Do – Controlling workplace safety issues

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Workplace

Anywhere workers need to be or to go by reason of their work and which are under the direct or indirect control of the employer.

Access and Egress

Fundamental aspects of safe working conditions that means the route through or means of entry to (or exit from) a workplace.

Safety Signs

To warn of a hazard, or course of action, to control a significant risk when there is no other reasonable option.

ISO 7010

An international standard for consistent safety sign regulation across Europe, prescribes safety signs for accident prevention, fire protection, health hazard information, and emergency evacuation.

OSHA Danger Signs

Danger signs indicate immediate danger and that special precautions are necessary, using red, black, and white colors.

OSHA Caution Signs

Warn against potential hazards or caution against unsafe practices, featuring a yellow background and black panel with yellow letters.

OSHA Safety Instruction Signs

Used where there is a need for general instructions and suggestions relative to safety measures, presenting a white background, green panel, and white letters.

Stroboscopic Effect

A phenomenon which causes running or moving equipment to appear stationary or appear to be operating slower than they actually are.

Eyestrain Symptoms

Symptoms such as inflammation of the eyes and lids, itchiness, and referred symptoms, such as headaches, fatigue, giddiness.

Confined Space

Any place which has a foreseeable specified risk including any chamber, tank, vat, silo, pit, trench, pipe, sewer, flue, or well or other similar space in which, by virtue of its enclosed nature, there arises.

Specified Risk

Serious injury to any person at work from fire or explosion, loss of consciousness from increased body temperature gas, fume, vapor, or lack of oxygen, drowning, or asphyxiation.

The Confined Space Itself

Information about any substances previously held in the confined space will give an indication of what kind of hazard may be expected toxicity, flammability, possibility of dangerous gas.

Residues

Danger may arise because of residual chemical, scale, rust, sludge, or other residues in a confined space.

Contamination

Gases and liquids may leak, or may have leaked, into the confined space from adjacent plant, installations, processes, or landfill sites.

Physical Dimensions

The possible effects of the dimensions and layout of the confined space need to be considered. Air quality can differ if the space contains remote or low-lying compartments.

The Task Being Undertaken

The task itself may produce the hazard. Alternatively, work being done on the exterior or outside of the confined space could also create hazardous conditions within.

Ingress of Substances

Any pipe work connected to a vessel will need to be positively isolated to prevent substances from other parts of the process from re-entering the vessel while work is being carried out in the vessel.

Emergency Rescue

Requires an emergency plan to be in place before work takes place in a confined space. Possible emergencies should be anticipated, and appropriate rescue arrangements made.

Factors to be Considered when Designing Safe Practices

The risk assessment process should lead on to the designing of a safe system of work (SSOW) for safe entry and work in a confined space.

Meaning of Fire

The rapid oxidation of combustible material, which releases heat, light and various chemical products (such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.).

Meaning of Explosion

A rapid increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner, usually with the generation of high temperatures and the release of gases.

Detonation

A dramatic, often destructive form of an explosion, characterized by a supersonic exothermic front (more than 100 m/s up to 2000 m/s) and significant overpressure (up to 20 bars).

Deflagration

If the blast wave is sub-sonic. Everyday fires and most explosions.

Combustion

The rapid chemical combination of a substance with oxygen, involving the production of heat and light.

Complete Combustion

Releases more energy than incomplete combustion. Needs a plentiful supply of air so that the elements in the fuel react fully with oxygen.

Incomplete Combustion

Occurs when the supply of air or oxygen is poor. Water is still produced, but carbon monoxide and carbon are produced instead of carbon dioxide.

Exothermic Reactions

Transfer energy to the surroundings. The energy is usually transferred as heat energy, causing the reaction mixture and its surroundings to become hotter.

Endothermic Reactions

Take in energy from the surroundings. The energy is usually transferred as heat energy, causing the reaction mixture and its surroundings to get colder.

Backdraft

A smoke explosion that can occur when additional air is introduced into a smouldering fire and heated gases enter their flammable range and ignite with explosive force. An air-driven event

Flashover

The sudden involvement of a room or an area in flames from floor to ceiling caused by thermal radiation feedback. Temperature-driven

The particle size of a given combustible dust

A decrease in particle size has been shown to increase the likelihood of occurrence of a dust explosion as well as its severity.

Good Housekeeping

Making a plant in a leak-tight condition, and vacuuming rather than brushing or shoveling.

Structural Design

The methodical investigation of the stability, strength, and rigidity of structures.

Compartmentation

Is a form of passive fire protection and achieved by dividing premises/building into fire compartments by fire doors floors and walls of fire-resisting construction, cavity barriers within roof voids and fire stopping to services that penetrate through these dividing elements.

Inerting

Is a very effective method of explosion prevention and involves the partial or complete substitution of the air or flammable atmosphere by an inert gas.

Explosion Vent Panel

A safety device that is designed to protect equipment or buildings against excessive internal, explosion-incurred pressures.

Bursting Disc

A pressure relief device that protects a pressure vessel, equipment, or system from overpressure by bursting when a pre-determined pressure is reached.

Explosion Suppression Systems

Designed to detect an explosion at its earliest stage and to activate and to quench the explosion before sufficient pressure is generated to cause serious damage.

Fire Risk Assessment: Identify the Hazards

Involves the kitchen, which is the first thing to think about when the aim is to keep sources of ignition and fuel apart. The next considerations are any flammable or combustible materials and additional sources of oxygen.

Fire Risk Assessment: Identify People at Risk

Involves thinking about everyone at risk if there is a fire. Consider night staff, or because they’re not familiar with the premises, such as visitors or customers, children, the elderly or disabled people.

Fire Risk Assessment: Remove and Reduce the Risk

Involves minimizing and controlling ignition sources; combustible materials by good housekeeping. Proper and prompt storage and disposal of unwanted materials, keeping low volumes of flammable liquids in workplaces

Fire Risk Assessment: Record, Plan, Inform, Instruct and Train

Involves keeping a record of any fire hazards and what you have done to reduce or remove them. There should be a clear plan of how to prevent fire and how you will keep people safe in case of fire

Fire Risk Assessment: Review

Review the assessment kept under regular review. Tell others who share the premises and where appropriate re-train staff regarding modification to a building or new processes

Fire Detection and Alarm Systems

Are designed to provide warning to the outbreak of fire, so allowing evacuation and appropriate firefighting action to be taken before the situation gets out of control.

Size of Building

The size and the layout of your business premises which will be a key consideration when deciding upon an alarm system to offer complete coverage and fire protection.

The Type of Alarm

Ensures that it alerts all of the people on your premises to danger with consideration of vulnerable and hard-of-hearing people.

Monitoring

There may be times when there is no one present on your premises, then you may require a monitored fire alarm system, shops and warehouses need greater protection 24/7.

Fire Alarm Pull Station

Is an active fire protection device that, when activated, initiates an alarm on a fire alarm system.

Manual Call Points

Are used to initiate an alarm signal and operate by means of a simple button press that can form part of a manual alarm system or an automatic alarm system.

Smoke Detectors

Point detectors detect smoke at a fixed point, either by Optical Point Smoke Detectors or by Ionisation Point Smoke Detectors.

Optical Point Smoke Detectors

Detects smoke particles inside a chamber by an increase of light caused by smoke particles or by the smoke particles obscuring a light beam

Ionisation Point Smoke Detectors

Use a small radioactive source and detect decreased conduction caused by the ionization of smoke particles in a detection chamber

Flame Detectors

The detector relies on infra-red radiation produced by flames or on ultra-violent radiation produced by the flames.

Heat Detectors

Are fire alarm devices designed to respond when the thermal energy of a fire increases the temperature of a heat sensitive element, Fixed Temperature (Point) or Rate of rise detectors.

Fixed Temperature Heat Detectors

Operate when the heat sensitive eutectic alloy reaches the eutectic point changing state from a solid to a liquid.

Rate-of-Rise Heat Detectors

Operates on a rapid rise in element temperature set to a specified temperature rise per minute.

Fire Risk Assessment

Fire and the presence of combustable material, oxygen, and energy must be considered as the aim is to keep sources of ignition and fuel apart

Place of Safety

An enclosed means of egress that leads directly to a street or open space, or to an exit.

Good Housekeeping

Is the first step towards preventing dust accumulations within a building a plant in a leak-tight condition. Cleaning the building and using a vaccum system.