have
been taught through the educational part of their training programme, it becomes
necessary to prevent the spread of unsafe practices. Enforcing safety discipline to
all is vital for the healthy growth of the nation. Safety enforcement can be done in
industry by including safety codes in standing orders. Anything enforcement is
resisted at the outset. Let the workers frame rules and the managers follow.
Finally, govt. has to enforce the stand.
Enthusiasm: As human failures account for almost all accidents, it is possible to
eliminate by suitable corrective methods. Hearsay reports that production from
industrial workers was 8% higher when they are happy; maintaining the morale of
workers is the prime duty of the management. All kinds of motivational techniques
like individual safety awards, departmental safety contest, safety slogan, and essay
contest; spot the hazard contest etc. goes a long way to motivate the people. A
safety suggestion programme to identify hazardous location is worth
complementing. Most important of all the participation of workers in all the
deliberations of safety. Govt. can appreciate good safety record by issuing medals,
trophies and certificates.
Evaluation: Continuous evaluation of programmes, procedures and performance is
necessary for improvement in safety. Safety committee can work in this line. Job
safety analysis and statistics also help in this direction. Quality of personal
protective equipment is also evaluated.
The above five Es are the cardinal principles in accident prevention.
Sr.
No.
1
4
5
6
7
8
Type
of Hazards
protection
Head
1 Falling objects
Protection
2 spatter
3 Striking against objects
Face Protection 1 Spark generated during
welding, grinding
2 Face protection from UV
rays
3 Welding spatter striking
Eye Protection 1 Flying dust particles
2 UV rays, IR rays heat
and high amount of visible
radiation
Ear Protection
High noise level
Hand
1 Heat burn due to high
Protection
contact
2 Electric shock
3 Blows sparks moderate
heat
Body
1 Hot particles
Protection
Nose
1 Dust particles
2 Fumes/gases/vapors
Foot
1 Hot spatter
2 Working wet area
PPE Used
Helmets
Leather aprons
Nose masks
Leather leg guards
Safety shoes
Do not flex the back any further while lifting. This can
happen if the legs begin to straighten before starting to raise the
MACHINE GUARDING
Purpose: There seem to be as many hazards created by moving
machine parts as there are types of machines. Safeguards are
essential for protecting operators from preventable injuries.
Where are the guards needed?
Any machine part, function, or process that might cause injury
must be safeguarded. When the operation of a machine or
accidental contact with it could injure the operator or others in
the vicinity, the hazards must be either controlled or eliminated.
BASIC
REQUIREMENTS
OF
GOOD
MACHINE GUARDING
The basic requirements of good machine
guarding are as follows:
It must conform to the standards.
It must provide maximum possible protection.
It should not weaken the performance of the
machine
It must be considered as an essential part of
the machine.
It must be convenient.
It must be durable, resistant to fire and
corrosion and easily repaired.
It should not have hazards.
TYPES OF GUARDS
Guards are barriers that prevent access to danger areas. There are four
general types of guards:
1. Fixed guard
. As its name implies, a fixed guard is a permanent part of the machine. It
is not dependent upon moving parts to perform its intended function. It
may be constructed of sheet metal, screen, wire cloth, bars, plastic, or any
other material that is substantial enough to withstand whatever impact it
may receive and to endure prolonged use. This guard is usually preferable
to all other types because of its relative simplicity and permanence.
2. Interlocking guards
. Shuts off or disengages power and prevents starting of machine when
guard is open; should require the machine to be stopped before the
worker can reach into the danger area.
Advantages
Allows access to machine for removing jams without time consuming removal of
fixed guards
3. Automatic guards
. This type of guard closes automatically when the
machine cycle is initiated and is arranged so that
the machine will not move until the guard is in
the safe position.
4. Trip Guards
. A tip guard is actually a device, which ensures
that an approach to a dangerous part beyond a
safe limit stops or reverses the machine. Trip
devices include trip bars and wires, photoelectric
devices and pressure-sensitive strips and mats. It
is critical that trip devices are properly adjusted
and that the machines brake is in good order.
. FENCING
. Areas which have potential fire hazard and other
hazardous areas should be fenced properly all
around and a warning sign may be displayed.
FIRE SAFETY
Types of fire. Most fires that occur will fall into one or more of the
following classes:
B Class B fires involves liquids. They include petrol, diesel, thinners, oils,
paints, wax, cooking fat and plastic that melt.
Fire triangle. Three elements must be present for fire: fuel, heat and
oxygen. The same elements make up the fire triangle. Removing any
element of the triangle prevents or extinguishes fires.
such
as
magnesium,
Ambulance
Cars, boats, and aircraft can all be adapted or designed for use as an
ambulance. A typical ambulance includes space for one patient and
one to two attendants, with room for the attendants to move
comfortably. Cupboards and cabinets in the vehicle hold medical
supplies which can be used to stabilize the patient on the way to the
hospital. Some ambulances offer only Basic Life Support (BLS), while
others can be used for Advanced Life Support (ALS) for more serious
patients.
Most ambulances have high roofs, so that the attendants can stand, and
they have heavy duty engines so that they can be driven quickly,
despite carrying a lot of weight. Ambulances are also clearly identified
with bright visual markings which are designed to attract attention, and
they may use special alert lights and sirens while in operation. When
an ambulance turns on its lights, siren, or both, other vehicles must
usually yield right of way.
The constitution of India has also specified provisions for ensuring occupational
health and safety for workers in the form of three articles i.e. 24, 39 (e and f)
and 42. The regulation of labour and safety in mines and oil fields is under the
Union list. While the welfare of labour including conditions of work, provident
funds, employers invalidity and old age pension and maternity benefit are in
the Concurrent list.
The Ministry of Labour, Government of India and Labour Departments of the
States and Union Territories are responsible for safety and health of workers.
Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS) and Directorate General Factory
Advice Services & Labour Institutes (DGFASLI) assist the Ministry in technical
aspects of occupational safety and health in mines and factories & ports
sectors, respectively.
DGMS exercises preventive as well as educational influence over the mining
industry. Its mission is the reduction in risks of occupational diseases and
casualty to persons employed in mines, by drafting appropriate legislation and
setting standards and through a variety of promotional initiatives and
awareness programmes. It undertakes inspection of mines, investigation of all
fatal accidents, grant of statutory permission, exemptions and relaxations in
respect of various mining operation, approval of mines safety equipment,
appliances and material, conduct examinations for grant of statutory
competency certificate, safety promotional incentives including organization of
national awards and national safety conference, etc.
Exercise 11.08
HAZARDS AT WORK PLACE
Objectives: At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
Identifying hazards in the workplace
Instructions:
The pictures below show different
workplaces where a variety of hazards can be found. Look
at the pictures and imagine what sort of problems might
exist in each workplace. Write your responses for each
workplace on a flipchart or chalkboard.
When you finish discussing the jobs shown in the pictures,
discuss the hazards in the trainees own workplaces.
Trainees should discuss the questions listed in the section
In your own workplace below.
Discuss the hazards that may be associated with
these jobs
1.
Welder:
5. Agricultural
worker
2.
Mechanic
3. Port
worker
8.
Miner
6. Office
worker
7. Construction
worker
4. Textile
worker
Half-face respirator
Gloves
Fluid resistant aprons
Specifically designed masks
Ans:
(a)
4. Accidents
a. Cannot be avoided
b. Only happed to people who deserve
them.
c. Are largely preventable
d. Are completely unpredictable
Ans:
(c)
Ans:
(d)
provision
of security of
b.
c.
d.
Ans: (b)
and (c)
Ans:
(c)
b.
c.
d.
no
notification
is
made
of
an
injury
sustained