Unit 4: Maintain Healthy, Safe and Secure Working Environment
IT 402 – PART B
Workplace Safety:
The law mandates employers to keep their workers safe. When going to work nobody should be concerned
about the safety. Reducing the hazards of employee injury, sickness, or death at work is the main objective
of workplace safety.
Workplace Safety Tips
Reduce Workplace Mental Stress
Use Tools and Machines Properly
Use Mechanical Aids
Be Alert and Awake
Use labels and signs
Encourage Relax breaks for employees.
Fire Hazard:
In order to reduce the change of a fire accusing at a workplace, planning and infrastructure design are
referred to as “fire safety”.
Risks from fire include:
Sparks of flames
Hot things
Flammable substances
Chemicals called “accelerators” that can speed up the spread of fires
Fire Safety:
The use of flame-resistant protective apparel, preventative measures, safe work practices, training in fire
safety, and the use of fire-resistant construction materials are all included in the concept of fire safety.
The use of flame-resistant protective apparel, preventative measures, safe work practices, training in fire
safety, and the use of fire-resistant construction materials are all included in the concept of fire safety.
Preventive Measures of Fire Safety:
1. Installing fire Alarms: All businesses are required by law to install fire alarms. While some alarms
may go off automatically, if they’re manual, make sure to teach staff members how to use them.
2. Emergency plan: This should include information on what staff members must do in the event of a
fire, the kinds of warning systems in use, and evacuation protocols.
3. Create fire escape routes: They must have visible signage, be well-lit, and direct visitors to a secure
location. To make sure your fire escape routes are successful; plan them in line with the local fire
authority.
4. Designate a Specialized Person: A person or persons should be in charge of overseeing fire safety at
your place of business and helping with evacuations in the case of a fire. They are referred to as fire
wardens.
5. Knowledge of Fire extinguishers: Ensure that everyone in charge of fire safety is aware of the many
kinds of fire extinguishers that are available.
6. Emergency lights: All emergency exits and escape routes need to be well-lit. Include illumination at
all entrances, along hallways, where there is a change in floor level or direction, at stairwells, and
adjacent to fire extinguishers and alarms.
7. Employee Training: Your staff should be well trained that explains how to sound the alarm, who the
fire wardens are, where the escape routes are, how to evacuate, and where the assembly place is.
Without this information, fire crises run the risk of getting worse.
Falls and Slips;
You can trip or fall when you hook your foot on anything or lose your balance. You can also slide when you
lose your balance. Some of the typical causes of slips, trips, and falls include spills, ice, snow, rain, loose
mats, rugs, and stepladders. These falls and slips can cause injuries including sprains, strains, bruises,
bumps, fractures, scratches, and cuts can result from bad illumination and clutter.
Safety Tips for Falls and Slips:
Inform your supervisor straight quickly if you spot anything that might cause you to trip or fall.
Eliminate messes and anything slick. To learn how to utilize cleaning goods, ask your boss. Avoid
cleaning products that can make the floor slick.
Remove anything that might provide a tripping hazard, such as cords, wires, empty boxes, and
clutter, from lobbies, staircases, and pathways.
Ensure that floor mats are laid level, not wrinkled or coiled.
When climbing and descending stairs, use the hand-rails.
Check that any ladder or stepladder opens all the way before using it.
Verify the stability of the ladder legs on a level, non- slip surface and that ladder extensions are
completely fastened.
Remove any slick substances from a ladder’s rungs, steps, or feet.
Electrical Hazard:
Modern living is impossible without electricity, which is used in practically every facet of our daily
existence. However, if necessary safety precautions are not followed, it may also be quite dangerous.
Electrical dangers can result in fatalities, severe bums, and other catastrophic injuries. Raising
understanding of electrical dangers can assist reduce risk, increase risk, and help employees avoid damage.
Examples of electrical hazard:
Electric shock and burns from live wire contact
Fires from faulty wiring
Overloading circuits
Leaving electrical parts exposed
Electrocution or burns from lack of PPE
Explosions and fires from explosive and flammable substances.
Contact with overhead power lines
Electrical exposure to water
Electrical Safety:
Workers who are exposed to handling and maintaining electrically powered equipment often follow
electrical safety procedures. They adhere to a set of rules to lessen electrical risks and stop any potentially
harmful consequences in the event of an occurrence. Failure to follow electrical safety procedures can
result in mishaps, near misses, or even fatalities.
Safety Measures
Avoiding electrical dangers is the greatest way to keep safe. Maintain a safe distance if you must
operate close to an electrical danger or equipment that uses more than 50V.
Before you start your operations, make sure that all panel doors are closed and that there are no
exposed wires near your work area.
Before any work may be done on or near exposed, live electrical components, they must first be de-
energized. You can help to guarantee everyone’s safety at work by utilizing all electrical equipment
properly.
Workers need to be cautious when handling electrical cables.
Never pull on the cable to unhook a plug; always pull on the plug head.
Avoid overstretching or pressing electrical cables.
Physical barriers should always be used to protect employees from any electrical hazards.
First Aid:
First aid is the term used to describe medical care that is often provided at the scene of the accident and
shortly after it happens. It frequently consists of a single, brief treatment and is carried out with little help
from technology or special expertise.
Examples:
Cleaning small wounds, scrapes, or scratches; treating a minor bum; using bandages and dressings; using
over-the-counter medication; draining blisters; removing debris from the eyes; massage; and consuming
fluids to ease heat exhaustion are all examples of first aid procedures.
Use of First Aid at Workplace
First aid at work refers to the care provided to someone who has experienced an accident, injury, or illness.
To assist co-workers at work, basic first aid training is required. Before emergency services arrive, first aid is
administered by qualified persons.
First Aid Kit
The First aid kit should include the following:
Gauze pads (at least 4 x 4 inches)
Two large gauze pads (at least 8 x 10 inches)
Box adhesive bandages (Band-Aids)
One package gauze roller bandage at least 2 inches wide
Two triangular bandages
Wound cleaning agent such as sealed moistened towelettes
Scissors
Tweezers
Adhesive tape
Latex gloves
Resuscitation equipment such as resuscitation bag, air-way, or pocket mask
Two elastic wraps
Splint
Accidents
An accident is defined as unexpected incident that could occur suddenly and may have undesirable or
unanticipated consequences. In other words, any disastrous circumstance or event that ends in harmful
outcomes, injuries, fatalities, or any other undesirable outcome.
Types of Accidents at the Workplace: The following are different types of the accidents at the workplace:
Fire
A fire is another accident type that does not happen frequently in every organization, although, it does
happen at work. Explosions and fire are both harmful and occasionally fatal. It causes huge damages to
organizations. The main causes of fire are:
Faulty electrical equipment
Flammable and combustible materials
Lack of staff training
Lack of resources and equipment in place
Road Traffic accidents
An accident involving two or more automobiles on a public highway or road that leaves many people
injured or dead. Because of the number of cars on the roads and individuals trying to find other routes to
their destinations, traffic accidents can occur everywhere in the world.
Clinical Negligence
It refers to suffering or injury brought on by a doctor’s inadequate or non-existent treatment. It might be
bodily or emotional injury.
Sports related accidents
Exercise and sports are essential for overall health, yet sports and other physical activities frequently result
in injuries. An injury sustained while participating in sports, exercise, or other athletic activities is referred
to as a sports injury.
Handling Accidents
It’s vital to manage workplace accidents. When it does, it should be handled with extreme caution and
without placing blame on anybody or anything. The following guideline should be followed to handle an
accident:
SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) should be prepared by the concerned authority.
Banners and safety-related slogans should be dis-
Played in different areas
Do the necessary arrangements for the treatment of injuries
Always stay alert
Pay attention to and follow emergency drills.
Emergency
An unexpected circumstance that requires quick response is referred to as an emergency. Another
definition of an emergency is a sudden threat to human life or property that requires action to stop before
things get worse. An emergency is defined as anything that shuts down operations, poses a hazard to the
public, consumers, or employees, or harms the environment.
Handling Emergencies
The emergency must be handled immediately to reduce or minimize the loss. Every organization must have
an emergency plan to minimize the loss and recover from it.
Tips to deal with Emergency Situations
Even if handling an emergency scenario could be challenging, it gets a bit easier if you know what to do.
You should remain calm in every situation. In fact, anxiety might worsen the situation and make it
difficult for you to think clearly.
Move to a safe location to avoid further damage to life and property.
Check if you or others got injured that require first aid treatment.
Call immediately to police, friends, relatives for help
Provide the accurate information to rescuers to help them figure out the right treatment for the
victims.
Types of emergency
The common types of emergencies are:
Chemical peels
Extreme heat waves
Droughts
Pandemics
Terrorist attacks
Fire
Natural disaster like flood, thunderstorms
Leakage of gas or chemical
Hazards
Hazards at work emerge when the surroundings can lead to disease, injury, or even death. Equipment, toxic
materials, unsafe working practices, and human conduct are just a few of multiple aspects of the workplace
that could create hazards,
Sources of Hazards
A place or circumstance that potentially result in a hazard is known as a hazard source. Hazardous materials
can come from, but are not limited to:
Incoming water to the facility that may contain hazards or contribute to the development of a
hazard within the plumbing fixtures.
Areas of low flow or stagnant water within the facility distribution system
Location of specific infrastructure (e.g., hot and cold water pipes too close together such that the
hot water pipes raise the temperature of the cold water to temperatures favourable for Legionella
growth)
A poorly maintained or insufficient infrastructure, such as TMVs, tempering valves, and backflow
prevention devices, may contain hazards
Incoming water to the institution that might be dan-gerous or could cause the facility’s water
distribution system to become dangerous.
Types of Hazards
Type of Hazard Generally caused by:
Biological:
Bacteria Poor sanitation and housekeeping practices; contact with body fluids;
moulds inadequately maintained air conditioning and heating systems.
Viruses
parasites
Chemical:
Flammable A chemical in the form of a solid, liquid, vapour, mist or fume that can cause
Toxic harm to a body organ through ingestion, absorption, inhalation or injection
Reactive
Corrosive
Ergonomic:
excessive force
Excessive repetition Muscle strains/sprains; inadequate lighting; poor work station design
Improper posture
incorrect lighting
Physical:
Cuts/bruises
fractures Excessive energy related to falling/flying objects and extreme pressure,
burns/frost bite temperatures, electrical current, radiation, noise
electric shock
hearing loss
Psychosocial, e.g.
Mental Health Harassment; discrimination; work-related stress and personal issues
Psychosocial
Preventive Measures
Following are the preventive measure of hazards:
Make sure that your personal hygiene poses no risk to others in order to achieve the complete
eradication of a potential risks when working with others.
Respond appropriately in the event of an accident, Look for crowds at your place of employment.
Use established methods while being closely super-vised when performing potentially hazardous
job. Employ proper handling and movement practices. To deal with emergencies, put on protective
clothing. Handle spills and dispose of trash while using and storing tools and supplies securely.
Respond immediately and appropriately to situations, such as fires, security issues, and accidents.
Use your knowledge and abilities till assistance comes.
Evacuation
Every company has a responsibility to make sure employees are trained on emergency protocols. This may
involve knowing where to find emergency exits, what to do in the event of a fire, earthquake, or other
disaster, and the steps to take in order to leave the building in an emergency. These site-specific practices
have to be covered in the training provided to all new hires. Regular exercises or reviews of procedures are
also essential to make sure that everyone is capable of responding appropriately and safely in the event of
a genuine emergency.
General Evacuation Procedures
The residents of the building have to be informed of the existence of a fire or other life-threatening
condition via fire and evacuation alarms. Everyone needs to evacuate the building without delay after
hearing the alert. To protect everyone within the building in the case of a fire, the following actions should
be taken:
Set the fire alarm to go off.
Immediately dial emergency number and give details.
Help wounded individuals or alert first responders to a medical emergency.
Using the emergency exit maps, leave the building.
Help physically challenged people get to a safe place and alert the emergency services.
Make sure everyone has left the building.
Avoid use the lifts.
Only use a fire extinguisher if it’s safe to do so and you’ve received the proper training.
Personnel should gather in a secluded area indicated on evacuation maps.
Report dangerous circumstances.
When faced with smoke, keep your distance. Before opening, check for heat in closed doors.
Till it is safe to enter again, stay away from the building.
Healthy Living
Leading a healthy life can help you live longer and avoid sickness A healthy life results from a healthy
lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle has a long-lasting effect on a person, which eventually results in a healthy
atmosphere at home and at work. An employee who is content and in good health will always work as hard
as he can.
Tips for healthy living
Exercise: Exercise strengthens the bones, heart, and lungs, tones muscles, improves vitality, relieves
depression, and helps you sleep better.
Limit alcohol use: Drinking too much alcohol changes many brain functions. Emotions, thinking, and
judgment are first to be affected. So, it should be in limit.
Use of Drugs or Medications: Drugs and medicines affect people in different ways. Older people need to be
very careful about interactions when they are taking many medicines. Bevery cautious or talk to your
doctor before taking any painkillers.
Stress Management: Stress is normal. It can be a great motivator and help in some cases. But too much
stress can cause health problems such as trouble sleeping, stomach upset, anxiety, and mood changes. You
should learn to manage with stress.
Obesity: Obesity is a serious health concern. Excess body fat can overwork the heart, bones, and muscles.
It can also increase your risk for developing high blood pressure, stroke, varicose veins, breast cancer, and
gallbladder disease.
Diet: Having a balanced diet is important to being in good health. Choose foods that are low in saturated
and trans fat, and low in cholesterol.
