INDUSTRIAL SAFETY

UNIT – IV
 INDUSTRIAL SAFETY

• Industrial safety is primarily a management

activity which is concerned with reducing,
controlling and eliminating hazards (dangers)
from the industries or industrial units.
• Importance of industrial safety
The danger of life of human being is increasing
with advancement of scientific development in
different fields.
 Cont.
• Every year millions of industrial accidents occur which result in
death or temporary or permanent disablement.
• For example:- industrial accident occurred in Bhopal i.e. “Bhopal
gas tragedy”(disaster) which leads to death of hundreds of peoples.
• Latest estimation of industrial accident cost the country at least 285
million each year.
• Which one is big loss to the Indian economy.
• There is the human cast (group List) in terms of emotional
sufferings to the partners, children, family and workmates of those
killed at work.
 What is meaning of Industrial Safety?
• The word Industrial Safety means the safety of four M

• M – Men (human beings)

• M – Machine

• M – Material

• M – Money

• Industrial safety is mainly concerned with minimising or

decreasing the unwanted events/accidents in an industry.
 Cont.
• Industry means any part of the business which is
concerned with producing or making goods.

• Safety means freedom from any types of risk.

• Safety is perfectly achieved by making a process chart

and good system, etc, that is totally safe.

• Industrial safety is mainly concerned with decreasing or

eliminating hazards in the industries.
 Objectives of industrial safety
• To prevent accidents in the plant by reducing the hazard to
minimum.
• To achieve lower workmen’s compensation, insurance rates
and reduce all other direct and indirect costs of accidents.
• To prevent loss of life, permanent disability and the loss of
income of worker by eliminating causes of accidents.
• To evaluate employee’s morale by promoting safe work
place and good working condition.
• To educate all members of the organization.
 Define Industrial accidents?
• An unwanted event which can’t be planned/anticipated in
advance may be termed as an accident.

• An Industrial accident may be defined as an event,

harmful to the health of man, suddenly occurring and
originating from external sources and which is associated
with the performance of a paid job, accompanied by an
injury, followed by disability or even death.
 Industrial Accident and their Causes
• Types of industrial accidents are written below :-

• (1) Near accident i.e. an accident with no damage or injury.

• (2) Trivial (unimportant)

• (3) minor

• (4) Serious

• (5) Fatal (death)

Causes of Accident.
• 1. Technical causes i.e. unsafe conditions
• 2. Human causes i.e. unsafe acts — Personal factors.
 I. Technical Causes
• Technical Causes :-Unsafe conditions reflect deficiencies in
plant, equipment, tools, material handling system, and
general work environment etc.
• Mechanical causes or factors
(1) Unsafe mechanical design/construction
(2) Hazardous arrangement (over loading etc.)
(3) Improper machine casing / guarding
(4) improper material handling.
(5) Leaking acid valve
(6) Untested pressure vessels.
 Environmental Factor Causes
• Environmental factors indicate improper physical and
atmospheric surrounding conditions of work which
indirectly promote the occurrence of accidents.
 (1) Too low temperature to cause Shivering.
 (2) Too high temperature to cause headache or sweating.
 (3) Too high humidity to cause uncomforting, (tiredness)
and drowsiness(sleepiness).
 (4) Defective and improper illumination(lighting) causing
eyestrain, shadows etc.
 Cont.
• (5) High speed of work because of huge work load.

• (6) Pressure of dust, fumes and smokes and lack of proper

ventilation.

• (7) Inadequate rest or breaks between the working hours.

• (8) Noise, bad smell and flash coming from the nearby
machinery, equipment or processes.

• (9) Poor house keeping.

• (10) More number of working hours.

 II. Human causes
• Unsafe acts by the person concerned are due to his ignorance or
carelessness, or day-dreaming etc.
• Personal factors:
• (1) Age (2) Health (3) Home environment
• (4) No. of dependents.(5) Lack of knowledge and skill
• (6) Improper attitude towards work.
• (7) Day-dreaming and inattentiveness
• (8) Emotional instability e.g. jealousy, revenge.
• (9) Mental worriness , (10) Non-use of safety devices.
• (11) Financial position.
 Accidents Prevention
• Accident prevention is highly essential in an industry in
order to

• Prevent injury to and premature (early) death of

employees.

• Reduce operating and production costs.

• Have good employer-employee relation.

• High up the morale of employees.

 Cont.
• Prevention of accidents is a true humanitarian concern,
but accident prevention does not occur by itself; these
should be consistent implementation of safety measures
and safety programmes emphasizing the need for.

• Safe workplace layout and working conditions.

• Safe material handling

• Personal protective devices.

• Safety activities in the organisation.

 Safe workplace layout and working Condition
• Every employee has enough space to move and operate.
• Passage (way) between working places, tracks and roads
etc. must never be obstructed to avoid accidents.
• For adequate lighting/ventilation etc ; working place
heights should not be less than 3 metres.
• Windows should be standard dimensions to make proper
natural day light.
• Safety switches may be, provide & on the machine or very
near to workplace.
 Working conditions
• In enclosed rooms their should be control on air-temp. purity,
and humidity to have comfortable conditions.

• Proper ventilation is must if the manufacturing processes

gives fumes, smoke and dust etc.

• There should be sufficient illumination whether natural or

artificial.

• To reduce the machine noise, mount the machine properly.

• Use silencers to minimize the hissing sound that are

dangerous at the workplace.
 Material Handling
• Minimize the total handling time.

• Promote, easier, safe and cleaner handling.

• To eliminate idle time of workers and machines.

• Make material movements fast.

• Locate and stock materials better and in less

space and more safe for each worker.
 Various Safety Measures in an Industry
• To provide safety to an industry there are some steps
which should followed by All peoples working in an
industry.
• Management should make some safety polices to avoid
accidents which should be followed by people working in
a plant. Safety polices includes:
• (i) Safety committee
• (ii) Regular inspection
• (iii) Maintenances of plant.
• (iv) Preventive clothing
• (v) By preventing physiological and physical harassment
to workers.
 Safety committee:
• Safety policy should include one of the major step i.e. safety
committee.
• This committee would include 5-6 members who individual
having supervisors and workers.
• The work of this committee is that they would regular make
some rules and regulations for the safety, some programs to
aware the workers about safety.
• They should alular the peoples about marks or signs like Fire
extinguisher, No open flame, caution high voltage, caution
(wear hard hat), etc.
 Regular Inspection:
• when safety committee established then Regular
Inspection of machinery, or whole plant is one of
the major part of the safety.
• For e.g. Inspection of electric wires, motors,
inspection of machines, inspection of Electronic
circuits, inspection of peoples who did not follow
the safety rules and because of them accidents
occur.
 Maintenance of Plant:
• If you find any fault during inspection then do not
ignore it and go for a maintenance of plant or
machinery.

• Plant should be maintained.

• Obstructions should be removed from the path of

workers where they are working or walking or
moving etc.
 Industrial Hygiene
• Industrial hygiene has been defined as "that science and
art devoted to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation,
and control of those environmental factors or stresses
arising in or from the workplace, which may cause
sickness, impaired health and well-being, or significant
discomfort among workers or among the citizens of the
community."
 Industrial hygiene factor
• Environmental Factors and Stresses
• Environmental factors or stresses include chemical,
physical, ergonomic, and biological hazards. Each of
these come in various forms and can be introduced to
the body, and cause damage, in a variety of ways. A
substance can be inhaled (breathed in), absorbed
(through the skin or mucous membranes), injected
(through skin by a sharp object), or ingested (introduced
to the body through the mouth).
 Chemical Hazards
• Chemical hazards refer to gases, vapors, dusts, fumes,
mists, and smoke.

• Dusts, fumes, and mists are particle-type air

contaminants or particulates.

• They can be inhaled, absorbed, or ingested into the

system.

• Smoke and vapors are particles, liquid or solid, that are

suspended in a gaseous medium like air.
 Physical Hazards
• Physical hazards include non-ionizing and ionizing radiation,
noise, vibration, and extreme temperatures. Physical hazards
affect the employee's physical health from an external point
of view.
• Ergonomic issues are often thought to be exclusive to the
office environment and mostly computer-related. Ergonomics
involves workstation design, repetitive motion, improper
lifting, reaching, and poor visual conditions. Proper tool and
equipment selection ensure that the work environment is
being fitted to the employee and not the other way around.
 Biological Hazards
• Biological hazards refer to insects, mold, yeast, fungi,
bacteria, viruses, and other organisms that cause
sickness or disease when they enter the body by
breaking the skin or directly entering the body. The
resulting sicknesses may be acute or chronic in nature.
• Personal hygiene, such as frequent hand washing, is
very important when addressing biological hazards to
prevent an employee from ingesting or cross-
contaminating an area with a biological hazard.
 Occupational Diseases
• Workers get certain disease or disorder as a result of nature of their
work, they are called occupational diseases.
• Occupational diseases - disorders of health resulting from
conditions related to the workplace.
• 1. Diseases of lungs and respiratory (breathing) tract :
 When person breathe in, particles suspended in air enter the nose, but
not all of them reach the lungs.
 Some of smaller particles succeed in passing through nose to lungs.
 Dust can also come from organic chemical.
 These dust lead to many serious diseases.
 Shortness of breath, dry cough, weakness and reduction in lung capacity
are disease caused by dust.
 Cont.
• 2. Occupational dermatitis (skin dieses) :
• Dermatitis second most commonly reported occupational disease.
• Occupational contact dermatitis is a local inflammation (infection)
of skin.
• Symptoms of inflammation are itching, pain, redness, swelling on
skin.
• 3. Occupational cancer :
• Cancer is word given to abnormal changes in tissue growth i.e. basic
changes in genetic structure of cell.
• It occurs more commonly in those parts of body, which have rapidly
dividing tissue like skin, blood, lungs etc.
 Cont.
• 4. Work related musculoskeletal disorder (illness) :

• Work related musculoskeletal disorder are a group of

pain heel disorder of muscles, tendons and nerves,
WMSD affect the hand, wrists, elbows, neck and
shoulders.
• Work using legs can lead to WMSD of the legs, hips,
ankles and feet.
• Some back problems also results from repetitive
activities.
 Cont.
• 5. Mental Disorder: Mental health of workers
depend on many factors :-

• Status of mental health while joining.

• Social factors within group.

• Adjustment between man and job.

• Human need and differences between

expectation and satisfaction level.
 Occupational Diseases Prevented and Cured
 Promote and maintain the highest degree of physical, mental
and social well-being of employees in all occupations;

 Prevent diseases among workers caused by their working

conditions;

 Protect employees from risk factors which could affect their

health;

 Place & maintain of workers in an occupational environment

adapted to their physiological & psychological status.
 Cont.
• Good job safety and prevention practices- An understanding
of basic workplace health and safety issues means you can
protect yourself against workplace hazards.
• Recognize risks/ hazards or health & safety problems
• observe your workplace; investigate complaints from
workers;
• examine accident and near-miss records; examine sickness
figures;
• use simple surveys to ask your co-workers about their health
& concerns; use check-lists to help you inspect your
workplace;
• learn the results of inspections that are done;
• Once you recognize a hazard, then you can determine which
measure will correct the problem most effectively.
 Cont.
• Occupational Health Medicals

• Personal hygiene (cleanliness)

• “Leave your dirty clothes at work or, if you must wash

them at home, wash them separately, not with the
family wash.”

• Educational Programs/ Awareness Programs

 Occupational hazards
• Occupational hazards include all those work
activities and processes involving the worker, raw
materials, and processing activities such as
operating machineries and handling chemicals.
• The identification of occupational health safety
and hygiene hazards has often come from
observations of adverse health effect among
workers.
The various hazards which gives rise to occupational
diseases

• Physical Hazards

• Mechanical Hazards

• Chemical Hazards

• Biological Hazards

• Ergonomic (multidisciplinary) Hazards

Costs of occupational Injury/Disease
 Cont.
• Work-related accidents or diseases are very costly
and can have many serious direct and indirect effects
on the lives of workers and their families.
• For workers some of the direct costs of an injury or
illness are:
• the pain and suffering of the injury or illness;
• the loss of income;
• the possible loss of a job;
• health-care costs.
 Cont.
 It has been estimated that the indirect costs of an
accident or illness can be four to ten times greater
than the direct costs, or even more.
 An occupational illness or accident can have so many
indirect costs to workers that it is often difficult to
measure them.
 One of the most obvious indirect costs is the human
suffering caused to workers' families, which cannot
be compensated with money.
 Psychological Problems
• When the personnel crises remain unresolved,
the stress and tension arising there from may
lead to mood disorder like depression.

• Depression is the decrease in functional activity

followed by symptoms like gloominess
(darkness), sadness and low spirits.
 Cont.
• Depression lowers individual productivity, causes
morale problems, increases absenteeism and
drives people toward alcohol, and even take
illegal drugs.
• Depression employees are difficult to handle in
that they show signs of irritation, carry guilt
feelings, and indulge in verbal abuse.
• Supervisors should play the role of an attentive,
sympathetic listener when confronted with a
depressed employee.
 Statutory Provisions
The Factories Act 1948 came into force on 1st April
1949.

Main Objects:

1. To protect human beings from being subject to

unduly long hours of bodily strain or manual labour.

2. To regulate working conditions in factories.

3. To protect workers employed in the factories against

industrial and occupational hazards.
 Provisions Regarding the Health of the Workers
 Unless the workers are physically and mentally healthy, they
cannot perform their duties effectively, properly and smoothly.
 Cleanliness
 Disposal of wastes and effluents
 Ventilation and temperature
 Dust and fume
 Artificial humidification
 Over crowding
 Lighting
 Drinking water
 Latrines and urinals
 Spittoons
 Provisions Regarding the Safety of the Workers
• Safety is a basic and primary requirement in a factory.

1. Fencing of machinery.

2. Work on or near machinery in motion.

3. Employment of young persons on dangerous machines.

4. Striking gear and devices for cutting off power.

5. Self-acting machines.

6. Casing of new machinery.

 Cont..
7. Prohibition of employment of women and children near
cotton-openers.
8. Hoist and lifts
9. Lifting machines, chains, ropes and lifting tackles
9. Revolving machinery
10. Pressure plant
11. Floors, stairs and means of access
12. Protection of eyes
13. Precautions against dangerous fumes, gases, etc.-
 Cont.
16.Precautions regarding the use of portable electric
light
17.Explosive or inflammable dust, gas, etc
18.Precautions in case of fire
19.Safety of buildings and machinery
20.Maintenance of buildings
21.Safety Officers
22.Rules.
 Safety Audit
• An audit is a review to confirm that regulations,
processes or rules are being followed.
• A health and safety audit is an audit that focuses
on some or all aspects of health and safety.
• It is a review performed to determine whether
health and safety regulations and company
policies are being adequately implemented and
complied(obeyed) with.
 Counselling
• Counselling denotes a professional relationship
between a trained counselor and a client.
• This relationship usually person to person it may
some times involve more than two person.
• It is designed to help clients to understand and
clarify their views on their life space, and to learn
to reach their self – determined (strong) goals
through meaningful way.
 Workplace Counselling
• Workplace Counselling is a specialised field,
whereby the employer either provides a service
or access to one.
• Over the last decade it has become one of the
fastest growing fields within counselling.
• Individual can refer themselves to psychological
support at a time of crisis and distress.
• Many staff wait too long before accessing help
and the availability of immediate psychological
support can reduce distress, helping the
individual maintain their role at work.
 Industrial safety Counseling
• “Safety is a Necessity Not a Demand” In every
industrial activity a large number of human and
artificial resources are employed.
• The cost of industrial accidents can be in the form
of loss of life, damage to properties, and loss of
reputation.
• Industrial safety has now become an important
and inevitable issue for the organization.
 Cont.
• Simultaneously people having qualification in industrial
safety Management are much in demand and
professionals getting more and more opportunities. But,
availability of trained safety professionals is always
problem for major recruiters.

• To overcome this problem International Institute of

Industrial Safety Management (IIISM) has been
established on 2009 at Bangalore.