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HNC/HND in Mechanical EngineeringBTEC Diploma in Engineering

Unit 6Health, Safety and Risk Assessment in

Engineering

Manage and minimising risk in anindustrial environment

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Created by:Gabriel Stancu

HND Mechanical EngineeringYEAR 1

2014

Contents

Summary......................................3Introduction.................................3Health and safety statistics.................4Accidents implications.......................5Useful information on potential risks........7Control of the risk..........................8Implementing the health and safety system. . .10Appendix 1 – INJURY SEVERITY TRIANGLE.......12Appendix 2 – Safe work procedure............13References..................................14

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Summary

The purpose of this assignment is to investigate and describe the implication of the risks in any business environment and effective methods of controlthe hazard.

Introduction

The first part of the assignment introduce to statistical data that may be useful in identifying the risks in the workplace.

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The second part of the assignment analyse the accident implications in terms of loss of life, injuries, property, environment, etc.

The third part of the assignment provides useful information on potential risks such as data sheet forsubstances and safe working practices.

The forth part of the assignment investigate the ‘’hierarchy of hazard control’’ and recommend useful methods on how to control the hazard.

Last part of the assignment identify how the employer can transfer the health and safety information to the employees: health and safety policies, trainings, inductions.

Health and safety statistics

Health & safety management is a matter that should be taken very seriously.

A good management doesn’t mean only assessing therisk in the workplace. Before health and safety risk assessments the management need to produce an evaluation of statistical data that may be helpful in

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identifying the risks. Indicators of safety and health at work provide to the companies information on: number of people and rates of injury at work for different groups of workers, number of dangerous incidents reports from employers, estimates of the number of people with an illness which is caused or made worse by their work, range of work-related ill health for different groups of workers, number of companies prosecuted for violation of health and safety legislation, estimates of the costs to employers, cost to Britain of health and safety failings, working days lost due to work-related ill health and injury.

According to the Health and Safety Executive in 2012-2013 more than 148 workers were killed at work, more than 78 000 other injuries to employees were reported under RIDDOR, 175 000 over-7-day absence injuries occurred (Appendix 1 – Injury severity triangle), 1.1 million working people were suffering from a work-related illness (2011/12), 27 million working days were lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury (2011/12), workplace injuries and ill health (excluding cancer) cost society an estimated £13.8 billion in 2010/11.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics showthat each year:-Millions of working days are lost due to work-related illness and injury.-Thousands of people die from occupational diseases.-Around a million workers self-report suffering from a work-related illness.-Several hundred thousand workers are injured at work.-A worker is fatally injured almost every working day.

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From the picture 1 can be seen that the fatal injuries are decreased since 2008/2009 from 179 to 148 in 2012/2013; this means they have dropped 17.3%.

Picture 1 – Fatal injuries chart

‘’At-a-glance guide to Health and Safety Statistics’’ provide important information about workplace injuries, work related ill health and costs.

The top five most common accidents in the workplace are:

- slips, trips and falls, - manual work accidents,- burns,- vehicle collisions- repetitive motion injuries. The most frequent causes of injury are manual

handling, slips and trips and falls from height. Whether an employee slips from a wet floor, trips or falling over can lead to broken bones, injured back problems and head injuries. The majority of slips, trips and falls can be avoided, which is why employers must ensure that take into consideration those information to assess the potential hazards in order to prevent others suffering an injury.

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Manual work involves lots of pulling, heaving lifting, carrying, pushing and moving various tools and equipment. Companies should provide basic safety training on proper lifting techniques and other equipment in order to reduce the occurrence of these sorts of injuries.

Accidents implications

Accidents and illness are related directly with work. They interrupt or obstruct the process of labour can affect psychologically, socially and economically, at least one of the components of the work: the employee, the production equipment and the work environment. In the context of work, man can be considered in two ways: as a human being and performer of the task. Each way is associated with a set of values and specific characteristics such as life, health, anatomical and functional integrity, creative and emotional capacity, the capacity to work, skills and knowledge etc…

Accidents and illnesses have repercussions on both categories of values, the consequences are in multiple areas: psycho-physiological (pain, distress,incapacity, disability, etc.), economic (reduced productivity individual) financial (reduced revenue, expenditure for healthcare).

The death of someone close is considered by all the experts as the most powerful stress factor and thereby a risk for physical and mental health. Housewives are forced to find work in emergency, generally weak paid. Changing status from domestic asan employee, the financial deterioration or changing

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of lifestyles or other stress sensors can increase health risks.

The consequence on the taskDirect consequence on the task it is the

individual's incapacity carry out the job or the failure in time (especially when accidents occurs) and its improper fulfilment of task (in some cases ofoccupational diseases, disability to work).

Consequences of the means of productionDuring accidents, in particular, may occur damage

or destruction of the equipment but also to other items essential to the fulfilment of the task (explosions or fires which not only assault the victim, but also the equipment)

Consequences for the work environmentThe physical environment of work it represents by

the impact of degraded materials dissipated into the environment - chemical residues, soot caused by fires, gases.

Consequences of the human beingThe victim - physical and mental suffering

incurred due to the aggression, temporary or permanent inability to work, loss of confidence, income reduction (wage loss, medical care expenses, etc..)

The family of the victim - pain, suffering, mental stress, family income reduction and so on. Themost affected can be the children.

Implications for the companyThe consequences can be: loss of production, loss

of production capacity, damage and destruction of assets, reinvestment costs in manpower, equipment, and environmental deterioration, social security and healthcare expenses. In most cases it may be requiredthe need to redesign the equipment (safety barriers, safety maps, safety enclosure).

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Useful information on potential risks

In the risk assessment process is very crucial touse accurate information to collect the data and identify the risk factors. That information can be gathered from following sources:

-technical data of equipment, safety data sheets of materials or substances used in the work place,

-technical procedures and work instructions;-results of the measurements of harmful or

hazardous factors (noise, gases);-records of accidents and occupational diseases;-specifications of the properties of chemical

substances;-laws regulations and standards;-scientific and technical documents.The information can be also obtained by: • observing the work environment; • examination of the tasks performed in the

workplace; • examination of the tasks performed outside the

workplace; • discussions with employees; • Consideration of external factors that may

impact on the workplaceSafety data sheet - SDS (Picture 2) is an

internationally accepted document for communication of the information on hazards and risks of a substance or a chemical compound and the measures that should be taken to reduce or eliminate them. Hence, the safety data sheet is "the passport" that must sustain every delivery of substances or compounds. It’s very important to note that, a safety

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data sheet is not a risk assessment. The information contain in the SDS must be used to prepare the risk assessment.

Picture 2 – Safety data sheethttp://editions.sciencetechnologyaction.com/lessons/4/65/fig_2.jpg

Safe work practices (Appendix 2) are procedures adopted for carrying out specific tasks that ensures workers exposure to hazardous situations, substances,and physical agents is controlled in a safe manner. Safe work procedures inform workers of the issues in their work tasks, and describe how to prevent harm orillness while doing these tasks.

Control of the risk

The risk assessment is a close inspection of what, in the workplace, may be harmful for the workers or any person who interfere in the workplace.It is a systematic process of evaluating the potential risks that may be involved in a projected activity. After that the risk assessment has identified hazards is required to control it. The

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best way to minimize the risk to people, property andactivities is by investigating the hierarchy of hazard control.

The Hierarchy of Controls is a method of controlling, preventing and controlling hazards, it is a method of managing the risk, which involves taking actions to eliminate or reduce the likelihood that exposure to a hazard will result in injury or disease.

Methods of hierarchy of hazard control in preferred priority order are:-

• Elimination - eliminating hazards is often cheaper and more practical to achieve – eliminatethe risk of a fall from height by doing the work at ground level, using lifting equipment instead to use workers for undertaking the job.

• Substitution – if the elimination is not possible, substituting or replacing one substanceor process with another may be a solution – examples can be substituting a hazardous substance with a safer substance, or replacing hazardous operations with less hazardous operations.

• Safe work practice - policies and procedures increasing safety either by changing the actual way the work is done or by adding a tool to help – an example can be by using a vacuum cleaner instead to use a broom for dust removal, or usinga knife with self-retract blade instead to use a standard knife

• Isolation – enclosing or isolating a hazard – safety barriers to enclose a hazardous area (Picture 3), isolating procedures.

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Picture 3 – Safety barriers

• Engineering controls/Redesign – changing processes, equipment, tools, installing safety guards on machinery (Picture 4)

Picture 4 – Safety guards

Automation – certain operations can be automated or mechanized

• Administrative controls – changing work procedures , rotating workers more often to reduce exposure times – as an example if the workers are exposed to a hazard for 8 hours/shift, the procedure can demand to change the worker every 2 hours, in this way each workeris exposed to the hazard for 2 hours, rather thanto be exposed to 8 hours.

• Personal Protective Equipment

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Implementing the health and safety system

Under the law the employer has the duty to guarantee the health, safety and welfare of his employees, and any other people (visitors, contractors, clients) who may interfere with their organisation. This means that the employer has the duty to control any hazard in the workplace that may be able to harm or injury the workers.

Employers has the obligation to provide to the employees all the information necessaries concerning the health and safety issues, about any risk or hazard in the workplace and also to instruct and train them how to deal with the risks.

Any company who has more than five employees musthave a written Health and Safety Policy (HSP). The HSP must be short and focused on how the company manage health and safety in their business, who and what responsibility has in relation with health and safety. The HSP must be displayed on sight as a poster so any employer or visitor has access to it. The policy must be also being explained verbally to

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all employers, or the policy can be explained at induction training for the new employees. If any circumstances changes the health and safety policy must be reviewed and modified and the information must be shared with the employees.

The employer has the obligation to provide the new employees when they start work with health and safety induction training which covers basic health and safety such as first aid procedures and fire safety. It is forbidden to start working for the new employees without the induction training. The employer should provide periodic H&S trainings when any new hazard is introduced in the workplace and keep records of training to prove that the employees have received training.

Employer must provide instructions, procedures, training and supervision to encourage people to wear the personal protective equipment. It is very important to ensure that the employees are fully trained in how to use, how to maintain and the importance to use the PPE during the day by day tasks.

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Appendix 1 – INJURY SEVERITY TRIANGLE

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Appendix 2 – Safe work procedure

SAFE WORK PROCEDURE – USING AN ANGLE GRINDER

Safety risks from electricity, moving parts, metal fragments, noise, heat

Before operating Check that the electrical lead has a current tag and is in good

condition. Ensure that the guard over the grinding disc is correctly positioned

to protect the operator from any flying pieces from a broken disc andsparks.

Ensure that you are using the right sized disc for the size of the grinder (i.e., do not use a five inch disc on a four inch grinder).

Ensure that you use the right disc for the material being cut (e.g. asteel disc for grinding steel, masonry disc for bricks etc.).

Use only grinding discs for grinding (these are generally thicker) and the thinner cutting discs for cutting.

Check grinding disc for broken areas or damage. Replace damaged disc immediately.

Use only flanges specified for the machine. Position the machine so that the power cord always stays behind the

machine during operation. Ensure personal protective equipment is available and used (i.e.

safety goggles, apron and ear protection).

When operating Always wear eye and ear protectors, and an apron to protect against

sparks during operation. Ensure the disc is not contacting the work piece before the switch is

turned on. Before using the machine on an actual work piece, let it run until it

reaches full operational speed. It should run smoothly (i.e., with novibration or wobbling). If it does not run smoothly, turn it off and check the attachment of the disc and the disc itself

Don’t use cutting discs for surface grinding. Always use two hands to hold the grinder—one on the side handle and

the other on the body of the grinder. Where possible have the job positioned so that the sparks travel

away from the operator. Do not touch the work piece immediately after operation—it may be hot

and could burn your skin.

After use Check leads for damage. Check disc and replace if necessary. Replace machine in tool cupboard.

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Clean up the work area if residue or waste exists. Developed by:

Manger name: _______________ _____________Worker name______________________________

Manager signature: __________________________Worker’s signature: __________________________

Review date: …....../…....../……...

References Health and safety statistics. 2014. Health and safety

statistics. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/index.htm. [Accessed 04 May 2014].

Annual Statistics Report for Great Britain .2014. . [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/overall/hssh1213.pdf. [Accessed 04 May 2014].

Top 10 Accidents in the Workplace - Employers for Work-Life Balance - HR News | Employers for Work-Life Balance - HR News. 2014. Top 10 Accidents in the Workplace - Employers for Work-Life Balance- HR News | Employers for Work-Life Balance - HR News. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.employersforwork-lifebalance.org.uk/top-10-accidents-in-the-workplace-2/. [Accessed 04 May 2014].

Revealed: The 5 Most Common Accidents In The Workplace. 2014. Revealed: The 5 Most Common Accidents In The Workplace. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.injurylawyers4u.co.uk/2012/news/revealed-the-5-most-common-accidents-in-the-workplace/. [Accessed 04 May 2014].

Chemical safety data sheets - COSHH. 2014. Chemical safety data sheets - COSHH. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/basics/datasheets.htm. [Accessed 04 May 2014].

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Safe Work Practices Law & Legal Definition. 2014. Safe WorkPractices Law & Legal Definition. [ONLINE] Available at: http://definitions.uslegal.com/s/safe-work-practices/. [Accessed 04 May 2014].

SAFE WORK PROCEDURES. 2014. . [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/resources/pdfs/smallbusiness/advicesheet3.pdf. [Accessed 04 May 2014].

Section 9 Hazard elimination and control. 2014. Section 9 Hazard elimination and control. [ONLINE] Available at:http://humanservices.alberta.ca/SearchAARC/1036.html. [Accessed 04 May 2014].

Benefits and costs: Leading health and safety at work. 2014. Benefits and costs: Leading health and safety at work. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.hse.gov.uk/leadership/benefits.htm. [Accessed 04 May 2014].

Hierarchy of Controls. 2014. . [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.rit.edu/~w-outrea/training/Module3/M3_HierarchyControls.pdf. [Accessed 04 May 2014].

Health and Safety Policy. 2014. . [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.nscc.org.uk/docs/general/Healthandsafetypolicy.pdf. [Accessed 04 May 2014].