Industrial Hazard and Industrial Safety

These days all the Industries are changing their strategies to improve the working conditions for their employees and in turn get better productivity. The companies and industries today are also pressurized to follow CSR (Company Social Responsibility) and so they are employing Industrial Safety and Management practices at their workplace.

To get a proper idea of industrial safety we had to first understand, that

What is Industrial Hazard?

Industrial Hazard may be defined as any damage to any person’s life, cause an injury, loss of product or property while present at the workplace of the Industry. These hazards can be classified in different ways; however the main types of hazards are as follows:

Ø  Mechanical

Ø  Electrical

Ø  Physical

Ø  Biological

Ø  Chemical

Ø  Environmental Pollution

Mechanical hazards usually take place by the combination of unsafe condition & carelessness. Most of industrial accidents are due to faulty assessment, lack of ability of employee, poor discipline, lack of concentration, unsafe practice, mental & physically unfit employee for job, damaged equipment or improper working circumstances, inappropriate training regarding the safety aspects

Electrical hazards mainly consist of shocks, sparking, fire, electric wiring fault etc. These can be avoided by

Ø  Proper repairs of wiring & equipment

Ø  High voltage equipment should be properly enclosed

Ø  Good house keeping

Ø  Water should not be used for extinguishing electric fire

Ø  Worker should avoid wet clothing or shoes near electrical equipments.

Physical hazards are classified as

Ø  Fire and Explosion

Ø  Heat and Cold

Ø  Noise

Ø  Radiation

Biological hazards lead to diseases such as

Ø  Brucellosis (dairy industry)

Ø  Byssinosis (textile industry)

Ø  Bagassosis (sugar-cane)

Ø  Loco motor disorder

These can be prevented by taking measures such as

Ø  Periodic health check up

Ø  Personal protection

Ø  The manufacturer should also provide

Ø  First aid facilities

Ø  Initial examination

Ø  Facility for vaccination         

Ø  Routine sanitation program

Chemical hazards are classified into three types:

Ø  Local

o   Dermatitis

o    Eczema

o    Ulcers

o    Cancer

Ø  Inhalation

o   Gas Poisoning

Ø  Ingestion

o   Living tissue may be destroyed by chemical reactions such as

o   Dehydration

o   Digestion

o   Oxidation

Environmental hazards include

Ø  Air pollution

Ø  Water pollution

Ø  Thermal pollution

Ø  Sound pollution

Now that you have a brief idea of different hazards in the industry lets understand,
 

What are Industrial Safety and Management Measures?

The measures taken to prevent any event which cause any kind of industrial hazard are called safety measures. Main motive of Industrial safety is to reduce the chances of any injury, loss or danger to the persons and property involved in the industrial production and processing of goods. And to fulfill this objective steps are taken to improve the existing health and safety standards and implement new strategies. And to establish "separate but dependent responsibilities and rights" for employers and employees for the achievement of better safety and health conditions.  There are various organizations which take care that the industry is following the safety norms or not.

So to maintain the safety standards a team of qualified people is employed in each industry which manage the quality of working conditions. There are various colleges and institutes providing safety management courses in India offering diploma and full engineering in safety management. So this also helps students to create a carrier in a new and emerging field.