SAFETY

ENGINEERING/Engineering
Safety
1.1 Introduction

• A course in safety engineering provides a

student with beneficial instruction toward a
future in this field.

• Engineers hold positions in corporations and

public institutions all over the world, from
research and development to manufacturing
and building systems.

• Many of these occupations require extended

education to qualify for specialized jobs in the
high paying field of safety engineering.
 What is safety?
 Classical definition

Freedom from those conditions that can cause death,

injury, occupational

Illness, damage to or loss of equipment or property, or

damage to the

environment.

 Alternative definition

Safety = Managing complexity without going crazy and

ensuring

completeness and consistency.

 Occupational Illness

Occupational Illness is a condition that results from

exposure in a workplace to a physical, chemical or
biological agent to the extent that the normal
physiological mechanisms are affected and the
health of the worker is impaired, weakened or
damaged).
 Safety vs security

 Safety = protection of environment from the system.

 Security = protection of the system from the

environment.

 But, environment is a system as well. So both safety

and security
represent a protection of one system from another…
 Youtowant
How think or start
to develop with
safe safety project?
systems?

 How to start thinking with safe system designing?

 Hard to say, because Safety is not a set of facts.

 It is a wide range of knowledge that needs to be

related.

 This relation happens at multiple levels of the project

development.

 Everybody starts with little understanding of the

concepts of safety project.

 All basic facts seem obvious, but their correct

implementation in engineering projects is difficult.

 Zero risk is impossible in all means.

 Continue Safety project….
Safety is not checklist
 It is necessary to interpret the principles of
safe engineering ptactice.
What is acceptable risk?
100% guarantee is never achieved.
Perfect technical solution is not always
possible.
When we are done with system safety in
installation, operation & maintenance
when it went through all life-cycles stages:
• Initial requirements not guarantee safety in
all stages.
• Design Implementation not guarantee Safety
in all stages.
• Service Decommissioning or dismantling it
safely again not guarantee Safety.
• Disposal stage again not guarantee safety.
 System safety

System Safety is the application of engineering and

management principles, criteria, and techniques to
achieve acceptable level of risk, within the constraints of
operational effectiveness and suitability, time, and cost,
throughout all phases of the system life cycle. Why
management? Because experience has shown that many
failures are not due to systems being built the wrong way,
but actually the wrong systems having been built. With
other words management is there to make sure that
engineering actually is doing the right thing (in all
aspects).
 What is a system?
 An integrated composite of people, products, and
processes that provide a capability to satisfy a stated
needs or objectives.

 Set of interdependent elements constituted to achieve a

given objective by performing a specified function.

 The system is considered to be separated from the

environment and other external systems by an
imaginary surface which cuts the links between them
and the considered system.

 Through these links, the system is affected by the

environment, is acted upon by external systems, or acts
itself on the environment or the external systems.
 Continue…….What is a
system?
o Set of elements which interact according to a design, where

an element of a system can be another system, called a

subsystem, which may be a controlling system or a

controlled system and may include hardware, software and

human interaction.

o A bounded physical entity that achieves in its environment

a defined objective through interactions of its part.

o A construct or collection of different elements that

together produce results not obtainable by each the

elements alone.
 Continue…….What is a
system?
 A collection of hardware and software components
organized to accomplish a specific function or set of
functions.

 A combination of inter-related items arranged to perform a

specific function(s)

 At design stage the vision and estimation of all stages of the

System need to be studied.
 Concepts/cognition
 Concepts are mental representations, abstract objects or
abilities that make up the fundamental building blocks of
thoughts and beliefs.

Concepts play an important role in all aspects of cognition.

 Cognition is the mental action or process of acquiring

knowledge and understanding through thought, experience,
and the senses. It encompasses many aspects of intellectual
functions and processes such as attention, the formation of
knowledge, memory and working memory, judgment and
evaluation, reasoning and computation, problem solving and
decision making, comprehension and production of language.
 Is terminology in safe designing of
system is important?

 Safety is about communication at all levels.

Engineers, Managers, Computer networks.
 Goal: Establish common understanding of concepts.
 Implementation = transformation of concepts to actions.
 If concepts differ but actions are coupled ⇒ create problems.
 Terminology is not about finding the “true meaning”
 Terminology teaches us to be sensitive to imprecision when
communicating abstract concepts.
 Systems safety is about mitigation of problems arising from
application of non-matching concepts.
 What are safety standards?
 Standardization is the collaborative unification of material
and immaterial objects by interested parties for the good of
the general public.

 Standards are created because there is a need for them. By

Industry, Governments or International bodies.

 The need arises because something went wrong without the

standard (incompatibility etc.).

 Standards are here to help you and to avoid mistakes.

 They contain useful knowledge that is hard (or painful) to

gain.

 The knowledge was gained from failures in the past.

 Safety standards should not be followed without thinking.

 Generic safety process

1. Document the system and subsystem (if any) safety

approaches.

2. Identify and document possible hazards.

3. Assess, estimate and document all possible risks.

4. Identify and document risk mitigation measures.

5. Reduce risk to minimum.

6. Verify, validate and document risk reduction methods.

7. Accept risk and document.

8. Manage life-cycle risk.

 Risk mitigation measures
Eliminate the hazard if possible. When a hazard cannot be
eliminated, the associated risk should be reduced to the lowest
acceptable level within the constraints of cost, schedule, and
performance by applying the system safety design order of
priority or precedence.

1. Eliminate major hazards through design selection.

2. Reduce risk through design alteration.

3. Incorporate engineered features or devices.

4. Provide risk warning devices.

5. Incorporate signage, procedures, training, and personal

protective equipment.
 Safety integrity
 Safety-related systems are used to reduce the identified risks
to tolerable level. Therefore, safety of the whole system
depends on proper function of these systems and their design.
 In practice, design activities are carried out throughout the
development lifecycle of the Project.
 In order to produce a cost estimate for the development of a
system some
elementary design must be performed at a very early stage of
the work, often as
part of a feasibility study.
 The main design work takes place within the ‘top-level ’
and ‘detailed’ design phases, but later stages of the work will
often have a
significant design component to produce modifications and
improvements.
 Continue safety int…..
 Even during the maintenance phase, design modifications
may be needed for system

upgrading and to remove dangers.

 Thus, design performs an important role in ensuring safety

throughout the life of a product or system.

 Techniques for Achieving Dependability While there are many

techniques for improving the dependability of a system, here
we will concentrate on two techniques of great importance to
system design. These are the use of fault (physical defect)
tolerance (permissible deviation) and reliability engineering.
 The use of Fault Tolerance
While there are many techniques for improving the dependability
of a system, here we will concentrate on two techniques of great
importance in the system design.

These are:

All real systems are susceptible to faults. The goal of fault

tolerance is to design a system in such a way that these faults do
not result in a system failure. Fault tolerance is the ability of a
system to continue performing its intended function in spite of
faults. In a broad sense, fault tolerance is associated with
reliability, with successful operation, and with the absence of
breakdowns. A fault-tolerant system should be able to handle
faults in individual hardware or software components, power
failures or other kinds of unexpected disasters and still meet its
specification.
 Reliability Engineering
Components that fail as a result of non-systematic faults will fail
at a random time. For a given device it is not possible to predict
when failure will occur, but it is possible to quantify or measure
the rate at which members of a family of components will fail.

Systematic faults are not random and therefore are not subject to
statistical analysis. We have also seen that fault tolerant
techniques based on the use of identical hardware modules
provide no protection against systematic faults.

Systematic faults are often a result of an error in the specification

of the equipment and therefore affect all examples of that type.
Such faults can remain undetected for years, until conditions
conduce or bring to create the failure.
 1.2 Role of Design Engineer in
safety
 One of the causes for money to be wasted on construction sites
is accidents.

 The reason is that an accident on site is an unplanned event

typically relating to the loss of production or the loss of life.

 Many industry stakeholders and role players have focused on

construction health and safety and to improve this area of
concern.

 However, construction health and safety are not significantly

improving.

 Construction still continues to contribute a large number of

fatalities and injuries relative to other industry sectors.

 During the construction phase, poor construction health and

safety performance is attributable to a lack of management
commitment, inadequate supervision, and a lack of health and
safety training and systems design faults.
 Continue Role……
 Health and safety systems do not only include excellent health and
safety management on site, but rather an integrated approach on health
and safety issues from the conceptual design phase by all stakeholders
participating. This integrated approach includes the design done by the
engineer.

 Design is a fundamental engineering activity, and engineers are

frequently engaged in the design development and creation of new or
improved products, processes, systems and services.

 Quality and safety in design should be fundamental engineering

concerns, not only because a tenet or principle of our Code of Ethics is
to ensure the wellbeing of the community, but also because it makes
good engineering sense to develop products, processes and systems that
ensure our profession’s continued existence and reputation.

 Safe Design is concerned with eliminating hazards at the design stage or

controlling risks to health and safety as early as possible in the planning
and design of products, process or systems and items that comprise a
workplace, or are used or encountered at work.
 Engineers need to Understand
Principles of safe design in the following Areas:

CIVIL: Construction, use, maintenance and demolition of

structures.

MECHANICAL: Construction, commissioning, maintenance,

operation and decommissioning

of mechanical equipment.

ELECTRICAL: Construction, operation, maintenance and demolition

of facilities, structures

and equipment being designed for electrical

transmission.

CHEMICAL: Construction, operation maintenance and demolition

of chemical processing

facilities, including intrinsic/essential safety.

 Risk Prevention through
Design
Addressing occupational safety and health needs in the design
process to prevent or minimize the work-related hazards and risks
associated with the construction, manufacture, use, maintenance,
and disposal of facilities, materials, and equipment.

 Application of Prevention through Design concepts to

construction worker safety.

 The process of addressing construction site safety and health in

the design of a project.

 Recognizes construction site safety as a design criterion.

 Safety Constructability.
Why Design for Construction Safety?
 22% of 226 injuries that occurred from 2000-2002 in
Oregon, WA, and CA due to design mistakes.
 42% of 224 fatalities in US between 1990-2003 design
mistakes.
 In Europe, a 1991 study concluded that 60% of fatal
accidents resulted in part
from decisions made before site work began.
 1.3 Engineering Design Guideline
General Principles of Risk Prevention

1. The general principles of risk prevention are set out in Table 1.

2. They are a generic hierarchy of risk control measures

applicable to all places of

employment;

3. they are probably more appropriately applied in

manufacturing industries where there is, generally, a constant,
stable workplace than they are in construction.

4. In construction, while there may be similarities between

projects, every site is unique, every building/structure is
unique and the set of persons involved is unique; further, a
construction site is constantly changing from day to day.
 Conti…..Engineering Design
Guidelines….
Table 1. The general principles of risk prevention

(a) The avoidance of risk.

(b) The evaluation of unavoidable risks.
(c) The combating of risks at source.
(d) The adaptation of work to the individual,
especially as regards the design of places of work,
the choice of work equipment and the choice of
systems of work, with a view, in particular, to
alleviating or less severe monotonous work and
work at a predetermined work rate and to
reducing their effect on health.
(e) The adaptation of the place of work to
technical progress.
(f) The replacement of dangerous articles,
substances or systems of work by non dangerous
or less dangerous articles, substances or systems
of work.
(g) The development of an adequate prevention
policy in relation to safety, health and welfare at
work, which takes account of technology,
organization of work, working conditions, social
 1.4 General Design
Considerations
The development of a complete plant or site safety design
requires consideration of many different factors such as:
a. Plant location.
b. Site and plant layout.
c. Plant operation and control.
d. Utilities.
e. Storage.
f. Waste disposal.
g. Health and safety.
h. Materials handling safety.
 What is safe design?
Safe design means the integration of control measures early in
the design process to eliminate or, if this is not reasonable
practicable, minimize risks to health and safety throughout the
life of the structure being designed.

The safe design of a structure will always be part of a wider set of

design objectives, including practicability, aesthetics, cost and
functionality. These sometimes competing objectives need to be
balanced in a manner that does not compromise the health and
safety of those who work on or use the structure over its life.
 Conti..
Safe design begins at the concept development phase of a
structure when making decisions about:

 The design and its intended purpose.

 Materials to be used.

 Possible methods of construction, maintenance, operation,

demolition or dismantling and disposal.

 What legislation, codes of practice and standards need to be

considered and complied with.
 1.5 Safety Requirements
The management of health and safety

Organizations have a legal duty to put in place suitable

arrangements to manage for health and safety. It should be part of
the everyday process and design of the project of running a
business and an integral part of workplace behaviors and attitudes.

It doesn’t matter what the size, industry or nature of your

organization, key to effectively managing for health and safety is:

• leadership and management (including sound business

processes)

• A trained and skilled workforce operating in an environment

where people are

trusted and involved.

 Conti…. Safety Req.
It is your decision whether to use a formal management system
or framework to integrate health and safety as a core business
function.
Examples : Include; national and international standards, in-
house
standards, procedures or codes and sector-specific frameworks.
Whatever
management approach is used, it needs to be sustained and
systematic and
should contain the steps:
• Plan: Say what you want to happen (at site in the design
stage).
• Do: Make sure there are systems in place to provide the tools
and
equipment to do the job.
• Check: Make sure the work is being done safely.
• Act and learn: Listen to problems and successes and make
improvements.
 6 common Major workplace Hazards
1. Working at height: Hazards associated with working at height
can originate from a lack of
understanding. Employers may not know they have to
provide fall
protection to their Employees.
2. Poor Housekeeping: Effective housekeeping can help control or
eliminate workplace
hazards. Poor housekeeping practices frequently contribute
to incidents.
3. Electrical – Extension cords: Electrical cords present a hazard in
the workplace if not
designed and used properly.
4 Forklifts: Unstable loads. Loads of hazardous materials. Carrying a
heavy load with the
forks too high, carrying loads that block the forward vision.

5. Chemicals: Exposure to chemicals in the workplace can cause

death, acute or long-term
detrimental health effects.
6. Confined spaces: Oxygen Deficiency, Oxygen Enrichment,
Flammable or Explosive
Atmospheres can cause death, serious injuries.
 1.6 Ingredients of Safety Program
In the workplace, safety must be the first priority of all employers
and employees alike.

In order to maintain the safety and well-being of their employees,

employers must demonstrate due diligence and provide the
appropriate safety training to familiarize employees with the
hazards within the workplace, they have to:

(1) Define the task under investigation.

(2) Collect the necessary data for the task.

(3) Define the overall task goal.

(4) Determine the next level of sub-goals by breaking down the

overall goal and continue to

do so until all operations are identified.

(5) And define plans to describe how to perform the operations in

each sub-goal level of

the hierarchy.
 1.7 THE QUALITIES OF TRUTH
AND SAFETY
 It is possible to draw an analogy between the scientist's search
for truth and the engineer's search for safety. Both truth and
safety are qualities of what is being created; for the scientist
truth is a quality of knowledge, for the engineer safety is a
quality of an artefacts’ safety.

 At the most fundamental level of description, the differences

between the nature of the work of engineers and scientists are
not substantial; both are problem solvers. The actual
differences are not due to the different nature of the methods
each uses, rather they are due to the qualities of the objectives
they pursue. The qualities of an engineered artefact will
include, for example, function, safety, economy, reliability and
environmental friendliness.
 1.8 INCOMPLETENESS
 Risk has been defined earlier as being the chance of occurrence
of an event or series of events together with the consequences
of that event.

 So what do we mean by the proposition that the chances of

some event are, say, 1 in 1000 or 0.001 ? If we toss a coin there
is, more or less, a 50 per cent chance of it turning up heads or
tails. The reason is that we assume that there are two possible
states of the coin after tossing with equal chance of occurrence.
Thus in any assessment of chance, the measure is relative to a
set of possible events.

 The central difficulty in complex problems is just what

constitutes the set of possible events'? In statistical
measurement this set is actual to the extent that over a period
of time most of the events that can occur will occur. There is
therefore an assumption of regularity.
 Contin… incompleteness
 However, the assumption may well not be valid.

 This is particularly so with respect to rare events, since by

definition they may not appear in a particular sample.

 Statistical sampling is the art and science of dealing with this

difficulty.

 In theoretical predictions of risk, based on scientific engineering

knowledge, the population of possible events is infinite since,
as Plato noted, 'How can we know what we don't know?' There
is always a logical possibility that anything can happen.
 SAFETY ASSURANCE IN
POWER STATION
Process safety is very important on power stations due to

hazards such as:

 Fires or explosions following loss of fuel,

 Explosions in high pressure steam equipment, causes

catastrophic situation

 Rupture of high speed machinery, or explosions in High

Voltage Transmission

System. Such events have the potential to cause multiple

major injuries or fatalities on-site or off-site, in addition to
serious damage to equipment and extended loss of

production.
 Power station equipment
•Electrical Power transformers. (stepping up/stepping down
voltage).

•Instrument transformers (Instrument transformers are high

accuracy class electrical devices
used to isolate or transform
voltage or current levels.) .
•Conductors& Insulators.
•Isolators.
•Bus bars.
•Lightning arresters.
•Circuit breakers.
•Relays.
 Conclusion
In this chapter safety has been characterized as a problem for
management. There is no single 'true' answer for any measure of
the margin between the capacity of an engineered facility and the
demands upon it. The uncertainties are deep rooted and
intractable since there is always the chance that unintended
consequences might occur. This, of course, should not be taken
as an argument that advanced scientific treatments of safety, such
as reliability theory, should be rejected-far from it. The argument
is rather that the limitations (as with all theories) should be
carefully documented so that the theories are used in appropriate
circumstances. It is important to try to prevent significant
misinterpretations of the results of theoretical calculations by
engineers or lay people.