The 3 environmental safeties discussed in the slides are fire safety, machine safety, and electrical safety.

Fire Safety

According to science, there are 3 factors that determine the flame’s intensity which are heat, oxygen, and
fuel and fuel can be solid, liquid, or gas. There are 4 classes of fires depending on the material. Class A
fires are caused by everyday solids like wood, Class B fires are caused by flammable liquids like oil, Class C
fires are caused by electrical leakages, and Class D fires are caused by flammable or combustible metals.
Flammables have a flashpoint of less than 100 °F while combustibles have a flashpoint of 100 °F or more.

An evacuation plan is also a key part of fire safety, and a good one must show the map of the workplace,
the escape routes, and the designers of the plan. It should be reviewed by the fire officials and office of
state buildings. When trapped inside a burning building, People must remain calm, find a secondary exit,
avoid opening hot doors and smoke, stay still when exit is unreachable, and call emergency. Fire drills must
also be conducted at least once a year for preparedness and each fire drill must document the date and
time, people present, outside meeting location, and the duration of the drill.

All workplaces must also have accessible and appropriate fire extinguishers with all employees trained to
use them. Their functionality must be inspected regularly by checking their fullness and quality, then for
any physical damage, then the pressure gauge, and finally the inspection tag. Fire extinguishers have a
“rating system” which determine how many times more fuel it has compared to 1 and the class of fire it
is used for (e.g. 2-A). Some types of fire extinguishers include CO2’s, ABC’s, and Halons. Some other fire
safety features include sprinklers, fire alarms, and fire doors.

Machine Safety

Workers who operate machines face 18000 injuries and 8000 deaths yearly and some causes are workers
lacking training, using bare hands to fix machines, and not using a lockout. To prevent hazards, the
machine’s operation point, power transmission apparatus, and moving parts must be safeguarded.

Some machine hazards to identify are rotating, transverse, and reciprocating motions which can grab
clothing and body parts, as well as bending, punching, shearing, and cutting actions which can cause their
respective injuries.

Some types of safeguards are guards, devices, locations, and auto/semi-auto feeds and ejections. Some
types of guards are fixed which acts as a strong barrier, interlocked which disables power when machine
is opened, adjustable whose barrier can be manually moved to accommodate operations, and semi-
adjustable whose barrier automatically moves. Some types of devices are presence sensing, safety
controls, and gates. Location safeguard means to physically avoid machine hazards. Robots are a type of
auto/semi-auto feeds and ejections that generally move objects in high-production factories. Some other
types of safeguards are awareness barriers which are signs warning employees of danger, protective
shields which protect from some hazards, and holding tools which are used to remove machine hazards
instead of bare hands. In summary, safeguards must ensure safety to employees without causing
additional harm, be maintained regularly, and conform to OSH standards.

Regarding people’s responsibilities, machine managers must ensure the integrity of all machines while
supervisors must train employees, apply appropriate machine guards, and immediately replace defective
machine guards. Employees must operate machines responsibly and be trained about the machine
hazards and all about the safeguards.

Some machine safety guidelines for employees are to fasten machines to prevent unwanted movement,
follow dress codes to avoid clothing-related accidents, respect the machine guards, and always turn off
machines when not in use.

Electrical Safety

Some electrical hazards are burns which are skin damages caused by electricity and the most common
electrical hazard, electrocution which means casualties caused by electrical shock, shock which is a body
part being a part of an electrical current, arc flash which is the sudden release of electrical energy, arc blast
which is a high voltage arc causing high pressure in the air, fire which is caused by faulty wires, and
explosions which occur when electrical devices ignite.

Other types of electrical hazards are power lines, cranes and ladders in unsafe areas, live or damaged
wires, water which is a great conductor, defective equipment, improper repairment of those equipment,
improper use of cords, power strips, and portable heaters.

Some electrical protection methods are maintaining a safe distance depending on the voltage of the
electrical equipment, using ground-fault circuit interrupters which protect people from electrical shock
and detect ground faults, inspecting portable tools and extension cords for any damage and cuts
respectively, using those portable tools properly, wearing appropriate equipment in high-voltage sites,
storing said equipment in dry containers when not in use, illuminating workplaces, and applying proper
LOTO procedures.

Employers in high-voltage sites are required to isolate electrical parts, maintain power tools, provide
training, and ensure proper identification of power sources.