NEBOSH INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMA IN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY - UNIT D

CONCLUSION

The ultimate goal of this assignment is as mentioned in introduction part as to carry out a
comprehensive review on SHE management system performance of SABIC IBNRUSHD to provide
justification, recommendations and action plan to the management to standardize on right way on
controlling two key hazard like Excavation for pipe laying and fumes generation and oxygen
deficiency from welding in excavation so that risk are endurable.

The organisation has manifested a positive approach towards BS OHSAS 18001:2007 a standard
model and to comply by its requirements in common. However, there were a few gaps identified such
as:

a. The SHE policy is not effectively communicated to the workers under the organisation.
b. Equipments, tools, materials, and infrastructure are not maintained as service due.
c. Training schedule is not pre-planned and followed in uneven pattern.
d. Poor maintenance of training record, which is adopted in unsymmetrical in
documentation
e. Mock drills are conducted in irregular manner. Emergency evacuation and fire mock drills
are conducted but participation in drills is in very less ratio within the company.
f. A key protocol decision maker is not available for emergency situation on evacuation.
g. No system is followed for calibrating specific equipments such as gas tester, detectors/sensors
light measuring equipment, noise measuring equipment and wind speed meter for measuring
purpose.
h. Available of PPE in stores are inadequate in protection and poor fits / uneven size which was
the quality standard.
i. The backup completed document reports are not maintained more than 2years records.
j. Internal audit is not effective.

After identifying all significant hazards relating to the organizations activity, it was recognized through
site walk through, audits, review of reports and records that excavation for pipe laying and fumes
generation and oxygen deficiency from welding in excavation are the two most remarkable hazards in the
organisation operation. There were some good practices are observed even though some important
controls are eliminated which if implemented could bring down the risk level. They are:

a. The safety arrangement system of excavation is not up to the level, soil may collapse.
b. Lack of provision of training and instruction to all workers and supervisors in safe use of PPE,
tools and equipments.
c. Inadequate provision of access and egress in excavation.
d. Poor housekeeping and material management.
e. Lack of pre-planning and study of method statement before start of the task.

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f. Inadequate illumination and over noise interference.

g. Lack of emergency plan, on communication was addressing the procedure for immediate
response for any incident.
h. Lack of hard barrication, signages on indication of restricted access.

Fumes and oxygen deficiency has been identified as the most significant health hazard and they were
mainly:

a. Lack of gas monitoring system on regular intervals during the task to identify toxic gases and
oxygen level.
b. Exhaust system for fumes generation is not available.
c. Periodic health checkup is not maintained and monitored except pre medical screening.
d. Heat stress effects on workers
e. Job schedules are not adequately planned in hazardous areas.
f. Lack of adequate welfare arrangement system.
g. Lack of consultation, communication on risk factor and health factor.
h. Specific training task and safe use of PPE
i. Medical emergency procedures are not available on process.

RECOMMEMDATIONS

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
The significant gaps in the existing management system has been demonstrated in GAP ANALYSIS
and comprehensive action with target date and responsible individual is demonstrated in the action
plan

Principle recommendations according to their priorities to improve the existing management system
are:

a. The organisation SHE policy is a main agenda that needs to be communicated to all the
employees under the organisation during the induction. The way of communication to be the
known language of workers and understandable procedures.
b. The procedure of periodical maintenance of equipment check needs to followed with internal
technical team and periodic manufacturers service due needs to be full fill as of the records
and documented for the next period if service.
c. It is advised to arrange the training schedule for a year plan which is the best way of pre-
planned scheduled of training. The training schedule of the current year should be
communicated to all the department of the organisation to aware and change of training
program should be intimated before the schedule.
d. All the training attendance register, exam papers and evaluation results need to be noted and
the completion certificated needs to dispatched and a separate process for

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each employees training records to be maintained. This is to observe that level of training
initiated and to identify the competence level of worker.
e. The organisation needs to arrange a separate team to identify the lack in mock drills. The
arrangements and information needs to be shared to all the employee in the organisation and
the systematic procedure has to be maintained on field during the drills. The organisation
should take a serious initiative on intimating the importance and evidence of an emergency
evacuation and fire mock drills. The management should provide an effective training and
motivation to employee and make them participating in the mock drills are highly appreciated.
f. The management should nominate a common protocol to make the decision of emergency
evacuation on a real scene and there should not be any double minded decision which may pay
as life.
g. All the measurable equipments are subjected for calibration. The internal team makes sure that
all the measurable equipments such as gas tester, detectors/sensors, light measuring
equipment, noise measuring equipment and wind speed meter should be calibrated on the
calibration due date to avoid any kind of errors in the reading.
h. The organisation should file a complaint to the PPE supplier company on the inadequacy
protection and uneven standard size of the item and should claim the compensation if any or to
change the supplier to a standard organisation which fulfill the needs.
i. All the documentation related to health and safety are maintained as a backup for 2 years
which is unacceptable and should maintain the records for at least 5years considered as a best
practice.
j. A major non-conformity which is related to emergency system has not been rectified. The
management need to take an effective action of the concern team to rectify the issue
immediately to resolve on no lack should be encouraged in emergency systems.

On the above recommendations, there is no additional cost has been considered and all the observations
are financially under control of the organizations were the calibrations of the equipments and other tools
and machinery services will come under AMC (annual maintenance cost).

PHYSICAL HAZARD

After observing and analyzing the existing hazard in the work place the following control measure are
recommended to bring down the risk which involved in excavation:

a. Provision of adequate safe system such as shoring, sloping and benching protection, to avoid
collapse in soil on excavation and cave-in. The implementation of this safe system should not
disturb the task involved in the excavation.
b. Specific training needs to be provided for all workers involved in the excavation including the
supervisors in use of PPE’s and safe way of handling the tools and

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equipments on work. All the training process needs to be recorded for documentation and legal
purpose.
c. Safe way of access and egress needs to be initiated with adequate stability to meet up with basic
standards such as ladders, hand rail, clear level of flooring etc. Unsafe access leads to many
major incidents on task.
d. Separate place need to be allocated for storing of materials and the area should be clearly
barricaded with sign board and assigned fire extinguishers. No compromises on housekeeping on
the task were ‘place for everything and everything on place’. Maintaining good housekeeping
will avoid maximum unsafe acts.
e. To identify the existing hazard or system in the place it is important to undergo on method
statement, risk assessment and layout of the location to identify any underground pipe or utility
or water line or even electrical live cables is necessary. The management needs to make an
initiative to follow the procedure as of the system.
f. Use of light measuring equipment to identify the illumination ratio and illumination distribution
and to make an account of natural lighting and avoid of night shift work in live plant. Use of
noise measuring equipment to identify the noise level and to provide ear muff or ear plug to
avoid the interference.

g. Emergency procedure needs to be communicated to all the workers in the location by their
supervisors and safety profession on who involved in the task to make a first response of either
case of any emergency scenario and to aware of all emergency contact numbers for
communication purpose.

h. The excavated area should be clearly barricaded with hard barrication and identification of the
location with appropriate signages and blinker light for identification purpose and restriction of
access to the excavation needs to be initiated to avoid public or other passers in the location and
to indicate the restricted traffic movements of vehicles. The excavated soil and other related
materials need to store separately isolated from the area.

HEALTH AND WELFARE HAZARD

It was noticeable from the review of reports, records and walks through in site that control of protecting
people working in the excavation of welding task from toxic gas and fumes, the following
recommendations are made to reduce the risk affecting peoples:

a. Before start of the task a competent gas tester person need to conduct the gas testing to identify
the level of toxic gases, flammable gases and oxygen deficiency in the work place and advice the
worker to initiate the task. The gas testing need to be observed periodically for every 2hours max
and the survey need to be recorded on the permit.
b. The generated fumes from the welding are highly hazardous to health which cause serious
breathing problem for the worker and peoples involved in the task. A local

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exhaust ventilation system should be fixed to suck out the generated fumes inside the excavation.
c. The work is carried out in a hazardous atmosphere subjected to be highly toxic. The employee
requires undergoing periodic medical health check up on regular basis with reports to be
documented separately for each employee as a medical history. The organisation needs to arrange
a team to maintain the records and monitor the system.
d. Heat stress is a major hazard in this work place especially in summer season the worker exposed
towards direct sunlight radiation and heat exposed from the hot work of welding will make more
stress. The management need to establish a health checkup specially involved in hot work and
provision of energy drinks to hydrate them self during working which avoids heat related hazards.
e. The supervisor should nominate two teams to work in with rotation basis on welding job.
Periodic time break should be provided for each team on schedule system so that the job will be
nonstop and regular interval provided for each team.
f. Provision of adequate welfare facility such as a comfortable resting shelter with good ventilation,
provision of purified drinking water (hot/cold) and sufficient toilet facility (portable/fixed) and
sufficient seating arrangements in the resting shelter.
g. A job briefing needs to be held up before start of the task on health factor which expose towards
the target organs and risk involved in the work should be shared over. Communication on this
should make as mandatory and consultation for the worker should be considered.
h. A specific training need to be provided by an authorized third party on the risk involved in the
task and the health effect and hazard expose towards workers during the task and PPE should be
place isolated to avoid contamination and a training to be initiated to make the worker aware of
how to use and handle the PPE.
i. Emergency medical system such as first aid should be available near by the work place with all
the required medicines updated with recorded checklist for any kind of medical emergency and a
trained first aider should be always available on standby to attend the emergency situation like
minor injury, skin allergy etc

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