Chapter 01 Safety

How to increase safety in a workplace?

During my 06 months training period at Ceylon electricity board and Sri Lanka ports authority
(Colombo), Safety of the people is the first and the most important factor has to be considered by
any company. Necessary precautions are taken to ensure the safety at sites. Most times safety
managers are assigned to maintain safety for the workers at the sites .most of the workplace do not
follow the correct protection methods. So there are many accident due to Hazards in the workplace.
And also the workers at the port authority are walking on the crane path without any meaning.
Those are the problems of the workers at the site. Some protection methods which I saw during
my training period include as follows:

1.1.1 Eye and Face Protection

Safety Glasses (minimum requirement)
Goggles - better protection for chemicals, splashes, dusts, or projectiles.
Face Shield - better for splashes or projectiles

Figure 0:1: Eye protection

1.1.2 Head Protection
Hard Hats (Safety Helmets)

Class A - Limited voltage protection

Class B - High voltage protection
Bump Caps(Many workers are used this caps during the work time)
Not recommended
 Figure 0:2: Head protection
1.1.3 Electrical work shop
At CEB workshop they are used many wrong methods to check some error in the system

Working on or near equipment which is thought to be dead but which is, in fact, live
Working on or near equipment which is known to be live, but where those involved are
without adequate training or appropriate equipment.
Misuse equipment or use electrical equipment which they know to be faulty.
So suggestion is,
Ensure equipment is fitted with the correctly rated fuse.
Ensure cable ends always have their outer sheaths firmly clamped to stop wires working
loose from plugs or inside equipment
Replace damaged sections of cable completely never repair cuts with insulating tape.

Figure 0:3: Electrical protection

1.1.4 Movement
At the ports authority, there is movement path illustrate in workplace to walking for machines. So
not walking in front of moving machinery, ensuring equipment is away from work access areas

Figure 0:4: Movement area at ports authority

1.1.5 At welding workshop
At the welding workshop there can be some hazards as follows:
 sparks
arc flash
heat

The safe working behaviors are:

wearing appropriate overall kit
using welding screens

Figure 0:5: Overall kit

1.1.6 Fire Protection

Fire Extinguisher
Operating lever
Locking pin
Pressure gauge
Discharge nozzle
Instruction
Water - class A only - cools /removes heat
Dry Chemical - class A, B, or C - interferes with chemical reaction
Carbon Dioxide - class A, B, or C (usually C) - removes Oxygen / smothers fire

Figure 0:6: Fire Extinguisher and fire terms