Driverless cars might soon become mainstream as more transport companies are considering employing the new technology or even doing their research. While the idea of no longer depending on manual navigation seems fairly attractive, one cannot dismiss the risks related to self-driving cars. The infrastructure as it is now is not precisely apt for the use of driverless vehicles en masse. Every human driver is well aware of how unpredictable road trips might be, even if he or she takes a familiar route.
While the human brain is flexible and can process unanticipated events, hardware and software can only deal with the situations that they are programmed to handle. A sudden change of weather such as a storm or heavy rainfall might render a driverless car, if not useless, then at least erratic and potentially dangerous in its functioning. The main problem is that the technology might not be robust enough to consider all the possibilities. However, in the future, the application of machine learning might as well make driverless cars safer and their systems smarter in a way that they would mimic human reactions to unpredicted events.
Another way to make driverless cars safer is to render preliminary training obligatory. Humans tend to perform poorly when they think that they can depend on an automated system. Such an attitude is nothing unnatural, and yet, it might pose an accident risk. For instance, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, the fatal Tesla crash in Florida in 2016 was caused by the drivers over-reliance on automation.
He grew unengaged and inattentive to the road, which resulted in the accident that took his life. Evidently, a self-driving car might be a completely new experience even for a skilled driver. He or she would still have to monitor the work of the system and report errors when necessary, which takes some time and effort. All this could be explained in specialized classes, which would be mandatory in order to gain a license to own a self-driving car.
A question arises as to whether driverless cars are even worth developing and deploying given the current challenges. There are definite benefits to owning a self-driving vehicle, such as the ability to do other things while commuting. A person no longer has to concentrate on the road and can manage his or her time more efficiently. Second, driverless cars might make the lives of the elderly and disabled much more manageable by helping them run their daily errands without depending on others. Nevertheless, people will only get to enjoy the advantages of this new technology after better design solutions are applied, and accurate testing is conducted.
A measurement strategy is a model that is meant to improve the safety of patients. The model explains what we want to accomplish, how to monitor change and determine whether it is making any changes and the modifications that can be employed to ensure that improvements are made (Kilbourne et al., 2018). The model can be summarized through a PDSA cycle that involves a plan, do, study and act.
Outcome Measures
First, the outcome measures the Customers voice that entails a definition of how the system is performing its work through the different components that are specified by the system. Process measure is another which determines the work process of a system. Is the system performing the tasks as we expected it to do? Finally, the balancing measures that will give an explanation of what will happen to the system when improving the outcome and the process measures. It covers the consequences that were not anticipated and how the system will tackle them.
Chart showing how the surgical infection data will be collected and the corresponding balance measure
Step 1: Plan
A plan on how to take the measurement and the steps that could lead to a successful recording period.
When taking the measurement, the system should be specific about the methods and the equipment used.
Criteria for exclusions for the decision made are identified.
Data is clear and unambiguous.
In planning, the first step is to carry out research on the proposed system to record data for patients in the health center using the GP data system. The system mainly deals with the patients data to ensure that change is observed after its implementation. The data will be collected in hospital using the system during the implementation time. The main objective of the system is to ensure that data from patients is used to make a change in the health of the patients to ensure health living. Different types of fact-finding techniques are employed to ensure that all the data is recorded. This includes data collection forms, control charts, survey methods and run charts.
Measurement Strategy
Measure
Operational definition
Data collection Clinical search system
Summary reported frequency
Taking measurement of patients that are described as NSAID previously for the past 4 months and also prescribed as having gastro-intestinal protective drugs for 4 months. ( target 98%)
A number of more than 70 was diagnosed an oral NSAID for the last 4months and also were under gastrointestinal medication in the past 4
The GP data system Clinical search system
The data is analyzed on a monthly basis
Prescription of patients with a long-time history of ulcers and were under medication for the las 4 months.(target 98%)
Prescription of patients with a long history with peptic ulcers and were under oral NSAID for the past 4 months
GP data system Clinical search system
Daily basis
Describing the number of patients CkD 3-5 and are described to be under oral NSAID for the past 4 months. (target = 10%)
Description of patients who are discovered to be suffering from CKD 3-5 for the past 3months.
GP data system Clinical search system
Weekly basis
Patients prescribed to be suffering from amiodarone for the last 6months. (target = 95%)
Patients prescribed amiodarone for the last 4months and were discovered for the last 7 months.
GP data system
Monthly basis
Step 2: Do
This step is concerned with implementing the changes observed that was not part of the plan in implementing the data collection method. First, the system needs to be set to analyze data of the patients and record the status of the corresponding patient to determine whether there is an improvement or the different conditions are worsening (Kilbourne et al., 2018). Consequently, the data should be stored for a long period of time to ensure that the progress of the health facility is noted to be able to determine its state. There are some things that went wrong during data collection such as misinterpretation of data and hence a change was necessary for accurate reference in the future.
Step 3: Study
Mapping of measures
label
Measure
Collection
Source
O1
Result
Weight (kgs)
Everyday
P1
Progress
Calories intake measured
everyday
P2
Progress
Cardio minutes completed
Each week
P3
Progress
Lifting heavy weight
Each week
P4
Progress
The support meetings were attended
Each week
B1
Balancing
Satisfied with the lifestyle
Monthly
Analysis of data based on current knowledge
Comparison of data is made based on the current system that seeks to make a change in the patients health. First daily records are taken seriously and each patient will be required that data filled into the system. The measures taken are to ensure that any slight change in the health of the patient is recorded and that analyzing the change through the measurement of weight each day leads to a positive improvement. The balancing phase ensures the service user is satisfied with the changes being made and that the system is making a positive impact on their lives. It ensures that the patient is satisfied with the life he leads each day after every month.
Step 4: Act
The main objective of the system was to ensure that change is realized by the users of the system and is more useful than when it was not available. The people who will be affected by the system are mostly the ones living with the lifestyle diseases such as obesity. The system will enable them to overcome lifestyle dangers associated with the infections, such as high blood pressure. Over the recent months, there have been positive results recorded after employing the system. From the weight measurement taken daily, there was a record in reduction of weight. The dangers of some lifestyle diseases were greatly reduced due to the effect of exercise
However, there are some measures that need to be implemented to ensure that everyone adheres to the system rules strictly. Some changes that need to be made include, recording the outcomes of the different data more often. Majority of the data was taken on a weekly basis. To ensure that the system is more convenient, the data collection exercise will remind the users to be engaged in the system requirements. Consequently, the systems efficiency will be determined by applying it more often, and changes of its inefficiency will be determined. In the next phase of data collection, the system will include the resolution that was made from the current phase.
Reference
Kilbourne, A. M., Beck, K., SpaethRublee, B., Ramanuj, P., OBrien, R. W., Tomoyasu, N., & Pincus, H. A. (2018). Measuring and improving the quality of mental health care: A global perspective. World Psychiatry, 17(1), 30-38.
Fire is a common hazard for any business or premises. The Ras Laffan Emergency and Safety College focuses on training different cadres on fire and safety management. Due to this, it is prudent that the Ras Laffan Emergency and Safety College develop and adhere to this Fire Safety Management Plan. The Ras Laffan Emergency and Safety College was well built with numerous emergency exits. The compound has many visual fire and safety management messages and warnings. Additionally, it has a comprehensive alarm system. Apart from these, there is a need for a comprehensive fire safety management plan for the school. The college offers courses on fire and safety measures, thus, should also abide by the protocols of the same stipulated in the Qatar Civil Defense Department Fire Safety Guidelines. This plan, thus, should be adhered to in the event of any fire within the premises.
Fire Safety Policy Statement
The Ras Laffan Emergency and Safety College will maintain fire prevention strategies based on the size of the premises and the number of people it holds, provide detailed information to all the people in the premises at all times of fire evacuation strategies, and conduct fire risk assessments frequently and as deemed practicable.
Fire Safety Management Structure
There are three main things that should be included in a fire management structure. These three plans are maintenance, staff training and fire action plans (Purkiss and Li 19). The following chart details the fire safety management structure for the Ras Laffan Emergency and Safety College.
Chart 1: Fire Safety Management Structure.
Evacuation Strategies
The security office will be in charge of drills, which will be done twice every month. The evacuation strategies include what to do and what not to do during a fire outbreak.
What To Do
Stop what you are doing and move to the closest exit
Pull any fire alarms you see on your way out
Use the stairs
Lower your head if there is smoke in the building
Head to the fire assembly point
Staff should help people living with disabilities get to the nearest exit
Remain calm and contact your fire response contact person from the fire assembly point
What Not To Do
Do not run
Do not start packing your items
Do not use the lifts or escalators
Do not yell or cause panic
Do not close doors behind you
Do not attempt to put off the fire
Do not attempt to search and rescue for friends
Emergency Response
The emergency response plan seeks to ensure there is minimum loss of property and less danger to life in case of a fire outbreak (Hamel 102). This response will guide the process in the case of a fire incident. This section provides details on protective measures for safety during a fire outbreak.
Single stages or two staged evacuation should be initiated based on the source and extent of fire.
The evacuated should gather at the fire assembly point where a roll call will be taken. It is prudent that both students and staff respond to the roll call swiftly to allow the fire managers to know if there is anyone lost in the building.
A portable clinic will be placed near the fire assembly point at all times to ensure anyone in need of medical services has access to them on time.
The building affected by the fire will be locked down until investigations on what caused the fire are completed.
Fire Alarm and Detection
The school has both visual and audible alarms as required by the Qatar Civil Defense Department Fire Safety Guidelines (IFPO 21).
The alarms should be installed according to the requirements documented in the Qatar Civil Defense Department Fire Safety Guidelines (Katodrytis & Mitchell 71).
The fire alarm and detection systems will be deemed complete if they can initiate on their own, notify the right people and control the fire (Walker 24).
The alarms should be serviced and maintained regularly to ensure full function.
Sprinkler System
The sprinkler system college has an automatic sprinkler system. The sprinkler system initiates immediately smokes starts to appear. Since the alarm and sprinkler systems are not tied, students and staff should be notified whenever any of the two systems go off anywhere in the premises.
Fire Prevention and Arson Awareness
Visual fire signs and signals should be clearly placed in different strategic places around the school to increase awareness levels of students and staff on what to do and what not to do in case of a fire (Barnes 15).
Students and staff should be trained on fire safety measures. These lessons should include the implications of arson as provided by the Qatar Civil Defense Department Fire Safety Guidelines.
Drills should include lessons on both fire prevention and arson awareness
Routine Procedures for Staff
Staff must:
Fully understand the fire and safety management plan
Willingly participate in any drills that take place in the premises
Know and can easily identify the fire wardens within the premises
Know all exits of the different buildings in the campus
Allow and encourage students to adhere to the fire safety management plan in the case of a drill or actual fire
Adhere to the No Smoking rules
Selection and Control of Materials
There should be minimum highly flammable materials in the premises
All highly flammable materials should be stored in a separate and fire proof place within the premises
Maintenance and Testing of Fire Safety Systems
Fire alarm systems should be tested two times every month through drills.
Fire alarm systems should be serviced and maintained at least thrice annually and as deemed practicable based on the results of the monthly tests.
Contracts and fire marshals should be on call at all times for maintenance and servicing.
Decorations, Alterations and Extensions
Any decorations, alterations and extensions should adhere to the fire and safety management plan and the Qatar Civil Defense Department Fire Safety Guidelines.
The alterations and extensions should be included in the schools design (blueprints).
Any new decorations, alterations and extensions should be well documented.
Notices of new decorations, extensions and alterations should be sent out to all statutory bodies and parties involved in fire and safety management immediately.
Staff Training and Fire Drills
All staff will be trained on the fire and safety management plan
Identified staff will be trained on the use of the fire equipment installed in the campus
Identified staff will be trained on proper evacuation of all persons within the premises in case a fire breaks out
Identified staff will be trained on registration and taking roll calls at the fire assembly point after a fire incident
Fire Risk Assessments
It is crucial that all staff and students know about the hazards located within the premises
All hazards should have a visual marker of the same
The school will implement a risk based approach in dealing with any fire incidents. This means that all hazards, and their potential risks, should be taken into account during drills and training exercises for fire emergency preparedness (Furness and Muckett 13).
Fire risk assessments will be conducted once every month for the larger school. Each department will carry fire assessments twice each month.
The following will serve as standard guidelines for any fire risk assessment
Identification of all hazards in the area/classroom/department
Identify who might be injured (and how) in case of a fire
Evaluation of risks and their possible frequency
Identification of precautions for the risks identified
Documentation of findings and recommendations.
Implementation of recommendations.
Monitoring and review of the risk assessment.
Record Keeping
Record keeping is relevant for both incident reporting, future reference and will also act as a precaution strategy. Here are guidelines to follow for record keeping.
All fire incidents, regardless the extent, should be documented fully.
All incidents should be recorded not later than seven days after investigations have been concluded.
All incidents under investigation should be completed and documented with full reports not later than one month after the incident.
All reports will be kept by the Security Manager, who has authority to distribute the reports to relevant parties.
All requests for documentation pertaining to any fire incidents have to be made officially through the Security office.
The Security Manager has not more than three days to respond to any requests made for documentation or reports about specific fire incidents.
The Security Manager reserves the right to accept or decline requests for documentation on specific fire incidents.
Audit and Updating of this Manual
Below are Key Performance Indicators that will be used to evaluate the success of this fire and safety management plan.
Number of reports provided monthly on fire risk assessments
Number of drills done on a monthly basis
Number of reported incidents every month
Number of staff trained on fire and safety management
Number of hazards identified and marked
Number of signs put up
Number of times alarm was serviced on a yearly basis
Number of reviews and updates made on this document on a yearly basis.
Works Cited
Barnes, C. James. A Guide to Business Continuity Planning. John Wiley & Sons, 2001.
Furness, Andrew, and Martin, Muckett. Introduction to Fire Safety Management. Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007.
Aerospace engineers designing spacecraft and missile systems do most of their tasks in workshops. The profession value accuracy in handling tools and taking measurements of specific materials. However, in some cases, the specialists are exposed to mild accidents that can escalate to more significant risks if not controlled. Such accidents originate from chemical spillage, fire outbreaks, electric shock, and tool default. Nevertheless, the experts undergo training to enhance the precautions and procedures for handling workplace accidents. I think digital drawings are essential in aerospace engineering; however, the job is risky based on the types of accidents attached to the profession. In my view, uncontrolled accidents in engineering can be reduced through active training of new workers in risk management, techniques of safety measuring, and conceptualizing projection concepts.
Discussion
Aerospace engineers encounter different forms of accidents in their workspaces. The fitting of safety equipment and exposure of workers to preventive measures to reduce accidents in engineering workshops does not limit the occurrence of such risks. According to Sahu (2022, p.187), the differences in the types of accidents, demand varying procedures in controlling extra damages. In the event of a fire outbreak in offices, people are recommended to raise the alarm, summon fire brigades, and evacuate the building in this chronological order. The evacuation policy of workshop fires requires experts to switch off operating devices to minimize further fire hazards (Hopkin et al., 2022, p.53). Workers should not regain entrance to the burning workshops as firefighters continue their tasks. Instead, they should report to fire assembly points and only participate in the event with the guidance of the experts.
Management of electric shock and chemical spillage accidents differs from workshop fire prevention policy and procedures. In the event of electric shock to human operators, aerospace engineers in the building must turn off electricity from the main switch. As the communication team alerted 911 for a response, nobody should touch the injured person in contact with the electric point. Sahu (2022, p. 192) highlighted the significance of CPR chest compressions in events where the victim lacks circulation or movement. Having a fire extinguisher in place assists respondents in the eventuality of fires; therefore, water spills should be controlled after cutting electricity. For chemical spillages, Sahu (2022, p. 186) argues that notice serves as the first step in preventing further damage from chemical accidents. The step of notifying other members about the emissions promotion safety. Placing proper personal protective equipment (PPI) for response teams protects them from direct contact and inhalation of hazardous chemicals. The PPIs should then be used to stop the source of the spills alongside proper absorbent materials.
Machine use exposes workers to many challenges, risks, and advantages. Although tool accidents result from negligence and carelessness, sometimes equipment failure leads to uncontrollable risks. Understanding the usability of a device requires the analysis of key tool components. Specific precautions aid the utility, maintenance, and storage of tools; as a result, the safety measures incorporated in cutting and mental removal are different from dismantling and precision measuring tools. Abdelrazek (2020, p. 4224) echoed that when handling cutting and mental removal tools, users must avoid touching the cutting edges to reduce injury rates. In addition, employers handling the cutting tools must avoid mismatching and misusing metal removal equipment. Milling cutters should also consider vibration. The care for cutting and mental removal tools occurs when such objects are kept in dry places. Cleaning, inspecting and maintaining cutting tools promote such materials efficacy. Cutting tools with loose, cracked, and broken edges should not be used by operators.
Dismantling tools also expose workshop employees to uncontrollable risks if not properly handled. Wearing PPIs like helmets, gloves, and safety shoes boost the safety of operators controlling assembly tools. Employees must have glasses to reduce excessive lights that might harm the eye and noise protective devices to limit the damage to the eardrum. Furthermore, training workers on the dangers of assembly tools improve awareness among affected groups. Unlike dismantling and cutting tools, precision measuring tools require a lot of cure and accuracy in their use and storage. One must ensure that the instruments do not jostle against each other when stored. According to Loignon-Houle et al. (2020, p. 264), precision measuring materials operate best when placed in padded cases multiple reading of results and data.
Measurement of variables in aerospace engineering prioritizes accuracy. Any arising error may result in future accidents and malfunctioning of tools. The knowledge of measurements promotes innovation in the use of digital tools. Metric Vernier Caliper (MVC) and imperial micrometers take specific measurements in the current engineering occupation. Metric Vernier caliper aids the measurement of internal and external distances; it is advisable to check the defaults of the vernier before use to confirm its state. When the mouth of MVC is damaged, the tools accuracy reduces. The second face to incorporate when using the MVC involves the observation of the major scale; it should remain on a ratio of 1: 100 (Loignon-Houle et al., 2020, pp. 245-246). MVC uses the vernier and significant scale to compile measurements. For instance, if the graduation of an MVC is 0.05, the final measurement of distances is attained by adding the vernier and primary scale readings.
The number following the zero mark to the left constitutes the figures of the main scale value. MVC measurements have a range of one millimeter (1mm). In this case, the main scale measurement is 27 mm, while the vernier scale indicates a reading of 0.8. As a result, the total distance measured by the Metric Vernier Caliper equals 27 + 0.8 = 27.8mm. The single increment in the scale indicates the smallest values recorded in the major scale measurement kit.
The imperial micrometer (IM) measurement scale is different from MVC. The smallest values in IM can be read on the sleeve scale of zero-point zero-two-five (0.025) inches (Burbidge, 2019b). Locating the smallest scale in IM occurs by reading the immediate number to the left of the thimble. The secret of recording data from the IM lies in the alignment of the number in the index line on the sleeve scale. For instance, the number immediately after the index line becomes the readings if two variable falls between the scale. Summing the values in the sleeve, thimble, and vinier results in the total measuring value of the IM. Figure 4 below shows a measurement of 0.35+ 0.024 = 0.374 inches.
Engineering professionals associate with numerous drawings in the development of new inventions. Sankey, assembly, erection, and instrument drawing are some of the standard engineering drawings witnessed in the Aerospace business. Erection diagrams include dimensional data and general configuration information; such drawing is relative to their adjacent and structure items (Melani and de Souza, 2020, p. 43). Erection diagrams have key components that distinguish them from other engineering pieces. The figures have pipe interfaces, assembly drawing references, and principal dimensions.
Assembly diagrams include all the figures characterized by configurations and item contents. Assembly diagrams reflect the logical levels, deliverability, testability, and functional descriptions of objects, and they happen in more than two parts. Assembly diagrams are essential because they help engineers identify every items constituent. On the one hand, instrumental drawings show the process flow of pipes and vessels alongside the control devices. While on the other hand, Sankey diagrams are the visualization incorporated in depicting set values.
The design of aerospace vehicles has been a long-term dream for engineers. The specialists in the technical field have developed the latest sketch and uploaded the diagram on hard-copy computers. In the figure Mica et al. (2019, p.768), the aerodynamics perspective indicates the airplanes features. The wing size allows the aerospace vehicle to circumnavigate the atmosphere with ease.
The first angel and third angel projections are different in many ways. First angle projections are placed in the first quadrant, while the 3rd angle is placed on the third line. In addition, the 1st angle projection is positioned at the top of the horizontal plane and back of the vertical one, which is lacking in the third angle. According to Rathnam (2017, p. 84), 1st angle projection is opaque, while the third one is transparent. The left view is placed on the left side of vertical axes in the third angle projection, whereas it appears on the right side in the case of 1st angle projection.
Conclusion
I think aerospace engineers encounter numerous risks in the workshops than office employees. I perceive that the professionals are trained to handle rising issues like fire, chemical, and electric shock accidents. I respect aerospace engineers because they are skilled in drawing digital diagrams, measuring accurate distances, and maintaining work tools.
Reference List
Abdelrazek, A. (2020) Metal cutting lubricants and cutting tools: a performance improvement and sustainability assessment review, The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 106(7), pp.42214245.
Hopkin, D. et al. (2022) Large-scale enclosure fire experiments adopting CLT slabs with different types of polyurethane adhesives, Genesis and Preliminary Findings, 5(39), pp. 37-68.
Loignon-Houle, F. et al. (2020) Experimental validation of a coincidence time resolution metric including a depth-of-interaction bias for TOF-PET, Physics in Medicine and Biology, 65(7), pp.245275.
Melani, A. and de Souza, G. (2020) Mapping SysML diagrams into bayesian networks: a system engineering approach for fault diagnoses, ASCE-ASME, 6(2), pp. 4578.
Mica, L. et al. (2019) Developing a visual analytics tool for polytrauma patients: proof of concept for a new assessment tool using a multiple layer sankey diagram in a single-center database, World Journal of Surgery, 44(6), 764772.
Rathnam, K. (2017) Orthographic projections, in the first course in engineering drawing. Singapore: Singapore Press.
Sahu, D. (2022) The effective criterion for equipment management in the construction industry, in Das, B.B., Gomez, C.P., and Mohapatra, B.G. (eds) Recent developments in sustainable infrastructure (ICRDSI-2020)structure and construction management. Lecture notes in civil engineering, vol 221. Singapore: Springer Nature, pp. 185199.
Injuries and illnesses are major deterrents to safe operations in a warehouse. Carelessness and the failure to observe necessary and laid procedures have contributed a lot to those injuries. This paper examines the root course of the injuries and how they can be avoided.
Thesis statement
A safe, orderly and efficient warehouse is key to successful operation.
Introduction
A warehouse could be defined as a large building where goods are stored. In a warehouse, goods may be catalogued, shipped or received depending upon the type. Many warehouses are located in industrial areas sometimes next to major shipping ports. Modern warehouse facilities are completely or partially automated. The principle operation of a warehouse is receiving, getting in new products and shipping out products already stored.
Warehouse safety entails measures to prevent occupational injuries and illnesses. Safety of a warehouse begins right from the time of designing. The design should be such that it accommodates business service requirements and the products to be handled or stored.
Common hazards in the warehouse include: slips, trips and falls, falling objects, injuries caused by warehouse equipments such as conveyors forklift trucks and hard trucks plus materials stored in the warehouse that could be flammable or combustible. There are various Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules that apply to warehouse safety. OSHA requires good house keeping (area clean and neat), material handling and good storage of materials to avoid hazards. The material handling and storage regulations regulate forklift trucks and other equipment usage. Other regulations touch on ladders and working surfaces, fire protection, personal protection clothing and equipment plus materials that are hazardous, flammable, combustible or explosive substances that can be stored in a warehouse.
Good house keeping is absolutely important in a warehouse. It is not only good for safety but also ensures everything is in place. Objects on the floor or aisles are tripping hazards and need to be removed. Materials should not be stored loosely. They need to be well staked to avoid falling on people. Protruding and sharp objects can cut or puncture. Large items should not be kept where people can bump against them. Flammable goods and trash should not be kept on places where they can catch fire. Water, oil and other liquids should not be left on the floors since they can cause slips and falls.
Forklifts have high center of gravity. They need to be driven by qualified people and slowly otherwise they can tip off. Materials/goods should be well placed on the forks and lifted correctly to avoid slipping and falling on people. Operators of forklifts must understand the machine and correctly follow road regulations to avoid injuries on pedestrians. No one else except an operator should ride on a forklift. A person should never walk or stand under a raised forklift. A forklift should be loaded carefully to ensure goods do not fall or tip the truck off. Forklift should be driven slowly and both the fork and the loads should be kept low while moving. Forks should be lowered and tilted flat, the brake well set and key removed when a forklift is parked.
Manual lifting should be done with care. Irresponsible lifting can cause back injuries, tripping, falling or bumping into things. Guards of conveyors should be kept in place otherwise contact with moving conveyors can be hazardous. Safe lifting is mandatory. One should know his/her limitations of the loads to carry. Back injuries are the biggest hazards in lifting and carrying. When lifting, one needs to stand close to the load and squat down to it but not bending over.
The load should be griped firmly and brought close to the body with the weight centered. Head and shoulders should be lifted first and legs push up. One should ensure he/she is seeing over the load. One should move in small steps while avoiding twisting. While unloading on should face the spot while doing it slowly. Fingers should be away from the bottom to avoid injuries.
Cranes, hoists and derricks need to be operated by trained personnel. The personnel should be able to properly swing loads while suspended to avoid injuries. The cranes should be well balanced to avoid falling over. Cranes, hoists and derricks should only be used for intended purposes. They should be well maintained and serviced. Maximum load capacity must not be exceeded. The area where they are working should be well cleared to avoid knocking over during operation.
Ladders should be well rated for a given task and in good condition. Otherwise it is possible for someone to fall off. Metal ladder should not be used near live electricity wires. The ladder should be set on a firm level surface. The angle of the ladder should be a distance from the wall. Ladders should not be placed against unstable things. One person at a time should be allowed to climb on a ladder. While using a ladder, one should stand centered on it otherwise can lose balance and fall off.
Ropes need to be used carefully since they can cause serious injuries incase they cut off suddenly. Care should be taken to avoid falling off unguarded edges during loading or unloading at the docks. Dock plates should be secured and trucks should be blocked to keep them from moving. Injuries can occur if doors start opening or closing and people are not expecting them.
Some materials handled in a ware house can release fire, explosions and poisonous gases. Precautions should be taken when handling such.
Dollies and hand trucks should be loaded and used properly. Heavy objects should be loaded on the bottom. Goods should not be piled up so high until they block seeing. Where possible, pushing should be preferred to pulling. One should lean in the direction of the truck and the load should be kept ahead of one especially when walking downhill.
One should not ride on a conveyor or crawl across or under it. Loose clothes and jewelry should not be worn when working with conveyors. Avoid contact with gears, shafts and other moving parts. One should be alert near a conveyor otherwise materials coming off them can cause injuries.
One should always wear proper personal protective equipment (PPE). OSHA requires employers to provide employees with PPE. Hard hats are necessary for head protection, protective footwear is also required. Gloves should be provided to protect hands especially when handling rough or sharp materials. Safety glass is needed for the eyes. Incase of noise, hearing protection is also needed.
In conclusion no matter how good the protective equipments are, how strict the rules are, one can not be safe unless safety is made a priority. Right attitude is the mother of safety. One should be able to take seriously the use of equipment and procedures as laid down regarding safety. One needs strong common sense in paying attention to warning signs. One should be watchful when walking, avoid running, avoid throwing tools to others and instead to hand them over and so forth.
Fire prevention specifically tackles extinguishing, controlling, and detecting flames to avoid loss of property or life. Public fire education planning ingrains safety curriculum protocols and procedures that reinforce appropriate behavior around fires (Seyedin et al., 2020). It occurs in five steps beginning with a community risk analysis, followed by forming partnerships with people in the society to create an effective response system. Third, an intervention strategy is formulated, often by combining multiple ones, such as education, engineering, and enforcement, to ensure efficacy. Fourth, the strategy is implemented followed finally by an evaluation process to determine viability by measuring its performance.
Discussion
According to the 2019 International Building Code, materials and features in buildings need to be structurally fire-resistant to safeguard against the spread of fire and smoke. Barriers, partitions, and horizontal assemblies are integral to building construction and are required by law ((ICC), 2019). Columns should be encased in fire-resistant material, and projections such as balconies should not exceed the stipulated fire separation distance between buildings. Occasionally, ducts go through fire-resistant walls and must have dampers in addition to creating hazardous exhaust ducts if necessary. Automatic sprinklers are not required; however, the code does not prevent building officials from incorporating one in the assembly (I.C.C., 2019). Exits should not be obstructed and should be marked to aid in an evacuation ( Environmental Health & Safety, 2022). These codes differ depending on occupancy and building type, but the tenets of safety generally remain the same.
Orange Beach has had several fire violations and incidences in recent years. The fire division chief, Beau Gardner, notes 17 violations in the area ( Fire safety & inspections, 2022). Researchers note that people tend to notify others during a fire, attempt to determine its location accurately, and ultimately vacate. Occasionally, the emotional response is heightened, resulting in panic, which may motivate seeking shelter or a withdrawal movement.
Financial loss is an economic consequence of fire non-compliance since supplies, raw materials, and building assemblies are lost in fires. Further costs are engineered by fines which are accountable to the city and the victims. Socially, fire deaths can cause stigma and stunt emotional growth in children. Guilt and depression from noncompliant behavior may ultimately cause suicides, ridding society of valuable working members.
Public education initiatives are vital in communicating required information relevant to large communities. Business owners and political leaders require an initiative that educates, sensitizes, and ensures accountability in every staff member or employee (Webb, 2019). Life should be the paramount goal, and informing this group on the importance of fire exits and using fire-resistant material is critical to maintaining it. One effective method to assess the education initiative is through written tests that feature questions on fire and life safety (Kahn, 2021). Alternatively, carrying out drills that improve response behavior in an emergency will ultimately create stronger organizations and communities.
A positive fire reaction emanates from education and practical preparation and improves the attitudes and behaviors of workers in case of a fire outbreak. Creating such a reaction significantly reduces panic in an emergency and the paralysis that accompanies it. Workers who react positively can help others in danger and successfully utilize safety equipment without fear to preserve life. Ultimately, individual attitudes and reaction times are faster when each employee is vested in projecting control and establishing clear communication to prevent further loss.
Conclusion
In conclusion, fire safety and prevention are useful tools in mitigating economic and social damage. Buildings are required to use compliant materials, assemblies, and fire-prevention strategies to protect their occupants. Whereas an emotional response is likely during an emergency outbreak, thorough preparation and education will improve the reaction of workers and individuals in the community.
Seyedin, H., Dowlati, M., Moslehi, S., & Sakhaei, F. S. (2020). Health, safety, and education measures for fire in schools: A review article. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 9(1), 121. Web.
Before making any discretionary decision, I would first weigh it to determine its implications on both the organization, on the staff, on my superiors as well as on the public. It is imperative to ensure that the decision made does not adversely affect all the stakeholders. However, it might reach a time when one would be required to make a decision despite it adversely affecting some of the parties. This is the time that requires trade-offs between the different stakeholders. It would be advisable to make discretionary decisions that do not adversely affect the public despite the decision affecting the superiors or the organization. This is where it would require one to be firm in making decisions. Making a decision that favors the organization at the expense of the public may lead to a bad organizational reputation. In return, the company may lose its customers.
Conflicting pressures affecting the company
The airline is one of the transportation industries that require thorough inspection with respect to public safety. In Heartland international Airport, the issue of the frequency of inspections to be conducted and the mode of inspection results in two major conflicting issues (Bryner, 1986, p. 123). These are the issue of public safety and the economic effects faced by the airline companies. Reducing the number of inspections would compromise public safety. In case the company decides to go on with its inspection procedures, most of the activities involved are labor-intensive, which means that they will take a lot of time and require a lot of money. In return, airlines will be faced with added expenses in the name of aircraft maintenance.
Of the two pressures, public safety needs to be accorded the highest priority. There are numerous advantages associated with this choice which include an increase in the companys profit (Bryner, 1986, p. 134). Failure to ensure the safety of the plane would lead to the company incurring other costs such as insurance compensation in case of an accident. This will not have saved the company from expenses. Giving public safety the first priority would lead to the companys reputation among the customers improving. Consequently, its brand will be strong hence overcoming competition.
Despite this option having some advantages, there are also disadvantages accompanying it. These include increased operation costs (Lipsky, 1980, p. 53). Time consumed in conducting inspection could be used in ferrying passengers. Thus it will also lead to time wastage.
Course of action to be taken by Maxwell
Based on the sensitivity of public safety in air transport, Maxwell needs to ensure that he has fully utilized resources available to him in ensuring that all planes are inspected before being allowed to take flights. From an ethical perspective, it is right to ensure the security of the passengers who use their services. This is because it is one of their responsibilities. From an economic perspective, it would be considered as the right decision to opt for a choice that will help in reducing operating costs. However, this would be at the expense of people using transport services (Lipsky, 1980, pp. 61-73). Based on the mandate handed to Maxwell from his superiors, the right decision would be to use the available resources in identifying some of the planes that are more susceptible to breakdowns and maintaining them first.
Approaching the reality of working with limited resources
At times, it becomes hard to increase the number of employees working within an organization despite an increase in workload. This is the period that requires managers to come up with strategies for utilizing the available resource. In responding to the reality of limited staff and resources in the organization, Maxwell needs not to fight the cut if there is a substantial reason for the act. He requires coming up with a strategy that will help him effectively utilize the available resources and employees. This is the period when he needs to weigh the various inspection practices to determine the most important. From here he can then decide to use the limited resources in addressing these practices while avoiding some of the trivial practices.
Reallocating staff and inspectors
The limited number of staff in the organization can not be able to meet all the maintenance practices required. As a result, some of the practices will have to be omitted or postponed to a later date. For most important practices, it will require one to come up with a plan for reallocating the available staff and inspectors. For instance, since the available workers would not be enough to inspect all the planes, he ought to focus on the most vulnerable planes such as those that are ten years and above. He also needs to focus on the large planes as they carry a big number of passengers (Burke, 1986, p. 343). Consolidating inspections may lead to some of the vital inspection stages being omitted. Thus it would not be advisable for him to consolidate inspections despite the limited resources.
Approaching the dilemma of twin-engine planes
The issue of inspecting twin-engine aircraft leads to organizations incurring a lot of expense. The process is also time-consuming. To mitigate these problems, Maxwell needs to increase the flight period for new planes to 1000hrs before they are inspected. This will reduce the number of inspections thus save time. Maintenance and auditing can run concurrently to reduce the number of engine disassembling. To guarantee safety, he needs to ensure that commercial crews are supervised to stick to the stipulated procedures for old planes. He needs to ensure that they do not tamper with flight logs for old planes which may result in problems. Increasing the number of flight hours would help in reducing the number of staff required for inspection (Burke, 1986, p. 359). In addition, they can inspect one category of planes at a time to make better use of the available staff.
Reference
Bryner, G. C. (1986). Bureaucratic discretion: law and policy in Federal Regulatory Agency. New York: Pergamum Press.
Burke, J. P. (1986). Bureaucratic Responsibility. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.
Lipsky, M. (1980). Stress-level Bureaucracy: Dilemmas of the individuals in public services. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Fire causes death and injuries to people and leads to loss of property. Interestingly most of the fire victims do not die or get injuries due to the actual burns but because of the exposure to carbon monoxide a toxic gas that is inhaled into the body after inhalation of smoke. The other cause of deaths and injuries is the smoke because it obscures the vision of the fire victims and reduces their ability to escape to safety. A fire can start due to three main reasons- (1) accidents for instance a lit candle falling on a mattress, (2) arson where a person deliberately starts a fire, or (3) through electrical equipment malfunction. The most effective way of fighting a fire is to prevent it from starting in the first place. This report will focus on the problem of fire among migrant workers in the UK living in overpopulated temporary high-rise housing.
The problem of fire is occurring in overpopulated temporary high-rise housing. Fires are more likely to occur when the occupants are cooking. Most of the occupants in these overpopulated high-rise temporary houses are migrant workers who have come to the UK to look for work and improve their financial situation to take care of their families and loved ones. Some are killed in the fires and many are injured. The fire and rescue services have been responding to these fires. The ambulance services rush the injured to the hospital and take the dead to the morgue. Once the injured arrive at the hospitals, the health service treats the survivors. The fires not only cause life loss, injures and property loss to the occupants, but the buildings sustain structural damages. In addition, the employers lose workers and their production is affected. The migrants themselves for tampering with the electricity and gas supplies cause this problem. The employers also contribute to the problem by failing to provide them with suitable houses and lastly the government for lack of safety regulations in housing.
Most of the fires occur during cooking because the migrants alter the gas and electrical supplies to come up with several spots for cooking to cater to the needs of all the people living in a single household. Altering of the electrical appliances leads to short-circuiting that eventually causes fires. This is because the wiring may be faulty, as a qualified electrician will not do it. Creating multiple areas of cooking may lead to socket overload, which causes overheating and increases the likelihood of a fire (Electrical and Appliance Safety, 2010). Moreover, the risk of fire in these houses is high because most of them are not suitable for accommodation and have insufficient fire protection or detection. This means that the houses lack basic things such as a smoke alarm. On the other hand, there is lack of enforcement concerning fire regulations thus people are allowed to occupy houses that are not safe and suitable for human accommodation. People also lack fire safety education and thus engage in behaviors such as altering electrical appliances that put their lives at risk. They also lack knowledge on what to do in case a fire starts thus putting themselves in harms way.
Resolving the problem
The problem can be resolved in several ways to avoid needless deaths and injuries by fire. The emergency services that respond to various kinds of accidents and emergencies need to be able to take the right action to deal with the situation at hand. There is need for partners to work together to deal with the problem of fires because this responsibility cannot be left to one group. Partners need to work together to sensitize the whole community about safety.
Problem-Oriented Partnerships (POP) strategy is utilized by the service because this strategy focuses on the root causes of problems instead of just focusing on the symptoms. The process is effective because it can be applied across all types of problems at all locations. The strategy works for hand in hand with Scanning Analysis Response Assessment (SARA) methodology. Once scanning is done to identify the problems the fire and service together with other partners now embark on educating the community about fire safety.
Fire safety education
Every person in the community should be given fire safety education. This kind of education will be useful in helping people to avoid the risk of fires. The fire and rescue services have come up with programs to educate the young people in the community about fire safety. They reach out to the youths in schools and those out of school too. Such programs aim to come give the youth positive role models and thus reduce antisocial behavior (The Fire and rescue Service: Working with the young in the community, 2005, p. 1).
People need education about safety in the home to reduce or eliminate the root causes of fires at home. The people need to be taught how to avoid causing fires by practicing safe cooking methods. Below are some of the things that people can add to their homes to keep them safe.
Dangers of altering electrical supplies
Electrical appliances are very effective when used and maintained properly. All electrical supplies should be checked to ensure that they do not cause a danger due to poorly wired cables and plugs. One should never attempt to alter an electrical supply because this may lead to a fault. Statistics show that faulty electric supplies cause about 7000 houses to fire across the country (Fire Safety in the Home, 2010). Altering electrical supplies and causing a fire can lead to prosecution. People should avoid interfering with electrical devices and leave that work to electricians because the consequences may be fatal.
Smoke alarms
People who do not use smoke alarms are twice more likely to die in a house fire than those who use one. A smoke alarm provides the easiest method for protecting a home against a fire and each home needs to have one installed as it can save a life. Furthermore, a smoke alarm is cheap, readily available and easily installed. The fire and rescue service advise about choosing a smoke alarm for a home. While buying the smoke alarm it is important to ensure that, it bears the British Standard Kitemark 5446 of quality, which shows that it is safe for use. After installation, it is important to check that the alarm works regularly because a fire has killed many people yet they had a smoke alarm that was not functioning properly. The batteries of a smoke alarm need checking once a week and a change annually. A certified electrician must install a smoke alarm especially mains-powered alarms that are powered by the home power supply. Those who live in large houses especially ones with several levels should link all the alarms so that when one goes off all the others are going off too. People with hearing problems or the deaf can install vibrating-pad alarms or strobe light alarms. The best place to install an alarm is in the hallway or the ceiling in the middle of the room. Fitting an alarm near bathrooms or kitchens is not ideal as they can be set off accidentally by steam or smoke. The alarm needs to be checked regularly to ensure that it works by pressing it until it sounds. If it fails to produce the alarm sound, it should be replaced immediately or if it keeps going off regularly accidentally.
In addition to smoke alarms, other safety supplies like fire blankets and fire extinguishers are important to have. The kitchen is the ideal place to keep such equipment. Family members should be taught how to use the fire equipment and should always follow the instructions on the fire extinguishers (Smoke Alarms, 2010).
Prevention of common fires in the kitchen
Common appliances used in cooking cause many house fires. It is therefore important to ensure safety and avoid fires. Handles of cooking pan should be placed away from people to avoid being knocked down accidentally and sparking off a fire. If leaving the kitchen the pans should be taken off the fire or the fire put out to reduce chances of a fire. Loose clothing should not be worn in the kitchen because catching fire is easy. The tea towels and any other clothes need to be kept away from the cooking area. After cooking ensure the cooker is off. When deep frying food ensure it is dry to avoid a splash of oil that may start a fire easily. A deep fat fryer with thermostat is good because it does not overheat. In case a pan catches fire, it should be turned off only if safe and water should never be thrown on the pan. Get out of the kitchen and call for help.
All electrical supplies should be used correctly to avoid overheating. The supplies must bear European a safety mark abbreviated as CE or a British one. Other things such as lit candles should not be left unattended. Smokers should put off their cigarettes completely and avoid smoking in bed as a fire may start easily if they fall asleep.
Community safety as a strategic objective
All the partners in community safety should make safety a strategic objective because this will reduce fires drastically. The community needs to be educated about safety and given help to ensure that homes are safe. For, example the Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service does home fire safety checks. The checks are conducted by crews who visit homes and give advice on fire safety. They also fit smoke alarms if needed absolutely free. The crew advises the family on how to identify fore hazards and make fire escape plans. People can reach the service by calling a toll-free number 0800 169 1125 and an authorized crewmember is dispatched. The crewmember has identification to ensure that people do not open their homes to thugs. Therefore, it is good to demand identification always.
Communities and Local Government gives support to the Fire and Rescue Service in order to prevent and reduce cases of accidental fires and arsons in homes or commercial buildings as well as public buildings. They do this by formulating and implementing policies that seek to reduce fires that are preventable in homes. They have an oversight and management of the regulatory reform fire safety order 2005 the fire safety order (Fire and Resilience, 2010). The government should come up with fire and safety regulations that will prohibit people from living in houses that are not fit. This should be done in conjunction with the employers of the migrants to ensure that they provide them with proper housing and those who fail to do so should be dealt with by the government. This is to ensure that the community is safe from preventable fires. Making the community safe will ensure that deaths and injuries resulting from fires are reduced. This will reduce the cost of the health sector and the damage to property. People who survive from fires may be injured so severely that that may never be productive gain and have to depend on their families or the government.
Effective communication about fire safety
Communication about fire safety is very important. All the people need to get the information about fire safety correctly. Those sending the communication must ensure that their target audience understands their message. The United Kingdom government and other emergency service providers have gone an extra mile to make sure that the migrant workers who do not understand English get the information on fire safety in their own language. The Directgov website has information in other languages such as Urdu, Chinese, Bengali and Polish. Providing safety information to non-English speaking people will help to reduce the high number of fires in the overpopulated housing units. On the other hand, the media has a major role to play by giving information to the community about fire safety. Incorporating educative programs in their broadcast media and writing about fire safety in the print media will make the people consider making their homes safe. The media can also use the internet to pass information about fire safety together with the other fire and rescue services. Most fire and rescue services have websites and the information about fire and safety is useful because it enlightens people on how to avoid fires and how to respond in case of a fire. Information is power and if the community gets information about fire and safety, it will be empowered to fight and prevent unnecessary fires.
Efforts have also been made to communicate to the children about fire safety. Information is made available to parents on how they can teach their children about fire. For example, tell the children to report any fires they see in the house, run out of the house, and call 999 for help, not to hide inside the house when a fire starts and so forth (Fire safety advice for parents and childcarers, 2010). There is information given in animation form to kids to help them understand fire safety because many children die from fire due to a lack of knowledge on what to do when a fire starts. The children can visit an interactive fire station (Fire safety advice for parents and childcarers, 2010). In the station, they can play games aimed at teaching them about fire safety. They can also listen to stories or watch animated films to learn how to be safe from fires.
Campaigns are also done to sensitize the community about fire safety. A particular campaign involves celebrities who pledge to check their smoke alarms every week. This campaign aims to have many people checking their smoke alarms regularly just like the celebrities to ensure that they are working at all times so that they can alert them in case of a fire. This is because t has been discovered that many people have smoke alarms that do not work. After all, they do not check them and hence they cannot serve their purpose.
Assessment
The partners in the fire and rescue services need to work together to educate the people living in overcrowded houses about the dangers of interfering with the cooking areas. The partners can check if the information has been received well by the migrants and some of the partners can provide the occupants with fire safety equipment such as fire blankets, smoke alarms, or fire extinguishers. Feedback can be collected from victims of the fire to ascertain whether the initiative to curb the fire problem is working. Once they get the feedback, they will be in a position to work better in the future in light of the new knowledge. Moreover, data about fires can also be collected from the fire and rescue services, health services, and the ambulance services. This information will be useful in making future strategies to tackle the fire problem.
Reference List
Electrical and appliance safety, 2010. Web.
Fire safety advice for parents and child carers, 2010. Web.
Fire safety in the home, 2010. Web.
Fire and resilience. Web.
Smoke alarms. 2010. Web.
The Fire and rescue service: working with the young in the community. 2005. Web.
A number of issues can be blamed for deteriorated system safety, including methods of construction, the procedures employed for managing safety, and conditions such as weather, as well as site-based conditions (Seo and Hyun, 2008). Harold and Moriarty note that system safety involves the application of managerial and technical skills into the system to achieve such safety (1990). The nature of hazards and severity depends with the type of the project. For instance, one of the most hazardous categories is the construction industry (Sai, Chun and Vivian, 2010). According to the authors, FMEA ( Failure Modes and Effects Analysis) can be utilized in the industry for the purpose of identifying potential failure modes, and their causes and effects on the performance of the system in engineering management (Sai, Chun and Vivian, 2010). Another method that can be helpful in construction is TOPSIS for safety evaluation (Liaudanskiene, Leonas and Aleksejus, 2009) It is an approach to risk management that seeks to identify hazards, analyze them and apply remedial controls in managing them in a system based model. System based approach to a problem or weakness benefits from synergic advantage which presumes that a whole is more than the sum of its parts. As such, interaction among sub-systems, inputs, human factor and the operational environment must be based on secure integration and coexistence. Systems must be developed in ways that they risks both predictable and unforeseen can be managed in time to prevent bodily harm and loss of resources. This paper discusses the issue of hazards and how it can be analyzed. In analyzing, the paper considers the causes of hazards, the severity of them, as well as the likelihood of their occurrence.
Research Questions
What are the causes of hazards in the industry?
How can the likelihood of occurrence of and the severity of hazards be assessed and determined?
Background
Evolution of troublesome situation as a result of complex systems that are either difficult or impossible to handle by man has necessitated the application of ideologies of system safety (Rasmussen, Pejtersen, & Goodstein, 1994). It is important to make sure that there is dependability for systems so as to be able to deliver services reliably (Avizienis et al. 2004; cited in Uzunov and Thong, 2008). In addition, there is need for systems to incorporate issues of security, safety as well As be real-time in nature (Uzunov and Thong, 2008). System comprises of a number of components that work in a coordinated fashion to achieve a common identified goal. Interaction of systems components goes beyond their interaction to include its operational environment and human factor according to NASA. A system takes in demand/input process them and finally produces a desired output. In system design and development, a room is given for stresses from the environment within which the system operates. Stresses range from expected- normal to unexpected- beyond normal and system engineering must consider them during designing, development, testing and implementation stages of system life cycle. In reverse turn, system engineers must also consider the effect of system on its surrounding environment System safety helps system engineers design, analyze, learn about, control and where possible eliminate hazards in order to attain acceptable level of safety. It also aims at optimizing safety and managing residual risks. Safety as freedom from personnel injury, death caused by accidents, damages to equipment and loss of resources must consider people, equipment, facilities and time frame. The quality of the software utilized in the system will also determine the reliability of it (Musa et al. 1990; cited in Uzunov and Thong, 2008).
System safety involves studying the whole system under all operating conditions identifying, analyzing and controlling risks associated to each of the systems components plus the surrounding. Therefore, system safety cannot be claimed, if all aspects are not considered and checked out. System safety consists of analytical steps which try to identify the system through describing both physical and functional characteristics of the system using information available and observing and relating interaction among personnel, procedures, equipment and the environment, identify hazards related to all aspects of operation both titular and emergency, assess hazards to determine their consequent severity, chances of occurrence and recommend means for their control and/or riddance, resolve hazards by applying corrective measure to remove or control the hazards or assuming the risk and finally, implement a follow up analysis to verify the effectiveness of preventive measures and address upcoming and unexpected hazards and give any necessary recommendations where necessary according to NASA standards.
A system safety program also tries to identify deficiencies in a system or facility design/acquisition, modification, associated testing and operational sequences which can result in an element of risk. It maximizes operational readiness through mishap prevention measures that ensure that hazard control measures are designed and put up in the facility on time and at minimum cost. It also reduces safety and occupational health retrofit and modification requirement after the design stage. System safety ensures that occupational health lessons learnt from previously constructed similar facilities are incorporated in facility design and it ensures that modifications do not increase risk levels of a facility (FAA System Safety Handbook, 2000).
Both elements of risk hazards and their probability of occurrence must be determined in every system. Lack of historical data or inability to quantify a hazard does not prevent it from occurring. It is therefore imperative to strive to identify all possible both normal and abnormal hazards and strategize on their best counter-measures. Though some degree of hazards must be admissible, it is the role of management to determine financial allocation for control of risks in the light budget and the consequences of not implementing control measure to the said hazards. It is often difficult to determine the cost of not implementing a hazard control measure before its occurrence. However, two factors must be considered before ignoring a possible but seemingly unfeasible risk. They are; the potential consequences of their occurrence of an accident and the possibility of its occurrence (Harold, et al., 1990).
Methods
The paper relies on the review of literature, i.e. the use of secondary data in carrying out the study. Secondary sources are expected to be reliable because a lot of literature discusses hazard causes, prevention and handling. In particular, credible material from reviews and research paper can render an understanding of the subject matter.
Results
For a risk to be accepted, consequence severity must be conversely proportional to the probability of its occurrence, i.e. the more severe the consequences of an accident, the lower the probability of occurrence. As such, it would be advisable to spend money to reduce the probability of a risk by implementing hazard control. On the contrary, accidents of mild severity may be acceptable risks at higher probabilities of occurrence and will justify a lesser expenditure further reduce their frequency of occurrence.
Accident Scenario relationship
According to FAA system safety Handbook (2000), seldom does a single hazard cause an accident. One hazard could be a pre-disposing factor for another. They more these hazards are either randomly or sequentially, the more damaging the accident.
It is also imperative to look at the levels of severity in the analysis of effects. Hazards range from catastrophic to non-critical. In between, there are other levels differing on the levels of consequences and magnitude of damages. Catastrophic effects result in multiple fatalities of personnel, members of public and loss of the system (NASA Center for AeroSpace Information, 2007).
Hazardous effects pose dangers of reducing capability of the system or the ability of the operator to cope with adverse conditions to extent that there would be: large reduction in safety margin or functional capability, personnel physical distress/excessive work load such that operator cannot be relied upon to perform required tasks accurately or completely, serious fatal injuries or even death of personnel or members of public.
Minor effects do not significantly reduce system safety. There are only some slight delays, slowdowns and slight increase in workload. The last category represents no safety effects. They have no effect on the safety.
Likelihood of Occurrence
Hazards can also be classified on the basis of their probability of happening. This could be probable, remote, extremely remote and extremely probable.
Probable hazards are those anticipated to occur once or more times during the entire system/operational life of an item. Remote are unlikely to occur to each item during its total life. However, it might happen that a number of times in the life of an entire system. Again, a system may suffer problems that were not anticipated for the whole of its life (FAA system safety Handbook, 2000).
Severity of Consequence
MLT-STD-882C classifies severity of consequences as depicted below in a table.
Figure 2. Severity of consequences
Description
Category
Definition
Catastrophic
Death and/or system loss and/or severe environmental damage
Critical
Severe injury, severe occupational illness, major system and/or environmental damage
Marginal
Minor injury, minor occupational illness, minor system and/or environmental damage
Negligible
Less than Category iii description.
Recommendations
Hazards and risk are to be understood from all corners of a system. Every module must be analyzed in the light of the whole system to identify its interaction with other parts and it weakness (es) which could be contagious, affecting the safety of the whole system.
Risks/hazards must not be ignored merely because they have never been experienced in previous or current system(s). Probability of occurrence and cost of consequence must always guide system safety strategy. Lack of hazards strikes and historical data should not limit preparedness for the same.
An accident more often than not is caused by a string of hazards, some predisposing others. Related hazards must be identified and managed as such.
Hazards analysis is an ongoing process. It must be periodically carried out. Retrofitting and system redesigning sometimes compromise system safety. A hazard monitoring and assessment plan must be put in place to cater for such changes and ensure they comply with system safety requirements.
Hazards must also be considered in terms of impact of the system to its operational environment. The impact must be categorized the same way as other common hazards.
Hazards must be thought of beginning as early as during system design and testing. It allows for identification, classification and management of hazards in time and accordingly.
Conclusion
System safety concerns identification and preparedness to optimize safety of a system. Identification of factors which could cause anything less than safety is a hazard. System safety will be assured if the aspects of likelihood, severity and causes of occurrence of hazards are settled. Hazards analysis seeks to identify hazards and classify them according to their impact and consequences. It is a more comprehensive risk management technique that tries to control and eliminate hazards before the strike. It depicts organizations seriousness and preparedness to counter system attack forces in time and cost effective manner.
References
Avizienis, A., Laprie, J., Randell, B., and Landwehr, C. (2004). Basic Concepts and Taxonomy of Dependable and Secure Computing. IEEE (Trans). Dependable and Secure Computing, 1, 1, 11-33.
FAA System Safety Handbook. (2000). Post-Investment Decision Safety Activities. FAA System Safety Handbook. Web.
Harold, R., and Brian, M. (1990). System Safety Engineering and Management. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
Liaudanskiene, R., Leonas, U., and Aleksejus, B. (2009). Evaluation of construction process safety solutions using the TOPSIS methods. Inzinerine Ekonomika-Engineering Economics, 4, 32-40.
Musa, J., Iannino, A., and Okumoto, K. (1990). Software Reliability -Measurement, Prediction, Application. McGraw-Hill Publishing. p. 291.
Rasmussen, J., Pejtersen, M., Goodstein, L., et al. (1994). Cognitive Systems Engineering. New York: Wiley.
Sai, Z., Chun, T., and Vivian, T. (2010). Integrating safety, environmental and quality risks for project management using a FMEA method. Inzinerine Ekonomika-Engineering Economics, 21, 1.
Seo, J., and Hyun, C. (2008). Risk-based safety impact assessment methodology for underground construction projects in Korea. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 72-81.
Uzunov and Thong. (2008). Dependability of software in airbone mission systems. Web.
Goodyear is a company which manufactures tires and rubber. Founded in 1898, the company boasts of international operations and long-term experience. The company has its headquarters in Akron, Ohio. The company encountered a fire incidence in its Houston, Texas facility, which shall be the focus of this analysis. The case involves a rapture of a heat exchanger in the synthetic rubber production facility, as well as ammonia release. This caused the death of one worker and injured six more. The case has been investigated by The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board and the results of their investigations are used for this analysis.
Production Process and the Hazard at Goodyear
The Houston facility, which produces synthetic rubber was built in 1942 but has been developing in terms of expansion. It contains the production and the finishing section, which are separated. Processing chemicals such as styrene are produced in the reactor vessels installed in the production section. Ammonia is used to control the temperature of the chemicals processed in these vessels. The chemical products from this section are relied to the finishing by means of pipes (U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, 2008). Liquid ammonia flows to the 3 heat exchangers from the cooling system, and this ammonia absorbs heat from chemicals being processed. The heat exchanger shell contains boiling ammonia as its temperature rises from the heat absorbed. The ammonia is supposed to be maintained at a pressure of 150 psig while at the heat exchanger. This is facilitated by a relief valve placed in the vapor return line. In between the shell and the relief valve is another isolation valve. After turning to vapor (as a result of heat absorption), the vapor ammonia relies back on the cooling system. It is cooled and liquefied here, for further reliance to the heat exchangers (U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, 2008). Heat exchangers are also equipped with a system to protect them from excessive pressure beyond the set limit of 300 psig. This is done through the use of a pressure relief valve which is installed in series with a rapture disk and the two are set at the aforementioned pressure limit. Ammonia vapor is let flow to the atmosphere from this system whenever there is excessive pressure in the heat exchangers.
The heat exchangers use ammonia to cool process chemicals flowing through them. The chemicals pass through the exchangers while in tubes. Operators needed to replace the burst rapture disk on June 11, 2008, which together with a pressure relief valve made sure that there was no excessive pressure in the heat exchangers. To facilitate the replacement, the operators closed the isolation valve (placed between the relief valve and heat exchanger shell) and carried out the replacement. They however, did not reopen the isolation valve. An operator closed a block valve responsible for controlling ammonia pressure, which was closed by an operator so that the operator would clean the piping system using steam. The steam caused the pressure of ammonia to rise as a result of heating. Due to the closing of the isolation valve, the excess ammonia pressure could not flow through the rapture disk and relief valve. In addition, the excess pressure could not be released through the ammonia pressure control valve as the block valve was closed. As a result of the excessive pressure swell, the heat exchanger shell ruptured, causing the debris that did the damage and caused the death of one employee (U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, 2008). This employee was walking.
More than five workers were exposed to the released ammonia as a result of the rapture. The injured workers were taken to the hospital as the plant was evacuated. Goodyear used an employee tracking system, but it could not track all workers. It was believed that all employees were removed from the area. However, the heat exchanger surrounding was covered with debris. The body of the worker was recovered below the debris in an area which had not have enough light (U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, 2008).
Case Analysis
Research indicates that social and managerial facors are also to blame for disaster occurence, in addition to technical factors. In fact, many disasters like the example of Goodyear,occur as a result of a combination of several factors, including dramatic quality nad emotional factors. Investigations have indicated the problems with the emergency response mechanism installed in Goodyear following this incidence that resulted in death. Although Goodyear had put in place procedures for evacuation, these procedures were ignored. No shelter-in drills and evacuation practices were carried as stipulated in the company regulations. In fact, these were neglected for about four years preceding the accident. This was mentioned by employees during an investigation to the matter (U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, 2008). The organization also failed to train all employees regarding some of the aspects of. For instance, some had not been trained on procedures explaining emergency muster points. Although the alarm system was installed, it was not efficient. For instance, as far as this incident is concerned, the alarm which could notify the workers of the specific-position incident at the exchanger was not reachable because of the release of ammonia. In addition, the inaccessibility of the alarm was prevented because the automatic water deluge system released water sprays. In fact, some employees got the information about the accident for the first time, through radio and/or word of mouth.
Research indicates that organizations need to assess their internal and external environments to reduce the likelihood of occurence of disasters. In fact, the case at Goodyear is an example of a man-made disaster model, because of the combination of the various factors that caused the accidents. Wrong assumptions were made regarding the error of lack of training and carrying out drills. There was also the occurrence of dangerous pre-conditions in the system, which went unnoticed.
Goodyear had a computerized system that would help supervisors account for their employees. The system (badge-in/badge-out) generated a master list to facilitate this. However, the supervisors could not generate these lists during this accident, as a result of a malfunction in the system. The supervisors were forced to use contractor lists and lists generated by handwriting as employees gathered. Comparison was done by the Emergency Operations Command, between these lists and computer records to account for personnel present at the production section. In addition, the company had made no effort to inform all employees that they would be exposed to carrying such an accountability procedure as part of their job in an emergency, since it was found that not all employees and emergency response members were aware of this. In addition, not all were trained on this. The response team did not consider it unusual that one of the employees was missing from the muster point because she was from the emergency response team (U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, 2008).
Studies show that it is possible to shape the behaviors of individuals in an organization through socialization. In addition, organizations should put into place instrumental and terminal values, which shape employee goals and instill positive behaviors. Individual and group behaviors, as well as their values and attitudes such as the psychological contracts, affect safety culture in an organization (Hughes & Ferrett, 2009).
It is the breach of such a contract that may lead to the occurence of an accident as employees get to agree and withdrawal. A weak safety culture also results from a poor safety management system (Hurst, 1998). Negative attitudes and behaviors such as negligence of safety rules can be eliminated through health and safety training programs. These can be used to foster positive behavior, such as making workers feel responsible for their actions. It can be seen that a problem also occurred when the isolation valve was never reopened after the replacement of the rapture disk. This may have been caused by a negative employee behavior or attitude such as negligence for safety rules, anti-social, dysfunctional and workplace defiance behavior. The organization needs to determine whether the minimal observanceof safety rules at Goodyear are intentional or pervasive in nature. Again, lack of adherance to organizational rules may indicate the incompetence of the organizations safety culture, which makes sure that the workers identified and rectified the defect (Hughes & Ferrett, 2009). Employee behaviors are also affected by the culture adopted by other employees regarding the culture of health and safety (Hurst, 1998). The maintenance staff did not observe the work order procedures according to a CBS investigation, and this would have helped identify the problem. If the isolation valve was opened again after the repair of the disk, excessive pressure would have been controlled, even if the block valve was closed. The second error occurred when the cleaning operator closed the block valve without making sure that the other valve (isolation valve) was working well and opened. He might have just assumed that it is working and open. Another problem was that of neglect. The maintenance team failed to counter-check that the system was well after the replacement of the rapture disk. This would have helped them to identify that they had not reopened the isolation valve. According to the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (2008), employees in Goodyear were being trained in emergency preparedness. This element was included in employee training for health and safety. The latter was computer-based. In addition, the company run and had an emergency response team. The fact that the employees were trained yet the accident occurred due to neglect, emphasizes the need for a safety culture than has been established in Goodyear Company.
Negative behaviors make employees neglect safety rules, and a long-term result is that a culture that neglects safety rules is formed. Although training was done to have procedures explained in the work order and lockout/Tagout for repair and maintenance of the rapture disk, the investigation found out that they were breached. Workers were required to obtain signature verification before and after carrying out the maintenance job as per the work order system. There was no documentation of the maintenance status and a handwritten note was the only tool that contained the information that the isolation valve was still closed. No signed copy of the work order for the maintenance job was produced, yet the signing out was a requirement of the work order system after repairs are done. This had a significant contribution to the accident.
Organizational style also relates to the safety culture in the organization as it does to the behaviors of the individuals (Hurst, 1998). The organization has a responsibility to foster positive safety climate among employees by defining and assessing what is required of them as far as health and safety of facilities and humans in the factory is concerned (Byrom and Corbridge, 1997). HR departments must be made accountable for the development of safety cultures (Marquez, 2007). In addition, the leadership should involve the necessary stakeholders (Marquez, 2007) and employees. HR departments must identify future needs for the health and safety of workers such as employee training and safety management systems (, 2003). They must recognize that safety demands are changing from time to time. The character of an organization comes from a combination and interaction of behaviors, values and attitudes by individuals and leadership (Hurst, 1998). The character includes how the organization handles ideas and beliefs about risks (Hurst, 1998). The leadership should lead in establishing a healthy Health and Safety culture and policy and ensure and monitor its implementation. The organization on its part had breached the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, which required that a pressure vessel be continuously monitored if there is temporal blockage of the pressure release device and over-pressurization was a possibility (U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, 2008). The company did not have any means to address this, neither did it provide that a worker be posted to check the status of the isolation valve incase over-pressurization was occurring (U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, 2008).
Organizational learning avails organizations with the opportunity to continually reflect upon their safety practice. There is a need for Goodyear to have rules that arerealistic and acheivable regarding organizational safety. A good safety program must establish a linkage between environmental and cognitive factors. It appears that Goodyear has moved from using a traditional approach to safety management, which is based on safety and health rules and regulations which employees are supposed to observe. However, the investigation found out that the safety management system was not complete, which contributed to the accident. Although effort has been made to introduce working operations such as emergency rescue operations which are necessary for safety of workers during accidents, it appears that the organization has a weak safety culture, which mainly focuses on the development of positive safety behaviors of employees. The company had put in place training mechanisms on safety, but they are yet to yield benefits, such as modeling employee positive safety culture which is necessary to avoid accidents such as the one reported (Giovanis, 2010). It is recommended here that the organization should foster on developing a stronger safety culture by intense training of all employees. It has already been mentioned that not all employees were trained on safety procedures established in the safety regulations and code of practice of the company. Intense and continuous training ensures that employees always mind safety and remind to observe safety regulations. Accident in Goodyear is partly blamed on employee negligence of observing safety codes such as the work order guidelines and the lockout/tagout procedures. A strong safety culture means the employees dont need to be reminded to observe safety regulations, but that the latter is part of an employees daily duty. This can be fostered through inclusionary, hierachical and functional techniqes of socialization. There was need for leadership to foster this culture and exemplify it by taking concern about safety rules and procedures, such as ensuring that they follow emergence operations guidelines. For instance, Goodyear leadership should have shown commitment to observance of safety guidelines to all workers by ensuring that they schedule shelter-in-place drills and implement the procedures.
Another recommendation is that the company should put in place a mechanism to measure safety systems on a regular basis. Safety performance evaluation (Giovanis, 2010) techniques would have helped the top management to discover the neglected safety operations such as the need to carry out of the shelter-in-place drills and evacuations four times in a year. These performance evaluation strategies should have helped the company to link the administrative process with the health and safety conditions in both the production and finishing sections at Goodyear (Giovanis, 2010). The organization need to put in place personal assessment of hazard, which helps avoid exposure to danger from a personal level. Personal assessment of hazards is an important aspect of safety which needs to be included in the whole safety practice and concern (Powell, 1998). The performance evaluation for safety must include safety performance indicators such as goals for safety (Grimaldi and Simmonds, 1989), macro measures (what organization has put in place to take care of workplace safety- for example getting the opinion of the employee and use of surveys), micro measures (individual performance towards safety) (Petersen, 1998). Review of job analysis in the organization to focus on long term reduction of occurence of accidentts may focus on introducing opportunity for behavior modelling while at the job, employee satisfaction, and reduce job autonomy for maintenance tasks. Instrumental values are supposed to be employed to shape positive behaviors of employees,necessary to reducing occurences of disasters. This can be achieved by having a clear vision statement which features employee safety values. Leadership can also analyze employee characteristics, wmotional intelligence and traits in order to determine behavior and pattern of response to safety regulations. This is beneficial for the purpose of recruitment aimed at improving employee safety, introduction of training programs focusing on safety and job scehduling according to the safety requirements of each particular job in the production and finishing unit. Such training should help to establish linkage between organizational safety goals and emplyee attitudes, personalities and values. Appropriate personality,attitudes and goals should be fostered through training, in order to adopt a proper safety culture.
References
Anon (2003) Have you considered these safety management challenges? HR Focus, 80(1), p.11.
Byrom, N., & Corbridge, J. (1997) A tool to assess aspects of and organizations health & safety climate. International Conference on Safety Culture in the Energy Industries. Aberdeen University of Aberdeen.
Giovanis, N. (2010) The measurement of health and safety conditions at work theoretical approaches, tools and techniques a literature review. International Research Journal of Finance and Economics. 36, 88-95.
