INTRODUCTION

TO SAFETY

SAFETY is the state of being "safe" the condition of being

protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial,
political,
emotional,
occupational,
psychological,
educational or other types or consequences of failure,
damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event which
could be considered non-desirable.

SAFETY can also be defined to be the control of recognized

hazards to achieve an acceptable level of risk. This can take
the form of being protected from the event or from
exposure to something that causes health or economical
losses. It can include protection of people or of possessions.

Types of SAFETY
Normative

safety

Normative safety is when a product or design meets applicable design

standards and protection.

Substantive

safety

Substantive, or objective safety occurs when the real-world safety

history is favourable, whether or not standards are met .

Perceived

safety

Perceived, or subjective safety refers to the level of comfort of users.

For example, traffic signals are perceived as safe, yet under some
circumstances, they can increase traffic crashes at an intersection. Traffic
roundabouts have a generally favorable safety record yet often make drivers
nervous.

 Security

Also called social safety or public safety,

security is the risk of harm due to intentional
criminal acts such as assault, burglary or vandalism.
Because of the moral issues involved, security
is of higher importance to many people than
substantive safety.

SAFETY MEASURES

Chemical analysis

Destructive testing of samples

Drug testing of employees, etc.

Examination of activities by specialists to minimize physical

stress or increase productivity

Geological surveys to determine whether land or water sources

are polluted, how firm the ground is at a potential building site,
etc.

Government regulation so suppliers know what standards their

product is expected to meet.

Industry regulation so suppliers know what level of quality is

expected. Industry regulation is often imposed to avoid potential
government regulation.

Instruction manuals explaining how to use a product or

perform an activity

Instructional videos demonstrating proper use of products*

Root cause analysis to identify causes of a system failure and
correct deficiencies.

Periodic evaluations of employees, departments, etc.

Physical examinations to determine whether a person has a

physical condition that would create a problem.

Safety margins/Safety factors. For instance, a product rated

to never be required to handle more than 200 pounds might
be designed to fail under at least 400 pounds, a safety factor
of two. Higher numbers are used in more sensitive
applications such as medical or transit safety.

Self-imposed regulation of various types.

Implementation of standard protocols and procedures so that

activities are conducted in a known way.

Statements of ethics by industry organizations or an individual

company so its employees know what is expected of them.

Stress testing subjects a person or product to stresses in excess of

those the person or product is designed to handle, to determining the
"breaking point".

Training of employees, vendors, product users

Visual examination for dangerous situations such as emergency exits

blocked because they are being used as storage areas.

Visual examination for flaws such as cracks, peeling, loose

connections.

X-ray analysis to see inside a sealed object such as a weld, a cement

wall or an airplane outer skin.

PROCEDURE IN HAZARD ANALYSIS IN

THE WORKPLACE
Task

hazard analysis is a technique used to assess

health and safety hazards associated with
particular tasks or jobs and to identify possible
controls. A task hazard analysis systematically
breaks down the work/project into its basic
components. This allows the hazards at each step
to be thoroughly evaluated and leads to
conclusions about procedures needed to eliminate
or control the hazards.

BASIC STEPS IN HAZARD ANALYSIS IN

THE WORKPLACE
1. Selecting the Task to be Analyzed:
Tasks should be prioritized to ensure the most
critical are examined first. When prioritizing task factors
to be considered include:
injury frequency and severity;
potential for severe injuries;
new/modified tasks; and
infrequently performed tasks.

2. Breaking the Task into Steps

This portion of the analysis, is usually done by
observing a person performing the task. The person should
be experienced, and perform the task under normal
conditions. The inspector should explain to the person,
the reason for the observation, and make it clear that the
task, not the individual is being observed. The breakdown
of the task into steps should be discussed with the
supervisor and the person to ensure no steps have been
missed.

3. Identifying Potential Hazards

Recognizing a workplace hazard is the first step in overcoming it.
But health and safety hazards are not always obvious. Hazard
recognition means:
identifying potential hazards in the workplace;
identifying the adverse effects that may be associated with
these hazards;
determining whether there is a possibility of people being
exposed or affected.
Hazard assessment is a process of evaluating an identified
workplace hazard. The assessment covers equipment, process and
work
procedures.
An
assessment
considers
which
workers/students, if any, are exposed -- or likely to be exposed -to an identified hazard and for how long.

4. Determining Preventative Measures

Recognition and assessment prepare the way
for control or elimination of a hazard. Where an
assessment finds that a hazard is likely to
adversely affect a worker/student, some form of
control is needed.

HOUSEKEEPING