04-07-2012, 12:34 PM
Accident Prevention
Accident Prevention.ppt (Size: 390.5 KB / Downloads: 155)
Objectives of this Topic
To outline the difference between reactive and pro-active means of accident prevention.
To provide a general overview of the different types of accident prevention measures common in industry today.
To define the hierarchy of risk control.
Accident Prevention
Requires the creation and maintenance of a safe working environment, and the promotion of safe behaviour.
Originally a reactive process - waiting for accidents or ill health to happen and then devising and implementing a prevention control.
Unsafe Acts & Conditions in Quarries
Unsafe Acts
Operating equipment at improper speeds
Operating equipment with authority
Using equipment improperly
Using defective equipment
Failure to wear PPE
Taking and improper working position
Servicing equipment in motion
Defeating safety devices
Unsafe Conditions
Inadequate guards
Defective tools or equipment
Congestion of working area
Poor housekeeping
Excessive noise
Poor illumination
Poor ventilation
Operating Procedures
Most common form of control measure
In some cases the only practical way of managing a particular risk.
Should allow for methodical execution of tasks.
Should address the hazards that have been identified in the risk assessment.
Requirement of law - Section 10 of the Quarry Regulations, 1999, it is ‘the duty of the quarry operator to ensure that rules and procedures are in place for reasons of health and safety’.
A Safe System of Work
Eliminates identified hazards and controls others.
Plans to achieve the controlled completion of the work with minimum risk.
Fundamental to accident prevention.
Should fully document the hazards, precautions and safe working methods.
Permits to Work (PTW)
Formal ‘safe system of work’
Not generally used for low risk operations.
Permit to Work Systems are required by Regulation 18 of the Quarry Regulations, 1999.
Permit to Work
The essential elements of a PTW scheme are:
Full explanation of the hazards involved to the workforce.
The work to be carried out is properly detailed and understood by both sides.
The area in which the work to be carried out is properly detailed and understood by both sides.
The area is which the work is to be carried out is clearly identified and made safe, or the hazards are highlighted.
The workmen must sign the permit to say that they fully understand the work that is to be carried out, and the hazards and potential risks to be faced.
When the work is finished, the workmen must sign off the permit to say that they have completed the specified work and left the operation in a suitable state.
Training
Training helps people acquire the skills, knowledge and attitudes to make them competent in the health and safety aspects of their work.
There are generally two types of safety training:-
Specific safety training (or on the job training) for tasks of a specific nature.
Planned training, such as general safety training, induction training, management training, skill training or refresher courses, that are planned by the organisation.
Personnel Protective Equipment
Personnel protective equipment (PPE) may be broadly divided as follows:
Hearing protection.
Respiratory protection.
Eye and face protection.
Protective clothing.
PPE does nothing to stop the hazard at source, but simply provides protection to reduce the severity of the potential accident.
It is only an effective control if worn and so any organisation which provides for the issue of PPE should:
Carry adequate stock.
Enable accessibility at appropriate times.
Respond to changing demands.
Have a system for exchanging equipment.
Be managed to ensure its effective running.
Hierarchy of Control Measures
Eliminate risk by substituting the dangerous for the less dangerous, e.g.
Use less hazardous substances.
Substitute a type of machine which is better guarded to make the same product.
Avoid the use of certain processes.
Combat risks at source by engineering controls and giving collective protective measures priority, e.g:
Separate the operator from the risk of exposure to a known hazardous substance by enclosing the process.
Protect the dangerous parts of a machine by guarding.
Design process machinery and work activities to minimise the release, or to suppress or contain airborne hazards.
Design machinery which is remotely operated and to which materials are fed automatically, thus separating the operator from danger areas.
Designing suitable systems of working
Using personal protective clothing and equipment, this should only be used as a last resort.
The hierarchy reflects an increased reliability in risk elimination and control by the use of physical engineering controls and safeguards compared to reliance on employees.