Health, Safety And Risk Assessment In Engineering - Assignment Example

Student Name: xxxx Tutor: xxxx Title: Health, Safety And Risk Management ©2016 Task 1: Identify industrial work areas where current regulations would arise and describe the role of the HSE inspectorate You are monitoring for health and safety purposes a team of welders who have to undertake welding repairs to a coastal tanker. There are specific pieces of health and safety legislation which are applicable to all employees, undertaking welding on board a costal tanker. a) Investigate and describe the manual handling regulations legislation, where welding operatives may as part of their everyday work routine, need to physically handle sections of steel plate. Depending on the damage the coastal tanker was subjected to, it may be impossible to weld all parts while they are still fastened in place. Also due to constraints in equipment, nature of work and working environment, some sections of the steel plate may need to be detached from the tanker and worked on at a different location. Most of the heavy lifting can be done with the use of cranes but the team of welders may have to ferry steel pieces of significant weight. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, in conjunction with the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, stipulate the guidelines that the welders will have to adhere to when physically handling sections of the ship. The main aim for the employer should be to avoid manual handling at all costs if there is a possibility of injury, as far as is reasonably practicable. If this is impossible, then the risk of injury must be mitigated as much as is possible. In the case where there are employee complaints with regard to discomfort, changes to work to avoid or reduce manual handling can be checked for effectiveness in allaying the discomfort. Should that not be the case, then alternatives must be provided [Hea16]. With the aim of mitigating the risks brought about by manual handling, the following steps should be taken; Avoid handling of sections of the tanker that might have come into contact with hazardous material as far as possible, in this case, petroleum oil products Inform the employer if contact with hazardous sections of the steel plate has been identified during the handling activities Assess inevitable manual handling of hazardous sections of the tanker to determine the associated risks and the control measures that could be employed to mitigate them Avoid handling of heavy or bulky sections of the steel plate, which could easily overcome the team of welders The employer should provide adequate equipment to facilitate the handling of the steel plates Use the provided lifting equipment properly, adhering to all safety requirements associated with the equipment b) Investigate and describe the role of the HSE inspectorate. What powers do the HSE inspectorate have, when they are undertaking an inspection of the engineering workplace? The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is charged with examining the arrangements put in place for assessing and controlling risks arising from work- related procedures and the general health and safety of the personnel in the work environment [Hea161]. The efficacy of the measures put in place by the organization is determined by conducting a risk assessment, following the guidelines set out in the Management Standards[Hea162]. The HSE also performs inspections to determine whether organizations are taking appropriate actions to effectively deal with stresses in the working environment. The inspections also cover the modes of receiving complaints about work- related stresses, and the procedures set to address such issues. The inspectorate also check to ensure that there is sufficient commitment by the management, and adequate employee involvement, in the work stress risk assessment process. The HSE can stop the operations in the engineering workplace through their enforcement action, which comes in the form of an Improvement Notice. A notice is issued if the organization has failed to show sufficient commitment or make reasonable progress to the process of assessing the risks arising from work- related procedures. The notice can only be withdrawn if the control measures proposed are implemented, and then operations can resume in the workplace. However, the HSE can withhold issuing the Improvement Notice if the organization can demonstrate that the employees are not exposed to risks in their day- to- day activities in the engineering workplace. Task 2: (LO2: 2.2) Implement a schedule for the setting up of a safety audit. As part of your job role you are involved in the enforcement and compliance activities of health and safety with the engineering department workforce. a) You have been instructed by your manager to investigate and prepare a schedule describing a timeline for the setting up and implementation of a safety audit. An audit is a systematic and possibly independent examination to investigate the conformity of activities and associated results to the laid down plans, and whether these provisions are in line with set standards and regulations [BS104]. A safety audit is a structured process of collecting independent information on a management system with regard to its efficiency, effectiveness and reliability in ensuring the health and safety of the personnel in the engineering workshop. The amount of time required for a safety audit to be conducted depends on various factors; The size of the engineering department, the number of operations being undertaken, the size of the workforce employed in the department The number of auditors available to conduct the safety audit The general timeline for the safety audit is as described below [Uni12]; Table 1: Timeline for Safety Audit Stage Name Activity Timeline 1 Scoping Contact the engineering department and inform them of the audit; Agree on the scope of the audit; Identify which activities occurring in what buildings will be included in the audit; Agree on the standards to be used as reference; Determine the date and timescale required for the audit; Brief tour of the engineering department; At least 6 weeks prior to the audit date 2 Planning Arrangements Confirm the number of auditors to be involved and their names; Identify a room suitable for the auditors to conduct interviews of crucial people and allow for the discussion their findings in private; Identify the personnel who will show the auditors around the department, if any; Identify key personnel and arrange formal interviews with the head of the engineering department; Identify the specific groups to be visited during the audit, and schedule the visits; Agree on the distribution of labour amongst the auditors; Request for documentation required before the commencement of the audit, such as, statement of health and safety of the organization, health and safety inspection report, sample risk assessments, among others; At least 2 weeks prior to the audit date Stage NAME ACTIVITY TIMELINE 3 Onsite Audit Engineering department should outline the basic safety and emergency procedures, and local rules, at beginning of audit; Discuss events of the day with the engineering department every morning; Discuss the findings of the day every evening; A meeting after the audit is over to summarize overall findings and come to consensus on major considerations to be included in the report; The timeline for the audit as agreed in the scoping stage; Auditing hours are every day 4 Draft Audit Report The HSE will prepare a draft report which will be issued to the department; Within a month of the audit 5 Audit Report The engineering department to comment on the draft report sent; Clear discrepancies in the draft to be rectified; The final audit report is submitted to the departmental head; Auditors to attend the formal presentation of the findings of the report; Within a month of the audit 6 Departmental Action The recommendations proposed in the audit report to be implemented by department; Level 3 should be achieved in each indicator; Suitable alternatives to be implemented if the proposed recommendations are not practicable; Department to outline the specific actions to be implemented, and their proposed timescale; Within 6 months of the final report Task 3: (LO2: 2.3) Select the relevant codes of practice to enhance safety. Identify appropriate codes of practice which enhance safety in the workplace. a) Investigate and describe Occupational Exposure Standards, with reference to welding fumes which are produced when electric arc welding using the manual metal arc welding process. Exposure refers to the uptake of a substance into the body [HSE16]. Workplace exposure limits (WELs) refer to the total proportions of substances considered detrimental to human health in the air, measured and averaged over a specific time period, referred to as a Time- Weighted Average (TWA). The time periods considered during exposure are long term (taken over 8 hours) and short term (taken over 15 minutes), which is selected to help prevent immediate effects of exposure to fumes, such as eye irritation, [Hea11]. Some of the fumes that the welding team may be subjected to are oxides of chromium, nickel, iron, manganese and zinc which are very harmful to the human body. Shielding gases, such as, Argon and Helium are not hazardous but react with the oxygen in the air, causing the effects of asphyxiation. Carbon Dioxide poses a significant hazard if levels are excessive [Lin16]. The table below gives the workplace exposure limits for these fumes; Table 2: List of Approved Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs) SUBSTANCE CAS Number WELs Comments Long Term Short Term Chromium Chromium (Ii) Cmpds Chromium (Iii) Cmpds Chromium (Iv) Cmpds 7440-47-3 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.05 Carc, Sen, BMGV Iron Oxide, Fume 1309-37-1 5 10 Manganese And Its Inorganic Cmpds 0.5 Nickel (Water Soluble Cmpds) Nickel (Water Isoluble Cmpds) 0.1 Sk, Carc, Sen 0.5 Sk, Carc, Sen Silicon Inhalable Dust Respirable Dust 7440-21-3 10 4 SUBSTANCE CAS NUMBER WELs COMMENTS Long Term Short Term Silicon Carbide (Not Whiskers) Total Inhalable Respirable 409-21-2 10 4 Zinc Chloride, Fume 7646-85-7 1 2 Zinc Distearate Inhalable Dust Respirable Dust 557-05-1 10 4 20 [Hea11] b) Investigate the management of health and safety at work legislation, and describe how this legislation impacts on the senior management team, of an engineering company. The law which governs health and safety policies in Britain is The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It describes the broad responsibilities which employers have towards their employees and other members of the public, and employees’ conduct to themselves and each other. The responsibilities to be undertaken are governed by the principle of ‘so far as is reasonable’. This means that the employer is not mandated to take measures on the avoidance or mitigation of risks if the constraints due to technology, time, cost or difficulty are impractical in comparison to the risk. [HSE03]. The legislation provides guidelines, Approved Codes of Practise (ACOPs) and regulations that govern the conduct of the senior management team of the engineering company with regard to their decision- making process. The Act will require the management team to handle the following tasks [leg99]; Make proper and satisfactory assessment of the risks the people in their employ are exposed to while working, or by activities arising from the management’s conduct, with regards to their health and safety Review of the risk assessment when there is evidence of accidents and ill health, or if there are changes in technologies, industries or risks, or if concerns have been raised by the public Employ new staff in the company only after they have been properly assessed in relation to health and safety Make assessment of the workplace layout, type and severity of exposure, range of equipment to be handled, organizational processes and procedures, extent of training with regards to health and safety, and inexperience of new staff before considering them for employment Record the section of employees (by department or vocation) identified as being most vulnerable to risk, proposing and implementing control measures Task 4: (LO3: 3.1) Identify a hazard and produce a risk rating a) Investigate an electric arc welding procedure in an integrated diesel fuel storage tank, undertake a risk assessment and produce a risk rating for the welding activity. Welding regulation specifically prohibit welding in environments with flammable substances, making direct welding of the diesel fuel tank impossible since diesel has a lower explosive limit of 1% mixture in air. Welding can only be done by first draining the tank of the fuel and its vapour, and filling it with an inert gas, such as argon [Hof16]. The risk associated with welding in a diesel- contaminated environment is explosions. The diesel fuel may be ignited by the temperatures of the electric arc used, the sparks of molten metal or the hot slag produced during welding. Critical gas mixtures can also be ignited, such as, air with combustible dusts, or with volatile flammable liquids, resulting in the explosions. Impact on Personnel In the event of an explosion or fire outbreak, the corresponding loss of life and serious injuries is very common with respect to welding activities [COP14]. This is facilitated by the high working temperatures and the presence of combustible materials that promote the spread of fire. Impact on Equipment In an engineering workshop, most of the equipment is heavy and bulky. This means that in a fire outbreak, there is not time to salvage such equipment, resulting in total damage. Other equipment may contain parts that explode when subjected to excessive heat, such as batteries, destroying them completely. Impact on Environment Fire outbreaks and explosions release large amounts of heat and smoke into the environment, causing noise and air pollution. Depending on the materials present in the workshop during the outbreak, the combustion of some materials, such as plastics can cause soil pollution. Impact on Occupational Health Injuries suffered by the personnel in a fire outbreak or explosion can incapacitate them, making them unable to do their work. The fire will also destroy the workshop, meaning that there will be nowhere for the personnel to work. Control Mechanism Submerged arc welding (SAW) or shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) is used to isolate the area to be welded to prevent any contact with explosive materials that might be in the vicinity [Jon09]. Table 3: Summary of Risk Assessment Hazard Harm Risk Persons at Risk Proposed Control Records/ Actions Fire and Explosive Hazards Death; Serious Injury; Damage to equipment; High Operative; Persons adjacent Removal of combustible substances; Adequate fire protection; Provision of firefighting equipment Issue of firefighting equipment Task 5: (LO3: 3.2, M2, D1) Evaluate frequency and severity of an identified hazard a) The health and safety at work act and its requirements has reduced accidents significantly in the workplace. This has resulted in a decrease of shop floor workers becoming ill with respiratory disease. Investigate the frequency and severity of workers who have become ill with respiratory illnesses. In particular, the ongoing exposure to welding fume, and the effect on their health and wellbeing. The process of electric arc welding results in the production of noxious gases into the environment. Some of these gases include nitrous oxide and ozone. The gases produced are also at high temperatures and devoid of oxygen which has been used by combustion. This causes the gases to react with the oxygen in the surrounding air, causing oxygen depravity. The welding process involves complete melting of the work pieces, as well as the production of smoke, release tiny particulate matter into the air when agitated by wind. The hazard brought about by these fumes depends on the toxicity of the fume, its concentration and duration for which one is exposed. Many of the materials used in welding produce fumes which are harmful to the operator, depending on the choice of welding process. Confined spaces with poor ventilation lead to accumulation of the fumes, resulting in dangerous concentrations. ‘Forced ventilation’ can be used to reduce the concentration of the plume, thus reducing the risk. Reducing the arcing time – the period of time the fumes are being generated, reduces the risk that the operator is exposed to [HSE12]. Impact on Personnel Inhalation of the noxious gases and particulate matter released during welding causes acute chocking, which can be extremely painful if large amounts are inhaled. The particles cause dryness of the throat, tickling, coughing or congestion resulting in severe irritation of the throat and lungs. Smaller sized particles are more toxic as they can easily be carried into the blood stream, causing respiratory hazards. Welding also produces odourless gases, such as carbon monoxide, which cause asphyxiation if there is inadequate ventilation in the workshop. Impact on Occupational Health Inhalation of noxious gases causes irritation of the throat and nasal cavity, making the user uncomfortable while welding. Accumulation of fine particles of toxic substances in the respiratory system could lead to abnormal cell growth which could cause cancer. Asphyxiation leads to oxygen starvation to the brain cells, which leads to dizziness and disorientation. Other diseases that the operator may be vulnerable to after continued exposure are pneumonia, occupational asthma and metal fume fever. Extreme exposure to ozone may lead to the onset of oedema1. There is also temporary reduced lung function as exposure to the welding fumes causes difficult breathing [HSE14]. [McN04] showed that the inhalation of welding fumes increased the inflammatory response, coupled with the stress on the lungs brought about by oxidation of transition metals, could very easily lead to adverse health effects such as Bronchitis and Metal Flume Fever. Task 6: (LO3: 3.3,) Produce a hazard pro-forma for a given application a) Design and produce a generic hazard pro-forma, for recording accidents, or near misses in an engineering workshop. The hazard pro- forma is filled by the supervisor in the engineering workshop, and it allows him to make a report on the occurrence of hazards, to pass the information on to senior management who can use it to determine the effectiveness of control mechanisms implemented and assess whether there is need for better measures. It may take the form below; Table 4: Hazard Pro- forma Date System/ Operation Hazard Persons Affected Persons Responsible Description Cause Consequences Description Number 4th May Welding Explosion Contact of welding spark with diesel vapour Loss of life; Serious injuries; Destruction of welding equipment; Destruction of diesel fuel storage tank; Welders Welders and by- stander 1 3 Workshop supervisor Task 7: (LO3: 3.4, M3) Analyse a recording system that tracks and highlights potential hazards a) In large companies the ability to track accidents or near miss incidents, is an important tool in the ongoing process of keeping the workforce safe. Investigate and analyse a typical recording system for the tracking of potential hazards in the workplace. A hazard tracking system is a tool that facilitates the process of decision making for the management of the workplace. The system is designed to manage the analysis of hazard data, facilitate the discovery of a hazard, and provide measures and procedures to mitigate the risk arising from the hazard. The objectives of the system include; To provide data and information that is crucial for management of risks arising from workplace operations To provide a means of effectively organizing, managing and updating hazard data To document the decision- making process taken to eliminate or mitigate the risks associated with hazards To provide a means to effectively influence the design of the health and safety system to ensure that the safety of the personnel in the workplace is optimized To provide a fool proof method for tracking of management decisions to vet their effectiveness in addressing the risks The hazard tracking system should be able to identify the severity and probability of occurrence of the risks in the workplace and assign priority to the risk requiring the most attention. This is done with the help of a hazard risk management matrix. The hazard tracking system should also activate possible control mechanisms to mitigate the risks so as to prevent them from affecting other areas of the workplace. The system can also assess the efficacy of the control measures deployed towards the reduction of the risk. Figure 1: Closed Loop Hazard Tracking Process Abbreviations Abbreviation Term HSE Health and Safety Executive WELs Workplace Exposure Limits Carc Capable of causing cancer and/ or heritable genetic damage BMVG Biological monitoring guidance values Sen Capable of causing occupational asthma Sk Can be absorbed through the skin. Dermal absorption will lead to systemic toxicity References Hea16: , (HSE, 2016), Hea161: , (HSE, 2016), Hea162: , (HSE, 2016), BS104: , (BS 1800, 2004), Uni12: , (University of Oxford, 2012), HSE16: , (HSE, 2016), Hea11: , (Health and Safety Executive, 2011), Lin16: , (Lincoln Electric, 2016), HSE03: , (HSE, 2003), leg99: , (legislation.gov.uk, 1999), Hof16: , (Hoffart, 2016), COP14: , (COPE, 2014), Jon09: , (Jones, et al., 2009), HSE12: , (HSE, 2012), HSE14: , (HSE, 2014), McN04: , (McNeilly, et al., 2004), Read More