Apply workplace safety

Introducton

This learning outcome specifes the competences required to apply work place safety, learn

causes of accidents and how to prevent them.Performance Standard

❑ Correct PPE are identfed and selected in line with safety requirements.

❑ Workshop safety are applied in line with the workshop rules and regulatons

❑ First Aid is carried out according to the standard operatng procedures

❑ Workshop hazards are classifed in accordance with OSHA

Personal Protectve Equipment (PPE)

Meaning and purpose of PPE

Personal protectve equipment (PPE) is protectve clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments

or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infecton. The hazardsaddressed by
protectve equipment include physical, electrical, heat, chemicals, biohazards, and airborne partculate
matter.

Types of PPE

Depending on the job task to be performed, PPE for the electric power industry generally

includes safety glasses, face shields, hard hats, safety shoes, insulatng (rubber) gloves with

leather protectors, insulatng sleeves, and fame-resistant (FR) clothing

Safe and correct handling of diferent types of PPE

The PPE must be inspected for defects every tme it is put on. Look for symmetry; does each

side look like a mirror image of the other or is one side distorted? Are there any broken, bent,

frayed or torn pieces? Are the lenses scratched so they are hard to see through? Is the elastc stll

springy or is it stretched out? In additon to visual inspecton as above, insulatng gloves,

sleeves and blankets for electrical workers must be electrically tested. All must be tested prior to

inital use, and then every months thereafer for gloves, and every 2 months for sleeves and blankets.
PPE should be clean. If dirty
, clean it with soap and warm water. Do not use solvents or abrasives to clean it. Store it out of sunlight
in an area where it will be protected and kept clean. Replace reusable PPE every -5 years, earlier if
recommended by the manufacturer or if there is a major impact. Replace any defectve parts with parts
made by the same manufacturer for that equipment. Do not make makeshif repairs. If it cannot be
repaired properly, replace it.

Do not use paint or glue on PPE. Use decals or stckers to mark it.

Safety and Environmental Regulatons

Workshop safety

The safety in Workshops has been written not only to provide appropriate safety procedures but

also to assist trained workshop personnel with the provision of a reference document outlining

the general principles of safe working practces relevant to the mechanical engineering aspects.

It relates to specifc areas where defnite safety measures are required for workshop operatons

Factories Act and Accident

Various acts relatng to accidents are spelt out in workmen’s compensaton Act-29 3. The

factories act-2948 and Fatal Accidents Act-2855. These acts describe the regulatons for fencing

and guarding the dangerous machinery, items and employer’s liabilites.

Introducton to workshop safety

A workshop is where you learn to use tools and machines to make things; It can be a dangerous

place, so you must learn the safety rules for the workshop.

The safety rules tell you how to dress appropriately and how to behave whilst working with tools that
may cause harm. You must never play in the workshop, run around or throw equipment to one another

Personal safety:

The basic dress rules that you should always follow are:

i. Proper clothing.

You must not wear loose clothes that can be caught in moving machinery. You must wear tght ffng
overalls.

ii. Proper eye protecton.

You must always wear goggles to protect your eyes while you are working in the workshop.
iii. Remove te and jewelry.

Ties, watches, rings and other jewelers increase the chance of gefng caught by moving

machinery. You must remove them before entering the workshop.

iv. Cut or secure long hair. Long hair is also dangerous as it may be caught by the machine and

pulls you into it.

v. Proper shoes. You must not wear sandals or sof shoe inside the workshop as they will not

protect your feet from falling objects. A safety shoes (steel-toe shoes) will protect your feet if you
accidentally drop something.

vi. The way you dress in the workshop is very important for your safety, always be sure to wear

properly and encourage your friends to do the same.

General workshop safety

It’s essental to be aware of and able to foresee the dangers which exist in the workshop and are

likely to afect your health and safety.

You should make sure that your workspace is as safe as possible so that few dangers arise.

i) Use the appropriate protectve clothing and equipment to minimize the risk of accident

ii) Act in a safe manner at all tmes.

General Safety Precautons while Working in a Workshop

. One should not leave the machine ON even afer the power is OFF and untl it has stopped

running completely. Someone else may not notce that the machine is stll in moton and be injured

ii. Operator should not talk to other industrial persons when he is operatng a machine

iii One should not operate any machine unless authorized to do so by the authorize person in the shop

Iv One should not try to stop the machine with hands or body

V Only trained operator should operate machine or switches as far as possible

Vi No one should run in the shop at work tme.

Vii Always wear overcoat or apron

Vii Wash your hands thoroughly afer working to remove oils, abrasive partcles,
cufng fuid, etc

ix Keep the work area clean

X Always work in proper lightng.

Xi On should not lean against the machines

Concept of accident

It is very difcult to give a defniton of the word ‘Accident’. However, a generally

accepted concepton that an accident is a mishap, a disaster that results in some sort of

injury, to men, machines or tools and equipment and in general loss to the organizaton.

The said injury or loss may be of minor or major nature and the accident is termed as

non-reportable or reportable. For example, a small cut on the body will be reportable

accident in a training workshop. It can be treated by frst aid and does not involve any

appreciable loss of tme, and will not be considered a reportable accident in a producton unit

Causes of accidents

The 98% accidents could be easily avoided provided due precautons are taken well in tme.

A very familiar slogan goes on to say that accidents do not just happen but are caused due to

the failure of one element or the other, and the most unfortunate factor is that the human

element is the most pronounced of all which fail.

The common causes which lead to accidents are the following:

2. Unsafe working positon.

. Improper or defectve tools or their improper use.

3. Improper acts- which result in violaton of safety rules and non-observance of safety precautons.

Causes of accidents

2. Causes due to human beings

This is due to overconfdence, loss of interest, fatgue (contnuous work without rest),

monotony, unnecessary emoton which diverts concentraton on the work being done hence

resultng to accidents.

b Ignorance

An operator must understand the users and the functon of his machine equipment

Unsuitable PPEs in working areas

Personnel should wear clothing which will provide protecton against dangers in areas where they work.
That is:

i. Safety Shoes/boots. They should be a type which provides protecton against slippery

conditons.

They should be strong enough in the feet to prevent injury from hurtng objects e.g. safety

boots.

ii. Gloves- They should be worn where there are risks when harming sharp objects whether

inside or outside buildings.

iii. Safety glass

Safety glasses or goggles should be worn where there’s likely of danger to the eyes, such as

using drills, grinding machines etc.

d) Untdiness

i. Keep all passage ways clear and clean.

ii. Circular rods if stepped upon can cause nasty falls.

iii. Keep the workshop foor free from grease and oils.

. Contributng causes
a) Unsatsfactory hand tools like being worn out without handles

i. Hammers with loose handles or crippled faces should never be used.

ii. Chisels with burred heads are dangerous as broken pieces from the edges may fy of andbcause
injury.

iii. Files should have tght handles to prevent accidents to the hands.

iv. Spanners which ft incorrectly will slip and can result I n damaging fngers.

v. When drilling always ensure that the work is securely held in a vice or otherwise securely clamped.

b)Unsatsfactory machines

i. That is being insufciently spaced, unguarded, broken, improperly adjusted, insufciently

lubricated and being too small or weak for the job being undertaken.

ii. All machines are properly guarded, all abrasive wheels are kept in good conditon and run at safe
speeds.

iii. Don’t attempt to adjust or remove by hand a belt on a rotatng shaf.

iv. don’ t allows idle belt to rest on rotatng shaf and don’ t attempt to oil overhead shafing

C)Should never be overloaded.

Physical conditon of personnel while working like before lifing equipment ensure that the weight is
within your capability to handle. A base that anything used for lifing is serviceable and in good working
conditon chains, hooks etc.

Common sources of accidents

The large number of machines in use and an even larger number of parts. This can be regarded as
sources of danger and require guarding for protecton against accidents

Types of hazards

Electric shock

Passage of current through the body of such magnitude as to have signifcant harmful efect.

Touching live and earth or live and neutral makes a person part of the electrical circuit and canlead to an
electric shock.

i. Electric shock occurs when a person becomes part of the electrical circuit.
ii. One gets electric shock when he or she is in contact with two objects that are at diferent potentals.

iii. The person completes the circuit to earth and the current fows through him

Electrical safety

i. Electrical cannot be seen we only see the efect due to it.

ii. Because of this care must be taken when using electricity. There are two main causes of accidents due
to electricity.

These are:

i. Carelessness: this arises because of laxity. When electricians have worked for long period,

they tend to assume the high standards of safety required and start to maintain equipment

when it’ s live and as a result an accident can easily occur.

ii. Ignorance and inexperience. Most of the electrical tasks appear very simple when carried

out by well-trained electricians. When unqualifed personnel attempt to do the same they are

usually unable and they leave the tasks uncompleted. This is dangerous to the others. The

safety precauton in any electrical installaton is to:

a) Prevent electric shock

b)Prevent the occurrence of fre due to electrical fres.

The damage done to the human body will depend on the following factors:

i. Voltage between the two points

ii. The amount of current fowing

iii The tme taken for the current to fow

Also, the level or intensity of the shock will depend upon factors, such as age, ftness and the
circumstances in which the shock is received. The lethal level is approximately 50 mA, above

which muscles contract, the heart futters and breathing stops. A shock above the 50-mA level is

therefore fatal unless the person is quickly separated from the supply. Below 50 mA only an
unpleasant tngling sensaton may be experienced or you may be thrown across a room, roof or

ladder, but the resultng fall may lead to serious injury.

Two ways in which one can be at risk of electric shock

i. Touching live parts of equipment or systems that are intended to be live.

ii. Touching conductve parts which are not meant to be live, but have become live due to a fault

Basic electrical protecton against shock

i. Insulate any live parts.

ii. Ensure that any uninsulated live parts are housed in suitable enclosures and/or are behind barriers.

iii. Place obstacles in the way. (This method would only be used in areas where skilled and/or

authorized persons were involved.)

iv. Placing live parts out of reach. (Once again, only used in special circumstances, e.g., live

rails of overhead travelling cranes.)

v. A residual current device (RCD) may be used as additonal protecton to any of the other

measures taken, provided that it is rated at 30 mA or less and has an operatng tme of not

more than 40ms at a test current of fve tmes its operatng current. It should be noted that

RCDs are not the panacea for all electrical ills, they can malfuncton, but they are a valid

and efectve backup to the other methods. They must not be used as the sole means ofprotecton.

The methods used to prevent electric shock are;

i. Earthing the metallic and any equipment within the installaton

ii. Using all the insulated wiring systems

Treatment of electric shock

If somebody get electric shock, the immediate acton should be:

i. Switch of the supply

iii. Seek medical assistance

iv. Treat the burns or injuries.

v. Keep the victm warm

Fire precautons

Fire is a great danger in a workshop and care must be taken not to start a fre. The main causes

of fre are:

i. Careless storage of fammable materials.

ii. Careless electrical maintenance.

iii. People throwing away cigarettes

First aid

First aid is the inital assistance or treatment given to a casualty for any injury or sudden illness

before the arrival of an ambulance, doctor or other medically qualifed person.

A frst aider is someone who has undergone a training course to administer frst aid at work and

holds a current frst aid certfcate

Some of the items that are found in a First-Aid Box

i. Pair of scissors

ii. Large size sterilized dressings

iii. Medium size sterilized dressings

v. Large size burn dressings

vi. Packets of sterilized cotton wool

vii. Rolled bandages 20 cm wide

viiiRolled bandages 5 cm wide

ix. Bottle (4 oz) of salvolatve having the doze and made 2 of administraton indicated on

label

x. Safety pins

xi. Eye drops

xii. Adhesive plaster

xiii. bottles containing KMnO4 crystals, etc.

xiv.4 bottles containing a % alcoholic soluton

xv. Betadine ointment (50mg)

xvi.Slaframine ointment (50mg)

xvii. Dettol

Methods of resuscitaton

If the person is in contact with the live conductors then the frst thing is to break the contact.

care must be taken in order not electrocute yourself.

Try to switch of the supply or to unplug the equipment incase it’s a portable tool e.g., a drill.

Under no circumstances should you attempt to touch the person. It may be possible to detach

the person by pulling or pushing him/her by using insulated object e.g. an insulated cable

looped rounded the victms arm or body using a dry wooden pole.
Afer the victm is removed from the live contacts provide artfcial respiraton by using any of

the following methods

i. Mouth to mouth

ii. Holger-Nelson

Mouth -mouth

In this method, the patent must be on his back and his mouth should be inspected for any

obstructons e.g., false teeth.

i. The patent head should be extended by placing one hand on his crown and the other

immediately beneath his chin.

ii. Gently bend his head backwards and then using his both hands, lif his jaw forward.

iii. Place your lips over the patents’ mouth and make a good seal with the thumb and one fore

fnger of one hand gently close the patent nostrils.

iv. Take a deep breath and exhale into the patent using little force.

v. Watch and feel the patent’s chest rise. Remove your lips and let the lungs defate.

vi. The above procedure should be repeated twelve tmes per minute remembering to turn

away your head as you don’t fll your own lungs with the patents expired air.

vii. Contnue infaton and depleton of the lungs untl spontaneous breathing is maintained

Holger and Neilson.

i. The patent should be placed face downwards with the arm overhead, the elbows fexed so

that one hand rests on the other in turn.

one side of the patents head and put the foot of your other leg near his elbow.

iii. Place your hands on his back just below the shoulder blades and rock forwards with your

elbow straight untl your arms are approximately vertcal, exertng- steady pressure on his chest.

iv. Grasp the patent’s arms just above the elbow and rock backwards raising his arms untl

tension is felt at the patent’s shoulder lower his arms.

v. The complete cycle should be repeated twelve tmes a minute.

vi. This method is practcal only when there’s no gross injury to the arms shoulder and the ribs.