Safety Talk Box 04- Introducing Managing Safely (b)-"ASSESSING RISK"

Greetings of the day!

This is a topic introduced by Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). Institute of Occupational Safety and Health is registered in England and Wales. IOSH is a charted body for Health and safety professionals.

With the studies given by IOSH, we being the members of organization can set standards and support, develop and connect our team workers with resources, guidance, events and training. We can be the voice of our team workers and campaign on issues that affect millions of working people.

1)      What is risk?

Risk is a part of everyone’s life – we can’t avoid risks but we can put things in place to manage them effectively.

Can you remember, for example, when you first joined the site for OPGW installation works? Perhaps you were looking forward to your first lesson because you were eager to learn and become independent. On the other hand, you might have been a bit apprehensive about getting to the site for the first time. Either way, learning to work at site involves a degree of risk. Because you were learning, you would’ve had qualified instructor or another competent person educating you, so the risk would have been well managed.

Learning to work at site helped you learn to manage risks for yourself as well as giving you a skill.

There will always be a small risk in taking learning lessons but without that risk you’ll never learn to do anything—a skill which you’re likely to use throughout your working life.

2)      Basic terms that apply to risk management

In order to ensure a safe work environment, you need to understand the definition of risk and be able to estimate it, evaluate it and take actions if necessary. Before you work our way through this process, let’s take a look at the basic terms that apply to risk assessment.

A hazard is anything that has the potential to cause harm. This could be something as specialized as a piece of complicated machinery or as commonplace as a hot drink. If it could be harmful in any way, then it’s a hazard.

A hazardous event takes place when someone or something interacts with the hazard and harm results. Suppose there is a rope half damaged (various cuts on it). That rope (the hazard) by itself isn’t causing any harm, but if someone used it and while using, rope break down (the hazardous event) then it would become harmful.

Every hazardous event has likelihood and a consequence.

Likelihood is a measure of the chance that the hazardous event will occur. If that half damaged rope is the only rope to work with a worker then it’s more likely the rope will break down. However, if the worker is having good ropes as well as that particular damaged rope then it’s less likely that the rope will break down (as either worker will use or he will not use).

The consequence is the outcome of hazardous event. If the rope broken while using on ground then the worker might not get any harm. However if rope broken while lifting  some tools from down to the top of the tower then the worker might get a serious injury.

So, RISK is the combination of the likelihood of hazardous event occurring and the consequence of the event.

RISK = likelihood × consequence

3)      What is risk assessment?

Risk assessment is a means of making sure that the serious workplace risks are managed by cost-effective control measures. Assessing risks allows you to priorities the action you take to control them.

Put simply, a risk assessment is a careful examination of anything in your workplace that could cause people to suffer injury or ill health while they’re at work.   

Risk assessment is about deciding who might be harmed and then judging how likely it is that something will go wrong, and how serious the consequences could be. Once you’ve worked out what the risks are and how significant they are, you can concentrate on cutting them out—or at least controlling them.

·         You don’t have to carry out the assessment yourself—if you’re not confident, get help from someone who is appropriately qualified and trained/ experienced and knows about what workers are assessing. But remember, you are responsible for making sure that it’s done properly.

·         It’s always a good idea to involve other people in the risk assessment process—particularly the person whose job you are assessing. Then may have noticed things which aren’t immediately obvious to you. By involving your staff, you’re also helping them to think about what could go wrong and how to avoid problems.

The risk assessment enables you to:

a)      Tell whether you’re doing enough to protect your workforce and others from harm

For example, are you providing enough- training/ information/ personal protective equipment (PPE) etc.

b)      Demonstrate good business practice and improve business performance

Understanding the risks that your site work faces will help you to manage it better, with—potential cost saving / reduced insurance premiums/ enhanced reputation.

4)      How the risk assessments are carried out?

The topic to be continued…..

Always remember that accidents and ill health at workplace can have devastating effect- it can cause small or a serious injury, can ruin lives and your name and fame.  

!! You can prevent workers from being unsafe by accessing the risks !!

So manage your site Safely !!!

THINK SAFETY WORK SAFELY

This all is a general information and implementation required!

Safety Talk Box 03- Introducing Managing Safely (a)

Greetings of the day!

This is a topic introduced by Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). Institute of Occupational Safety and Health is registered in England and Wales. IOSH is a charted body for Health and safety professionals. 

With the studies given by IOSH, we as a member of an organization can set standards and support, develop and connect our team workers with resources, guidance, events and training. We can be the voice of our team workers and campaign on issues that affect millions of working people.

1)      Introduction-Managing Safely

This is a study for Site Engineer/ In-charge to understand their basic duties and responsibilities for managing the site works safely. How not managing safely can harm a worker, company and yourself. Why everyone at site should work in a safe manner. What can be the results of not working/ managing safely.

2)      Why is it important to manage safely?    

Think about the injured worker, their personal cost, pain and suffering and the effect on their colleagues, friends and families. Workers may have long hospital stays and may never work again. If it’s shown that the accident happened because of a failure to manage health and safety risks at site , regulator may take action, which in turn lead to prosecutions, fines and imprisonment. 

There may also be a huge amount personal injury claim from injured worker. What about the replacement of worker, accident investigation and increased insurance premiums. What about the reputation of your organization. 

You’ll probably find that your loss of reputation will cost more than those fines.  

Consequently, there are three key reasons to manage safely:

a)      Moral: It’s not acceptable for worker to suffer injury and ill health as a result of doing their job. Demonstrating that the Engineer/ In-charge cares about the health and safety of its staff will lead to a happier and more productive workforce.  

b)      Legal: Countries with safety and health laws in place usually require responsible people in organizations to assess reasonably foreseeable risks from the companies activities and to put in place necessary control measures that will reduce the risks- so far as is reasonably practicable. 

c)       Financial: As well as reducing the likelihood of fines and personal injury claims, managing health and safety can save money through reduced insurance premiums and safer and more effective ways of working. A reputation as a health and safety conscious organization can also open doors for organization in gaining new business, retaining and recruiting new workers. 

3)      What is your role in influencing managing safely? 

You should know that you have health and safety responsibilities. You are the front line of safety at workplace. As the representative of company, you will make decision about local safety practice. You are in control of what really happens and that means you are the duty holder.

“Responsibility leads to accountability” – you can delegate responsibility but you can’t give away your accountability – you’re ultimately accountable. 

Let’s take an example of a scenario in which a serious accident has happened at site. Put yourself in the position of in-charge of the worker who had an accident. For that accident- 

a)      You are accountable for assessing and managing the risk the worker is exposed to. 

b)      You will have to arrange replacement labour, carry out accident investigation, repot to customers, local authorities, your insurance companies etc. 

c)       In the worst case, You will have to tell your worker’s family that they won’t be coming home tonight.     

The scenario will help you identify your responsibilities and accountabilities. 

You need to know when you need to act, how to act, when not to act, when to pass things on to your seniors and when you’re out of your depth and need to call for a help. 

4)      Getting it right?

So health and safety is another thing on your list, along with discipline, communications, HR matters, resources and targets, to name but a few…. 

But think about it…. managing health and safety can give you a helping hand with managing all the other things that you have to deal with. Good health and safety management can- 

Ø  enhance your reputation 

Ø  increase your profits

Ø  reduce wastage and insurance premiums

Ø  maintain a happy and healthy team

In fact, managing safety must be a key to your site works. Treat health and safety matters with the respect they deserve, just like other risks to your works. 

It’s all well and good to say you agree with this, but you also have to live up to what you say – your actions must match your words. So

ü think about health and safety when planning work

ü talk about health and safety with your team

ü demonstrate safe and healthy behavior   

If you can prevent workers from being unsafe, do it.

If you can’t, make sure you’ve done everything possible to keep your workers safe, secure, and alive.

So manage your site Safely !!!

THINK SAFETY WORK SAFELY

This all is a general information and implementation required!

Safety Topic 02- Safety in Material Handling and Storing

Greetings of the day!

This is a general information about Safety in Material Handling and Storing. Implementation need to be done at site by site engineer/ In-charge/ Safety officers. The concept can be easily understood by the following steps-

1)      Introduction

Handling and storing materials involve diverse operations such as hoisting tons of steel with a crane/tripod; driving a truck loaded with machinery; carrying bags or materials manually; or other materials such as drums, barrels, ropes and pulleys.

The efficient handling and storing of materials are vital to industry. In addition to raw materials, these operations provide a continuous flow of parts and assemblies through the workplace and ensure that materials are available when needed. Unfortunately, the improper handling and storing of materials often result in costly injuries.

2)      What should Engineer / In-charge know before moving, handling, and storing materials?

In addition to training and education, applying general safety principles—such as proper work practices, equipment, and controls—can help reduce workplace accidents involving the moving, handling, and storing of materials. Whether moving materials manually or mechanically, workers should know and understand the potential hazards associated with the task at hand and how to control their workplaces to minimize the danger.

Because numerous injuries can result from improperly handling and storing materials, workers should also be aware of accidents that may result from the unsafe or improper handling of equipment as well as from improper work practices. In addition, workers should be able to recognize the methods for eliminating—or at least minimizing—the occurrence of such accidents. Site Engineer/ In-charge should examine their workplaces to detect any unsafe or unhealthful conditions, practices, or equipment and take corrective action.

3)      What are the potential hazards for workers?

Workers frequently cite the weight and bulkiness of objects that they lift as major contributing factors to their injuries.

Hazards include falling objects, improperly stacked materials, bad keeping of machinery and various types of equipment. You should make your workers aware of potential injuries that can occur when material not stored/kept properly.

4)      What precautions must workers take to avoid storage hazards?

Stored materials must not create a hazard for workers. Engineer/ In-charge should make workers aware of such factors as the materials' height and weight, how accessible the stored materials are to the user, and condition of the place where the materials are being stored when stacking and piling materials. To prevent creating hazards when storing materials, Site Engineer/ In-charge must do the following:

a)      Keep storage areas free from accumulated materials that cause tripping, fires, or explosions, or that may contribute to the harboring of rats and other pests;

b)      Place stored materials inside buildings or inside floor openings and if possible at least 10 feet away from exterior walls.

c)       Store the machineries at separate place under the shed.

d)      Place the ropes in a way that it should not get entangled. Make proper knots at the time of placing ropes so that while loading/taking the ropes at work place, it can be accessed easily.

e)      In case there is a spacing issue, then to place the material in a way that there should not be any damage to workable material. For example- by placing ropes down and heavy material on top.  

f)       In addition, workers should consider placing bound material on racks, and secure it by stacking, blocking, or interlocking to prevent it from sliding, falling, or collapsing.

5)      What must Site Engineer/ In-charge do to ensure the safe use of slings?

As an Engineer/ In-charge, you must designate a competent person to conduct inspections of slings before and during use, especially when service conditions warrant. In addition, you must ensure that workers observe the following precautions when working with slings:

a)      Remove immediately damaged or defective slings from service.

b)      Do not shorten slings with knots or bolts or other makeshift devices.

c)       Do not load slings beyond their rated capacity.

d)      Keep suspended loads clear of all obstructions.

e)      Remain clear of loads about to be lifted and suspended.

f)       Avoid sudden crane acceleration and deceleration when moving suspended loads.

6)      Training and Education

Company recommends that Engineer/ In-charge/ Safety officer must establish a formal training program to teach workers how to recognize and avoid materials handling hazards. Instructors should be well-versed in safety engineering and materials handling and storing. The training should reduce workplace hazards by emphasizing the following factors:

a)      Dangers of lifting without proper training.

b)      Dangers of placing without proper arrangement.

c)       Dangers of storing machineries in open.

d)      Dangers of excessive charging of equipment having Lithium ion batteries (Walky / mobile phones).

e)      Dangers of bad storage of ropes.

f)       Dangers of taking bad stored material on site.  

g)      Awareness of what a worker can comfortably handle without undue strain.

h)      Use of equipment properly.

i)        Recognition of potential hazards and how to prevent or correct them.

Worker safety is of utmost importance. Workers need to know that what a bad can happen if they had handled or stored the material in a bad manner. They cannot take risks with their own well-beings/families. They need to understand how something wrong can happen with tools and equipment mishandling. They need to realize that material must be kept safe and in a proper way. They should follow the rules and make themselves responsible for keeping themselves safe and to not take unnecessary risks on their shoulders.

If you can prevent workers from unsafe material, do it.

If you can’t, make sure you’ve done everything possible to keep your workers safe, secure, and alive.

THINK SAFETY WORK SAFELY

Safet Topic-Lone Worker

Greetings of the day!

This is a general topic about Lone Worker Policy being described by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA- a part of United States Department of Labours). The policy can be easily understood by the following steps at site by the site engineer and safety officers.

1)      What OSHA Says about Lone Workers

General Duty Clause says that the site engineers/safety officers must provide the workers a workplace that is free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause serious physical harms or death. 

Not every situation where our worker would be alone would fall into this category, but how do you know when this applies? Your best bet, as a personal, is to perform a hazard assessment. A hazard assessment will give you documented reasons why you felt working alone was or was not safe.

2)      Hazard Assessments with a Lone Worker in Mind

What should you be looking for in this assessment? First, consider the overall safety and security of the job. Is the work itself inherently dangerous? Is the location dangerous (for instance, a high-crime area)? Does the worker need to go into people’s homes? Is there heavy lifting to be done, that cannot be done alone or with mechanical means? Is the work position awkward, at heights, or near electrical equipment? Will your worker have difficulty getting in and out of their work location? Are there hazardous chemicals your employee needs to use or to which he/she can be exposed? 

3)      What Information Belongs in a Lone Worker Policy

The questions above, and possibly more, will help you make the call in your own mind. When you do, if it’s determined that the job is not safe or has the potential not to be safe, what should be done? The first step would be to see if it’s feasible to assign a second person, but let’s say it’s not. What should be in our plan to keep these workers safe?

4)      Communication

Communication is the first step. How are you keeping tabs on this worker? Technology today should make this simple given that at every location there must be a mode of communication which should be either wired or wireless like wireless walky talky, mobile phones, active check-in (via an app or other devices). You should create a procedure that requires them to take action at a regularly determined interval, such as voice determination at walky talky that allows you to know their status. This determination can be done when the site engineer/team leader/safety officer at site are in regular touch with the workers. This should also include a final call when they’ve finished their works at the location.

5)      Emergency Response

Employees need to know who they’re summoning in the event of an emergency, how they are summoning them, and they must be provided the means to do so. Are they using Walky talky or relying on a cell phone, what if the remote areas in which they are working have bad cell reception? How is that plan going to help somebody who has fallen unconscious? Devices should be in place that sends alerts if your lone worker has not checked in at their assigned interval.

6)      Rules

Given an assigned task and no supervision, a worker is most likely going to do whatever is necessary to complete their job. Unfortunately, some things are much more hazardous to do when alone, than when you are working with an another worker. Clear guidelines should be established for the employees so that they know exactly what they may or may not do when working alone. You want to be sure that your worker checks in about encountering anything that is unexpected and may put him/her in danger before proceeding. 

7)      Training

All of these rules mean nothing if your workers are unfamiliar with them. Once you’ve developed your lone worker policy, make sure you train your workers so that they are not taking an unnecessary risk during their workday. They should be trained on how to communicate, how to summon emergency help, and what they can and cannot do while alone. Most importantly, they should be trained to call and check anytime they are unsure. 

Worker safety is of utmost importance, but it can be difficult to monitor, especially in situations such as these. Supervisors can’t be expected to be at all places at all times. Workers need to know that whether alone or in a group, they cannot take risks with their own well-beings/families. They need to understand how something that goes wrong while alone can quickly turn from minor to tragic. They need to realize that with nobody else present, the responsibility to keep themselves safe, to follow the rules set out for their work, and to not take unnecessary risk, falls on their shoulders. 

If you can prevent workers from being alone, do it.

If you can’t, make sure you’ve done everything possible to keep your workers safe, secure, and alive.

THINK SAFETY WORK SAFELY