UNIT 1 - INDUSTRIAL SAFETY

Importance of Safety in industries

The importance of safety in industrial plants cannot be over emphasized.
Modern industry with its sophisticated techniques of manufacture often
possess the problem of safety in industrial establishments. Inspite of vast
progress made in the direction to prevent industrial accidents, accidents
do takes place due to different reasons.
The importance of industrial safety was realized after the occurrence of
millions of industrial accidents every year causing death or temporary or
permanent disablement of the employees. The result is heavy financial
loss due to loss of man-hours and machine-hours both for employer and
employees.
By studies, it has been found that for every 20 seconds of every minute
of every hour, throughout the world someone dies as a result of
industrial accident. In India, out of 5 million industrial workers, about 700
die every year and 2,20,000 receives injuries.
So, the Factory Act stresses the management to provide safe working
conditions for the workers working in the factory and also certain
financial responsibilities like compensation to be paid for the victims.
Because of heavy losses due to accidents both for the worker and the
management, the management has got the moral responsibility of
providing safety for the workers.
IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS
Factory:
It means any place where ten or more persons are working with the aid
of power and machines for manufacturing any product, or where twenty
or more persons are working without the aid of power, for
manufacturing anything.
Accident:
An industrial accident may be defined as "An occurrence or an event
which interrupts with the orderly progress of work, in an industrial
enterprise".
The Factories Act, 1948 defined accident as "Accident is an unplanned
and uncontrolled event in which the action of an object, subsistence,
person or radiation results in personal injury or the probability there of".
Frequency rate:
Frequency rate is defined as the number of accidents occurred per
million man-hours worked, in a year.
𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡 ∗1,000,000
Frequency rate = 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑎𝑛−ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑒𝑑

Severity rate:
Severity rate is defined as the number of man-days lost per million man-
hours worked, in a year.
𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑎𝑛−𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑡 ∗1,000,000
Severity rate = 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑎𝑛−ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑒𝑑

Incidence rate (I):

Incidence rate relates the number of occupational injuries and/or illness
or lost workdays per full hundred full-time employees.
𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑛𝑗𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 ∗1000
Incidence rate (I) =
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑜𝑦𝑒𝑒𝑠

Accident proneness:
Accident proneness may be defined as the continuing tendency of a
person to have more accidents as a result of his persisting characteristics.
Causes of accident proneness
 Un-attentiveness and day-dreaming.
 Poor eyesight and hearing and lack of stamina.
 Poor adjustment of work: distaste for the job.
 Too much sensitivity and tendency to get emotional easily.
 Dislike of the supervisor/foreman, etc.
 Lack of training, proficiency and skill to do a work.
 Insufficient intelligence.
 Unsafe behavior of the worker (e.g., intentionally not using safety
devices and safe practices)
 Low degree of muscular coordination.
 Lack of coordination between perceptual and motor speed.
 Immature age.
 Lack of health.
 Lack of experience

Unsafe acts and unsafe conditions:

The accidents are caused mainly by
a) Improper activities of a worker (unsafe acts).
b) Improper working conditions (unsafe conditions).
Unsafe acts of a worker:
These activities may be the result of inexperience, deficiency of
knowledge, inadequate training, etc... These acts include:
 Casual behavior of workers.
 Lack of interest and indifferent attitude of workers towards work.
 Failure to use personal protective devices.
 Lack of experience for the job given.
  Longer hours of continuous work without rest pauses.
 Loading the machines beyond capacity.
 Lack of attention and sleep.
 Using unsafe speed.
 Influence of drugs and drinks.
 Ignorance and lack of training.
 Carelessness and non-observation of safety rules.
 Fatigue.
 Physical defects and bad state of health.
Unsafe conditions:
 Bad environmental conditions due to inadequate heating lighting
and ventilation.
 Defective equipment/machines.
 Complicated procedure of performing a job.
 Inadequate safety devices.
 Wrong and faulty layout of the production unit.
 Improperly guarded equipment.
 Poor housekeeping,
 Electrical failures.
 Improper disposal of waste products.
 Long hours of continuous work.
CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS
1. Technical causes (unsafe conditions): Reflect deficiencies in plant,
equipment, tools, materials handling system, general work
environment, etc. the major two factors are :-
a) Mechanical factors
b) Environmental factors
2. Human causes (unsafe acts): By the person concerned are due to
his ignorance or forgetfulness, carelessness, day-dreaming, etc.
a) Personal factors
Mechanical causes or factors
1. Unsafe mechanical design of construction.
2. Hazardous arrangement (piling, over-loading, etc.)
3. Improper machine guarding.
4. Unsafe apparel
5. Defective agencies or devices.
6. Improper material handling
7. Broken safety guards.
8. Protruding nails
9. Leaking acid valve
10. Untested boilers or pressure vessels.
Environmental factors
Environmental factors indicate improper physical and atmospheric
surrounding conditions of work which indirectly promote the occurrence
of accidents, Environmental factors include,
1. Too low a temperature to cause shivering.
2. Too high a temperature to cause headache and sweating.
3. Too high a humidity (in textile industry) to cause uncomfort, fatigue
and drowsiness (especially when the atmosphere is also hot).
 4. Defective and inadequate illumination causing eyestrain, glares,
shadows, etc.
5. Presence of dust, fumes and smoke (e.g. in foundry or welding
shop) and lack of proper ventilation.
6. High speed of work because of huge work load.
7. More number of working hours and over and above them the
tendency of the employer to insist for over-time work.
8. Inadequate rest pauses or breaks between the working hours.
9. Noise, bad odour and flash coming from the nearby machinery,
equipment or processes.
10. Poor housekeeping.
Personal factors
1. Age.
2. Health.
3. Number of dependents.
4. Financial position.
5. Homer environment.
6. Lack of knowledge and skill.
7. Improper attitudes towards work.
8. Incorrect machine habits.
9. Carelessness and recklessness
10. Day-dreaming and unattentiveness,
11. Fatigue
12. Emotional unstability, eg. Jealousy, revengefulness, etc.
13. High anxiety level
14. Mental worriness.
15. Unnecessary exposures to risk
16. Non-use of safety devices
17. Working at unsafe speeds.
18. Improper use of tools.
4E’s OF ACCIDENT PREVENTION TECHNIQUE
1. Engineering
2. Education
3. Enlistment
4. Enforcement
I. Engineering
1. For preventing accidents, a good layout should be provided .
The layout should be such that:
i. Every employee has enough space to move and operate.
ii. Passageways between working places, roads, tracks, etc.
must be provided.
2. The heights of the working rooms should be of 3 meters for
adequate lighting, ventilation, etc.
3. Floors must be non-skid type, satisfactorily plane and must possess
such properties that they can be easily cleaned and absorb sounds.
4. A worker operating on the machine should have easy access to the
safety switches provided on the machine/near workplace.
5. A high noise level at the workplace impairs men at work and may
even endanger them. Noise develops from riveting, grinding,
forging, engines, compressors, etc.
6. To avoid premature fatigue of transport workers, full use should be
made of mechanized material handling equipment
7. During transport, sharp materials, sharp edged goods, poles. etc,
should be covered, placed in stable holders and retained by means
of wires.
8. Goods should be piled up such that they do not collapse due to
impact or vibrations
9. Use personal protective devices for
(a) Head : helmets, hair nets, safety caps, ear
protectors (car plugs, car muffs).
 (b) Face and Eye : face masks, face shields, goggles, welding
helmets, etc.
(c) Body : aprons, asbestos suits, safety belts, etc.

(d) Hand, foot and leg : gloves, pads, wrist bands, safety foot wear
(e) Respiratory equipment: Gas masks.
10. Inflammable material should be stored separately and away
from the general store,
11. Electrical connections and insulation should be checked at
regular intervals.
12. Fire extinguishers should be kept in proper condition and at
key places.
II. Education
The employees should be essentially educated to think act and
work safely so that the number of accidents can be minimized
Safety education gives knowledge about safe (and unsafe)
mechanical conditions, personal practices and of the remedial
measures
Safety education involves:
(i) Induction and orientation of new recruits to safety rules and
practices.
(ii) Explaining safety function, during, on the job training,
(iii) Efforts made by the first level supervisors.
(iv) Formulating employees safety committees
(v) Holding of special employee safety meetings.
(vi) Displaying charts, posters, films etc. emphasize the need to
act safely.
III. Enlistment
It concerns the attitude of employees and management toward the
Programme and its purpose. It is necessary to arouse the interest
of employees in accident prevention and safety consciousness.
A worker will usually accept the use of a safety measure if he is
convinced of its necessity. Therefore, suitable measures should be
adopted to increase the awareness of a need for safety in the
environment of work.
IV. Enforcement
To enforce adherence to safety rules and safe practices.

The safety maintenance, should be practiced by each and everyone

in the industry. It is the responsibility of both the management and
workers/employees. Hence, safety rules must be made compulsion
and each and everybody should practice them, and the people
should be severely penalized in any case, if they violate neglect
safety practices. At the same time, the employees should be
rewarded or given due recognition for their better contribution to
implement safety rules and practices, and further reduced the
chance of accidents.

These four E's, if they are strictly practiced in an industry, the

accidents can be reduced and further prevented.
SAFFETY ORGANIZATION
Employees at all levels of the organization are involved in practicing
safety procedures.
Role of management:
Top management must accept full and definite responsibility and
must apply a good share of its attention to the safety that may
eliminate almost all the accidents.
In order to achieve adequate safety performance and prevent
accidents management must

1. Make it clear to all levels of supervision and to all workers that

management is behind the safety program.
2. Provide a safe and healthy place to work, including
a) Safe equipment and tools.
b) Safeguard machinery.
c) Processes and operations are planned and arranged with
careful attention to safety.
d) An inspection system to discover and correct all hazards.

3. Provide adequate training and supervision to develop safe work

habits in all employees.
4. Organizing safety activities as a continuing function which
includes:
 Investigating of all accidents.
 Reporting of accidents to the proper authorities.
 Development of accident statics as a means of eliminating
cause of injury
 First aid treatment.
Role of safety officers:
The safety officers are specialists employed by management to direct the
work of employees and advise them with regards to safety. Their main
duties are:
 Short term and long term planning of safety activities.
 Monitoring safety performance continuously.
 Advising managers in matters relating to safety.
 Supervision of the work of safety committees
 Conducting safety inspections and accident investigations.
 Overall direction of activities aimed at prevention of accidents
Emergency preparedness and response
Preparedness for emergencies is a tool for bringing people, principally
company staff, community representatives and local authorities,
together to allow effective communication about risk and planning for
emergency response. Successful industry require the support of the
communities in which they operate and emergency response partners.
A fast and effective local response to an incident can be the most
important factor in limiting injury to the people as well as damage to
property and the environment.
A checklist of emergency response participants can be developed along
the following lines:
 Fire department and police.
 Public health authorities.
 Transport companies and suppliers.
 Welfare services.
 Environmental agencies.
 Public information authorities and media organizations, etc.
 Key elements and elements that need to be covered in emergency
response plan include:
 Criteria for triggering alarm signals.
 Clear reporting procedures.
 Communication equipment that can reach all participants, such as
mobile phones, pagers, etc.
 Adequate emergency equipment, etc.
Precautions to be observed while working in an hazardous
environment:
Though the management takes utmost care to implement safety rules
and safety practices, accidents do occur, because of negligence of
workers/employees when they are working in a hazardous environment.
Hence, some precautions to be observed while working in a hazardous
environment. They are:
1. All the moving parts of the machines which are likely to cause
accidents must be properly guarded.
2. While the overhead cranes are operating, sufficient precautions
are to be taken to keep the personnel alert who are directly under
the moving objects and such machinery is to be thoroughly checked
and kept in condition.
3. For high pressure units like boilers and pressure vessels proper
devices like safety valves and alarms are to be provided to indicate
danger, if any, and they are to be installed at a distant place from
the main concentration point.
4. As the fatigue is one of the reasons to cause accidents, it should be
removed by giving rest pauses to the workers during their working
hours.
5. The workers should be properly trained on the machines what they
use.
 6. The work should be allotted according to the physical and mental
abilities of the worker.
7. Proper temperature are lighting should be provided in the shop.
8. The ground should always be kept clean from oily or slippery
matter.
9. The machines should be correctly loaded and the speeds and feeds
are also to be maintained at the recommended levels.
10. Posters depicting safety measures and slogans on prevention
of accidents are to be prominently displayed at salient points in the
industry.
11. Fire extinguishers are to be installed at suitable places to
meet in case of fire hazards.
12. Ample exit is to be provided to evacuate the workers rapidly
in case of fire.
Precautions when handling electrical equipment
(Safety rules under Indian electricity act, 1923)
The various safety rules under Indian Electricity Act, 1923, genera lly
called as, IE Rules, are:
1. All the electrical supply lines and apparatus shall be of sufficient
mechanical strength and meet specific power ratings.
2. Service lines are to be provided with suitable cut-out devices.
3. Bare electrical conductors should be inaccessible to human contact
and switches are provided in readily accessible position.
4. Every electrical appliance should have name plate showing the
rated voltage, power, amperage, etc.
5. First-aid boxes, fire buckets and fire extinguishers should be
provided at the work place.
6. Only the authorized and licensed electrician should do the
electrical works such as installations, repairs and maintenance.
7. Every installation should periodically tested and inspected atleast
for every 5 years.
8. Earthing should be done for low, medium, high and extra high
voltages in a manner approved by the inspector.
9. Sufficient clearances from the ground level are to be provided
when electrical overhead lines are running.
10. All conductors of overhead lines should have a good breaking
strength.
11. Whenever necessary, lightening arrestors are to be provided
to ensure protection against electrical surges and subsequent
damages to building and human life.
12. Any person commits break of these rules shall be punishable
for every such break with a fine up to Rs 300/-.