Concept of Industrial Safety

 

Safety is a state in which hazards and conditions leading to physical, psychological or material harm are controlled in order to preserve the health and well-being of individuals and the community. It is an essential resource for everyday life, needed by individuals and communities to realize their aspirations.

Attaining an optimum level of safety requires individuals, communities, governments and others to create and maintain the following conditions, whichever setting is considered:

·       a climate of social cohesion and peace as well as of equity protecting human rights and freedoms, at the family, local, national or international level;

·       the prevention and control of injuries and other consequences or harm caused by accidents;

·       the respect of the values and the physical, material and psychological integrity of individuals; and

·       the provision of effective preventive, control and rehabilitation measures to ensure the presence of the three previous conditions.

These conditions can be assured by initiatives that focus on the environment (physical, social, technological, political, economic and organizational) and on behaviour.

Basic Principles of OSH

Occupational safety and health is an extensive multidisciplinary field, invariably touching on issues related to scientific areas such as medicine – including physiology and toxicology – ergonomics, physics and chemistry, as well as technology, economics, law and other areas specific to various industries and activities. Despite this variety of concerns and interests, certain basic principles can be identified, including the following:

·       All workers have rights. Workers, as well as employers and governments, must ensure that these rights are protected and must strive to establish and maintain decent working conditions and a decent working environment. More specifically:

Ø  Work should take place in a safe and healthy working environment;

Ø  Conditions of work should be consistent with workers’ well-being and human dignity;

Ø  Work should offer real possibilities for personal achievement, self-fulfilment and service to society (ILO, 1984).

·       Occupational safety and health policies must be established. Such policies must be implemented at both the national (governmental) and enterprise levels. They must be effectively communicated to all parties concerned.

·       A national system for occupational safety and health must be established. Such a system must include all the mechanisms and elements necessary to build and maintain a preventive safety and health culture. The national system must be maintained, progressively developed and periodically reviewed.

·       A national programme on occupational safety and health must be formulated. Once formulated, it must be implemented, monitored, evaluated and periodically reviewed.

·       Social partners (that is, employers and workers) and other stakeholders must be consulted. This should be done during formulation, implementation and review of all policies, systems and programmes.

·       Occupational safety and health programmes and policies must aim at both prevention and protection. Efforts must be focused above all on primary prevention at the workplace level. Workplaces and working environments should be planned and designed to be safe and healthy.

·       Continuous improvement of occupational safety and health must be promoted. This is necessary to ensure that national laws, regulations and technical standards to prevent occupational injuries, diseases and deaths are adapted periodically to social, technical and scientific progress and other changes in the world of work. It is best done by the development and implementation of a national policy, national system and national programme.

·       Information is vital for the development and implementation of effective programmes and policies. The collection and dissemination of accurate information on hazards and hazardous materials, surveillance of workplaces, monitoring of compliance with policies and good practice, and other related activities are central to the establishment and enforcement of effective policies.

·       Health promotion is a central element of occupational health practice. Efforts must be made to enhance workers’ physical, mental and social well-being.

·       Occupational health services covering all workers should be established. Ideally, all workers in all categories of economic activity should have access to such services, which aim to protect and promote workers’ health and improve working conditions.

·       Compensation, rehabilitation and curative services must be made available to workers who suffer occupational injuries, accidents and work-related diseases. Action must be taken to minimize the consequences of occupational hazards.

·       Education and training are vital components of safe, healthy working environments. Workers and employers must be made aware of the importance of establishing safe working procedures and of how to do so. Trainers must be trained in areas of special relevance to particular industries, so that they can address the specific occupational safety and health concerns.

·       Workers, employers and competent authorities have certain responsibilities, duties and obligations. For example, workers must follow established safety procedures; employers must provide safe workplaces and ensure access to first aid; and the competent authorities must devise, communicate and periodically review and update occupational safety and health policies.

·       Policies must be enforced. A system of inspection must be in place to secure compliance with occupational safety and health measures and other labour legislation.

Achieving a Total Safety Culture by Communication

One of the most effective ways to improve a safety culture and prevent injuries is to optimize safety-related communication throughout an organization. Unfortunately, employees often fail to “speak up” when they observe risky behaviors even when they know they should.

The Safety Culture Survey administered to hundreds of organizations by Safety Performance Solutions Inc. (SPS) indicates 90 percent of respondents believe employees should caution others when they’re operating at-risk. However, only 60 percent say they actually do provide this critical feedback.

During training and structured interviews, we ask employees why there’s such a gap between people’s values (“should caution”) and actual behaviors (“do caution”). Participants respond that giving safety-related feedback will create interpersonal conflict, indicating, “It’s not our job to give safety feedback.” Also, they often do not feel competent at giving safety feedback or they don’t want to insult coworkers who have more experience.

It is unfortunate employees are reluctant to warn coworkers when they observe risky behaviors, especially considering that most injuries have a behavioral component. Ironically, people underestimate others’ willingness to receive safety feedback. In fact, 74 percent of respondents (from the SPS Safety Culture Survey) confirm they welcome peer observations for the purposes of receiving safety-related feedback. Yet, only 28 percent believe other employees feel the same way.

Employees will be more open to safety-related feedback if coworkers do a better job of providing and receiving it. To provide effective corrective feedback to others when they are working at-risk, don’t make it personal – focus on behavior. Ask questions to facilitate discussion, and don’t lecture. Give feedback immediately and one-on-one, while showing genuine concern for others’ feelings and well being. Offer the opportunity to work together to find better solutions. Finally, thank the person for listening.

To receive corrective feedback effectively, you must actively listen and don’t interrupt. Remain open and receptive and don’t get defensive. Discuss better ways of doing the task. Finally, thank the person for providing feedback.

In addition to cautioning coworkers operating at-risk, it’s important to praise employees who regularly do their jobs safely. This builds a more open, positive safety culture and increases the likelihood these work practices will be performed safely in the future. However, most employees say they almost never receive one-on-one praise or appreciation for their safety-related behaviors. Employees at all organizational levels are well served to provide frequent, genuine praise for safe work practices. Before addressing more communication guidelines, it’s useful to consider various communication styles.

Communication Styles

A complicating factor with safety communication is that people have different styles of communication. Brounstein (2001) defines four basic communication patterns: the Dominant, Passive, Passive-Aggressive and Empathic styles. The first three styles are generally maladaptive and stifle the cultivation of a total safety culture. The fourth style, the Empathic pattern, is ideal and most conducive to effective communication and culture improvement.

The Dominant Communicator – Dominant communicators tend to “run people over” in interpersonal conversations. Dominant communicators often believe they’re never wrong, their opinions are more important than those of others, and people who disagree with them are either disloyal or misinformed. These misguided beliefs often lead to manipulative behaviors such as public criticism of others, blaming others when problems arise, acting bossy and negative, using verbally aggressive and threatening language, showing a lack of appreciation for the accomplishments of others, interrupting others and even finishing their sentences or dismissing new ideas without listening to the rationale.

Dominant communicators often provoke fear, counter control and alienation among others. Their behavior fosters resistance, defiance, sabotage, retaliation, formation of alliances, lying and covering up. Dominant communicators damage corporate culture and morale and hinder optimal organizational performance. Basketball coach Bobby Knight is an example of a dominant communicator.

The Passive Communicator – Passive communicators tend to turn people off by being indirect and meek in their interpersonal communication. Passive communicators often believe you shouldn’t express your true feelings, make waves or disagree with others.

They often think other people’s opinions are more important than their own. These beliefs often lead to maladaptive behaviors such as remaining quiet, even when being treated unfairly; asking for permission unnecessarily; frequently complaining rather than acting; and delegating personal choice to others. Passive communicators retreat from interpersonal conflict and accept directions without question. Passive communicators create frustration and mistrust because of not knowing where they stand. They create the presumption they lack the courage to be a leader. They also hinder open communication.

The Passive-Aggressive Communicator – Passive-aggressive communicators tend to believe you should “go behind people’s backs” instead of dealing with people directly. They appear to agree with others when they really don’t agree. They make sarcastic remarks and take subtle digs at others. They send critical messages via e-mail and copy others. They hold grudges, value “getting even” and sabotage others behind their backs (i.e., spreading negative gossip). Passive-aggressive communicators refuse to help others or give others “the silent treatment.”

Passive-aggressive communicators cause increased factions and favoritism in the workplace. They increase negative gossip or “back stabbing,” creating an environment of low interpersonal trust. Their actions often lead to diminished job performance, increased uncertainty and job dissatisfaction and increased turnover.

The Empathic Communicator – Unlike the previous three styles, the empathic communicator interacts effectively with others to maintain healthy, long-term relationships. Companies with numerous empathic communicators are likely to have more healthy organizational cultures. Empathic communicators generally believe that personal opinions and the opinions of others are important and that the process of coming to a decision – not just the outcome – is important. They think acquiring input from others boosts morale and generally leads to better decision making.

These beliefs often lead to desirable behaviors, such as communicating expectations instead of demands. The focus tends to be on proactive and action-oriented conversation, with stated, realistic expectations. Empathic communicators, an example of which is Oprah Winfrey, communicate in a direct and honest manner, and work to achieve goals without compromising others. Empathic communicators increase perception of autonomy or personal control, and motivate people to achieve and “go beyond the call of duty” for the organization. They foster an improved sense of appreciation and respect, which in turns leads to increased levels of interpersonal trust, respect, honesty and openness. The end result is enhanced organizational communication, higher morale and better performance.

Improving Listening Skills

What good is an empathic communicator if no one listens? Of course, empathic communicators also are good listeners. They listen for both emotion and content to understand what the other person is saying. They also reflect back what the speaker is saying to show understanding (“So what you’re saying is…”).

In addition, empathic communicators use non-judgmental tones with others and avoid being too quick to offer advice or dismiss ideas (Williams, 2006). When receiving safety feedback, effective listeners thank the person for providing feedback, regardless of how well it is given, and are not defensive about advice to improve. They let others know if the feedback they receive is rude or abrasive. They collaborate with others on developing potential solutions and reach consensus on actions to take.

In dealing with rude and difficult people, empathic communicators don’t take it personally, lose their cool or lose sleep over the conflict. After all, the rude person isn’t losing sleep. Empathic communicators also are able to effectively exchange information without emotion and tell difficult people they understand their position but don’t appreciate how they delivered the message.

Why Communication is Vital

Effective communication is an integral part of achieving an injury-free workplace. Most injuries are due, in part, to risky behaviors, yet employees often are reluctant to provide safety-related feedback to coworkers. You can improve your safety culture (and performance) by providing sound guidelines to improve safety-related communication. By providing and receiving safety feedback more effectively – including corrective feedback (for at-risk behavior) and praise – the workplace can be more safe.

Safety Posters

Road Safety Week 11.01.2016 to 17.01.2016

Road Safety Time for Action

Road Safety Week

Road safety week is celebrated with the great joy and enthusiasm every year in India at many places such as Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Baroda, Vadodara, Pune, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Chandigarh and etc. People are encouraged about how to drive on road by organizing variety of programmes related to the road safety.

  

During the whole week celebration of this campaign, variety of educational banners, safety posters, safety films, pocket guides and leaflets related to the road safety are distributed to the on road travelers. They get motivated about the road safety while travelling on road means having planned, well-organized and professional way traveling. People who travel in unprofessional way are requested to use road safety measures and follow traffic rules by giving them roses.

Road Safety Week 2016

Road safety week 2016 would be celebrated in India from 11th of January (Monday) to the 17th of January (Sunday).

How the Road Safety Week is Celebrated

Road safety week is celebrated by performing the following activities:

• Road safety leaflets including roses, chocolates and flowers are distributed to the travelers on the road.
• commuters are also explained about the methods and necessities of the road safety means they must understand the use of helmets or seat belts while driving on the road or anywhere.
• Various painting and drawing competitions, road safety announcements, exhibitions, road rules test, girls scooter rally to encourage the use of helmets, debates on road safety at the All India Radio, workshops, seminar and etc activities are organized.
• Free medical check up camps and driving training workshops are organized for the drivers to encourage them towards the road safety.
• Road safety quiz competitions are also organized to promote people about road safety.
• Traffic safety games including card games, puzzles, board games and etc are organized to educate school children about road safety.

Why Road Safety Week Campaign Celebration is Necessary

Celebrating the road safety campaign was initiated by the ISS India HSE (Health Safety and Environment) in order to make people aware about the national road safety in the Indian subcontinent. ISS India had declared to celebrate the Road Safety Week all through the country in the first week of the month of January. The aim of this campaign was to emphasize and accentuate people about the need of safe roads travel by applying just simple rules.
According to the information, it has been noted that approximately one lakh people are getting killed per year in the road accidents. Or some of them become sufferer of the life threatening problems such as mental trauma, loss of memory, loss of hand or legs and so many for the whole life. Such situations specially in India increases the importance and necessity of the road safety measures. India has a very huge population of the road travelers such as two wheelers, four wheelers on the road, that’s why they must know the road safety.
It also need efforts from different stakeholders such as the community, transport sector, insurance sector, health sector, police, legal sector, educational institutions, highway engineers, vehicle manufacturers, public agencies, NGOs and etc. Students are given a big opportunity to be participated in the road safety week programme as to change something, youths of the country must understand first.  

Road Safety Week Themes

• The theme for road safety week 2015 was “Build a Safety Culture for Sustainable Supply Chain” and “Safety is not just a slogan, It’s a way of life”.
• The theme for road safety week 2014 was “Walk for Road Safety”.
• The theme for road safety week 2013 was “Stay Alive, don’t drink and drive” to increase awareness among people against the drunken driving.
• The theme for road safety week 2011 was “Road Safety A Mission, Not Intermission”.

Objectives of Celebrating Road Safety Week

• The aim of celebrating the campaign road safety week is to promote the road safety measures in the community, schools, colleges, work places, on roads and etc.
• To decrease and completely remove out the road accidents, road accident death and injury cases by applying the road safety measures.
• To encourage all the travelers to follow the traffic rules and wear helmets and seat belts while driving.
• To implement the new preventative measures which are proved to lessen the risk of road accidents, death or injury.
• To aware the people about the speed limit of the vehicles to prevent road accidents.
• To maintain the speed and required distance from other  vehicles
• To aware people that do not drink, do not drive when tired and do not use phones or radios while driving.

Safety Harness

Confined Space

டெங்கு தடுக்க... தகர்க்க... தப்பிக்க 10 வழிகள்

தமிழகத்தின் தென் மாவட்டங்கள் முழுவதும் இப்போது டெங்கு அனல். இப்போது கொங்கு மண்டத்திலும் அது கால் பதித்துவிட்டது. காய்ச்சலால் பாதிக்கப்படுவோர், பலியாவோர் எண்ணிக்கை அதிகரித்துக்கொண்டே இருக்கிறது. டெங்கு காய்ச்சலின் பாய்ச்சலில் இருந்து நம்மைத் தற்காத்துக்கொள்வது எப்படி?

 புதுச்சேரி பிம்ஸ் மருத்துவக் கல்லூரி மருத்துவமனையின் பேராசிரியர் டாக்டர் நாகராஜனிடம் விரிவாகப் பேசினோம்.

''டெங்கு என்றால் என்ன? அது எப்படிப் பரவுகிறது?'' 

''டெங்கு என்பது ஒரு வகையான வைரஸ் கிருமி. 'ஏடிஸ் எஜிப்டி’ (Aedes aegypti) என்ற பிரிவைச் சேர்ந்த டெங்கு தொற்று உள்ள பெண் கொசுவால் இது பரவுகிறது. டெங்குவால் பாதிக்கப்பட்ட ஒருவரைக் கடித்த கொசு, பாதிப்பு இல்லாத மற்றொருவரைக் கடிக்கும்போது, அவருக்கும் டெங்கு பரவும். மற்றபடி தண்ணீர், காற்று, எச்சில், இருமல், தும்மல் மற்றும் தொடுதல் மூலம் இந்தக் கிருமி பரவுவது இல்லை. அதாவது மனிதனிடம் இருந்து மனிதனுக்கு இது நேரடியாகப் பரவுவது இல்லை.''

''டெங்கு காய்ச்சலின் அறிகுறிகள் என்ன?'' 

''காய்ச்சல் 104 டிகிரி பாரன்ஹீட் வரை இருக்கும். இதனுடன் சோர்வு, தீவிரமானத் தலைவலி, உடல் வலி, கண் வலி, தசைகள் மற்றும் மூட்டு வலி, வாந்தி, உடலில் அரிப்பு, எலும்பு உடைவது போன்று வலி ஆகியவை இந்த நோயின் அறிகுறிகள்.''

''இந்த அறிகுறிகள் இல்லாமலும் ஒருவருக்கு டெங்கு இருக்குமா?'' 

''ஆம், கொசு கடித்து நோய்க் கிருமி மனித உடலுக்குள் சென்று, மூன்று நாட்கள் முதல் ஏழு நாட்கள் வரை பல்கிப் பெருகும். அதனால், இந்தக் காலகட்டத்துக்குப் பிறகும்கூட டெங்கு காய்ச்சலுக்கான அறிகுறி வெளிப்படும் வாய்ப்பு உண்டு.''

''டெங்கு காய்ச்சலைக் கவனிக்காமல்விட்டால் என்ன ஆகும்?'' 

''டெங்கு காய்ச்சலை ஏழு நாள் காய்ச்சல் என்று கூறுவார்கள். நோய் பாதிப்பு ஏற்பட்டு ஏழு நாட்களில் சரியாகிவிடும். சிலருக்கு மட்டும் டெங்கு வைரஸ் மிக மோசமான பாதிப்பை ஏற்படுத்தலாம். டெங்கு வைரஸ் ரத்தத்தில் உள்ள ரத்தத் தட்டு அணுக்களை அழித்துவிடும். இந்தத் தட்டு அணுக்கள்தான் ரத்தம் உறைவதற்கு மிக முக்கியமான காரணம். ரத்தத் தட்டுக்கள் எண்ணிக்கை குறையும்போது, அது நுரையீரல், வயிறு போன்ற உறுப்புகளிலும் பல் ஈறு, சிறுநீர்ப் பாதையிலும் ரத்தக் கசிவை ஏற்படுத்தக்கூடும். உரிய மருத்துவச் சிகிச்சை கிடைக்கவில்லை எனில் உயிர் இழப்புகூட நேரிடலாம்.''

''டெங்கு காய்ச்சல் வராமல் தடுக்க தடுப்பு ஊசி, மருந்து ஏதேனும் உள்ளதா?'' 

''தடுப்பு ஊசி, மருந்து எதுவும் இது வரை கண்டுபிடிக்கப்படவில்லை. ஆரம்ப நிலையிலேயே கண்டறிந்து, சிகிச்சை எடுப்பதன் மூலம் மட்டுமே உயிர் இழப்பைத் தடுக்க முடியும்.''

''டெங்கு காய்ச்சலில் பாதிக்கப்பட்டவர்களுக்கு என்ன சிகிச்சை அளிக்கப்படும்?'' 

''டெங்கு காய்ச்சலுக்கு எனத் தனி சிகிச்சை எதுவும் இல்லை. ஆனால், இது குணமாக்கக்கூடிய காய்ச்சலே. ஒருவருக்கு ரத்தத்தில் ரத்தத் தட்டுக்களின் எண்ணிக்கை தோராயமாக ஒன்றரை லட்சம் இருக்க வேண்டும். ஆனால், டெங்கு வைரஸ் கிருமியால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டவருக்கு அது வெறும் ஆயிரமாகக்கூடக் குறைந்துவிடலாம். எனவே, தேவைப்பட்டால், ரத்தத் தட்டு எண்ணிக்கையைப் பொருத்து ரத்தம் செலுத்துதல் அல்லது ரத்தத் தட்டு அணுக்கள் செலுத்துதல் போன்ற சிகிச்சைகளை மேற்கொள்வார்கள். ஒரே விஷயம்... காலத்தைக் கடத்தாமல் சிகிச்சை அளித்துவிட வேண்டும்.''

''டெங்கு காய்ச்சல் ஒருவருக்கு ஏற்பட்டால் என்ன செய்ய வேண்டும்?'' 

''உடனடியாக அருகில் உள்ள மருத்துவமனைக்குச் சென்று ரத்தப் பரிசோதனை செய்யவேண்டும். டெங்கு பாதிப்பு உள்ளதா என்பதைக் கண்டறிய டெங்கு ஐ.ஜி.எம். எலிசா, பி.சி.ஆர். ஆகியப் பரிசோதனைகள் செய்யப்படும். பாதிப்பு இருப்பது கண்டறியப்பட்டால் மருத்துவர்கள் கூறும் வழிமுறைகளைத் தவறாமல் பின்பற்ற வேண்டும். வீட்டிலேயே நன்றாக ஓய்வெடுக்கலாம். உடலில் நீர்ச் சத்து குறையும் என்பதால், அதிக அளவில் நீர்ச் சத்து உணவுகளை எடுத்துக்கொள்ள வேண்டும். ஒருவேளை வாந்தி, வயிற்றுப்போக்கு ஏற்பட்டு நிலைமை மோசமாகத் தொடங்கினால், உடனடியாக மருத்துவமனையில் அனுமதியாகி சிகிச்சைப் பெற வேண்டும்.''

''டெங்கு காய்ச்சல் எவ்வளவு நாட்கள் வரை நீடிக்கும்?'' 

''ஏழு நாட்களில் சரியாகிவிடும். உடல் வலி, சோர்வு போன்ற இதன் பாதிப்புகளில் இருந்து இரண்டு வாரங்களில் வெளிவரலாம்.''

''டெங்கு காய்ச்சலைத் தவிர்க்க என்ன செய்ய வேண்டும்?'' 

''டெங்குவைத் தவிர்க்கக் கொசு ஒழிப்பு ஒன்றே வழி. டெங்குவைப் பரப்பும் 'ஏடிஸ் எஜிப்டி’ கொசு நன்னீரில் முட்டை இடும் என்பதால், கொசு வளர வாய்ப்பு இல்லாதவாறு சுகாதாரமாகச் சுற்றுச்சூழலைப் பராமரிக்க வேண்டும்.

வீட்டுக்குள் கொசு வர முடியாதபடி ஜன்னல்களில் கொசு வலை பொருத்தலாம். வாசலில் நீண்ட திரைச்சீலைகளைப் பயன்படுத்தலாம். கொசுவத்தி, கொசு விரட்டி, ஸ்பிரே போன்றவையும் பயன் கொடுக்கும்.

  வீட்டுச் சுவர்கள் மீது 'டி.டி.டி.’ மருந்தைத் தெளித்தால் கொசுக்கள் ஒழியும். வீட்டைச் சுற்றியும், தெருவோரச் சாக்கடையிலும் 'டெல்டாமெத்திரின்’ மருந்தைத் தெளிப்பது பலன் கொடுக்கும். ஜன நெருக்கடி மிகுந்த குடியிருப்புகளில், 1000 கன அடி இடத்திற்கு 4 அவுன்ஸ் 'கிரிசாலை’ப் புகையை செலுத்துவதும் கொசுக்களை விரட்ட உதவும்.

இவை எல்லாவற்றுடன், சுற்றுப்புறச் சுத்தம் முக்கியம்!''

டெங்கு காய்ச்சல் தடுக்க...

வீட்டைச் சுற்றிலும் தண்ணீர் தேங்கவிடாதீர்கள். தெருவில் தண்ணீர் தேங்கியிருந்தால் சுகாதார ஊழியர்கள் வந்து அகற்றுவதற்குக் காத்திருக்காமல், நீங்களே தண்ணீரை அகற்றுங்கள்.

கை, கால் முழுக்க மறைக்கும் பருத்தி ஆடைகளை அணியலாம். கொசு எதிர்ப்புக் களிம்பைப் பூசிக்கொள்ளுங்கள்.

குடிநீரைக் காய்ச்சி வடிகட்டிக் குடியுங்கள்.

காய்ச்சல் வந்தால் உடனே செய்ய வேண்டியது... 

டெங்கு அறிகுறி தெரிந்தால், சிறிதும் தாமதம் இன்றி உடனடியாக மருத்துவரை அணுகி, ரத்தப் பரிசோதனை செய்து கொள்ளுங்கள்.

டெங்கு காய்ச்சல் உடலில் நீர்ச் சத்தைக் குறைத்துவிடும். உடலின் நீர் இழப்பைத் தடுக்க இளநீர், கஞ்சி, உப்பு-சர்க்கரைக் கரைசல் போன்ற நீராகாரமாக அதிகம் எடுத்துக்கொள்ள வேண்டும்.

எப்படிப் பரவாது... 

ஒருவரை ஒருவர் தொடுவதால் டெங்கு பரவாது. தும்மல், இருமல் மூலமும் இது பரவாது.

நன்றி - டாக்டர் விகடன்