What Does Occupational Safety Really Mean? Let's Share Our Definitions and Insights

Dear Friends,

Let us learn about industrial safety! Kindly send me the definition of occupational safety. Many safety professionals have different understandings of the term. We can find out the best and adopt it, please.

Regards,
Kesava Pillai

Dear Kamlesh,

There are thousands of PowerPoint presentations on occupational safety. The definition of occupational safety encompasses many different fields. Kindly specify the industry type and the level of participants. The presentations tailored for safety professionals may not be useful for workers, and those for workers may not be relevant for supervisors/engineers, and so forth.

Hope you understand and can articulate your requirements clearly.

Regards,
Kesava Pillai

Dear Kesava Pillai,

I need the subject mentioned above in an oil refinery for participants at the level of safety officers and technicians.

Dear Friend,

I am attaching a simple presentation on fundamentals. Kindly confirm whether you are working in the safety department or not. In a refinery, there are many different activities. Hazards vary from one activity to another. Just as the hazards and safety requirements for confined space work differ from those of welding and cutting in a restricted area.

Training is necessary for a specific activity since a refinery is considered to be a hazardous operation. If you need a PowerPoint presentation on a specific topic, please let me know. I may be able to assist either with my own materials or from OSHA.

Regards and good luck,
Kesava Pillai

Dear Kesava Pillai,

Occupational safety and health is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health, and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. The goal of all occupational safety and health programs is to foster a safe work environment. As a secondary effect, it may also protect co-workers, family members, employers, customers, suppliers, nearby communities, and other members of the public who are impacted by the workplace environment. It may involve interactions among many subject areas, including occupational medicine, occupational (or industrial) hygiene, public health, safety engineering, chemistry, health physics, ergonomics, toxicology, epidemiology, environmental health, industrial relations, public policy, sociology, and occupational health psychology.

Since 1950, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have shared a common definition of occupational health. It was adopted by the Joint ILO/WHO Committee on Occupational Health at its first session in 1950 and revised at its twelfth session in 1995. The definition reads: "Occupational health should aim at: the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental, and social well-being of workers in all occupations; the prevention amongst workers of departures from health caused by their working conditions; the protection of workers in their employment from risks resulting from factors adverse to health; the placing and maintenance of the worker in an occupational environment adapted to his physiological and psychological capabilities; and, to summarize, the adaptation of work to man and of each man to his job."

The reasons for establishing good occupational safety and health standards are frequently identified as:

- Moral - An employee should not have to risk injury or death at work, nor should others associated with the work environment.
- Economic - many governments realize that poor occupational safety and health performance results in cost to the State (e.g., through social security payments to the incapacitated, costs for medical treatment, and the loss of the "employability" of the worker). Employing organizations also sustain costs in the event of an incident at work (such as legal fees, fines, compensatory damages, investigation time, lost production, lost goodwill from the workforce, from customers and from the wider community).
- Legal - Occupational safety and health requirements may be reinforced in civil law and/or criminal law; it is accepted that without the extra "encouragement" of potential regulatory action or litigation, many organizations would not act upon their implied moral obligations.

Dear Mr. Kesav Pillai,

I am unsure of the exact definition of Occupational Health, but the concept is somewhat clear in my mind. I would appreciate your assistance in clarifying the following points:

1. Are occupational safety and industrial safety the same?
2. Is there a difference between using HSE and OHS interchangeably?
3. Why are health, safety, and environment always correlated?

I look forward to your positive response.

With regards,
Dipil Kumar V

Dear Dipil,

First of all, let me thank you. I really wish youngsters in the profession not to worship what is written by others but start questioning whenever there arises a doubt - however silly it may seem. I love to have such meaningful discussions in this forum and I assure you I will try to answer to the best of my ability.

For professional safety:

1. Occupational safety and industrial safety are quite different.

To make it light; occupational safety is concerned with safety in any activity in which one is engaged. Safety in sleeping, seeing, hearing, crying, fighting, arguing, jumping, thieving, or occupying an enemy territory, occupying a room, occupying a chair, or occupying the post/position like fitter, welder, President, and for that matter engaging in any kind of employment for wages or otherwise will all come under occupational safety.

As you can see, occupational safety is so wide it embraces each and every activity one can imagine.

On the other hand, industry is always productive. It produces goods and services.

The scope of industrial safety is limited to safety in industries and related activities only.

2. OHS, SHE, and HSE are all the same - SAFETY.

In post-diploma curriculum, I have experienced that the definition of safety is never explained. I had the chance to conduct interviews for many candidates for Gulf countries, and I regret to say that upon asking, not even one was able to give me the definition.

“Occupational safety is that branch of art and science devoted to the identification, evaluation, and control of those factors and stresses arising in and out of the workplace which may cause accidents and/or ill health, and significantly contribute to the discomfort and inefficiency among the workers and citizens of the neighborhood.”

From the definition above, you can see that safety encompasses all three - Safety, Health, and Environment.

OHS, SHE, and HSE are only stylish names for safety, which can cause confusion among those who do not have in-depth knowledge of occupational safety.

3. A safety professional can easily realize that safety encompasses all three - safety, health, and environment. He cannot look at these separately. Though the disciplines are different, the failure of one impacts the other. A Medical (Health) officer mainly advises on health issues and attends to injuries/illness in the industry. An environmental engineer manages environmental issues. However, a safety officer should have minimum knowledge and skills to manage health and environmental issues. He only checks and implements health and environmental measures. Most industries may not even have a medical officer and manage with first aid facilities. They may also not have an environmental engineer. Coordination is entrusted to the Safety department; Safety has to lead the way, and as such, these three are interrelated.

Dear Dipil,

NSD on March 4th: Though the work was started during the 64-65 period for the formation of NSC-India, it was approved by the President only on March 4th, 1966, and it is celebrated as such. Green color, as you know, is identified by custom all over the world as the color to say GO - it is safe. By the same custom, Red is used to identify danger - warning.

Way back in the 65-66 period, we just started with the green triangle as the logo for NSC in line with Britain to make it easy. In fact, we copied it the same way as we copied almost everything for the Factories Act 48 except the clause on spittoons.

Regards,
Kesava Pillai

Dear Mr. Keshav Pillai,

Bringing back a doubt from our previous discussion. Please provide your comments on this matter.

You mentioned that NSC-India was approved on March 4th, 1966. This year, we celebrated the 39th NSD. However, there seems to be a discrepancy in the calculation. If we consider the start of celebrating NSD from 1966, it should be the 44th NSD now.

Kindly share your valuable insights on this.

With regards,
Dipil

Dear Dipil,

Thanks for the question. Although NSC officially came into existence in 1966, bringing it into the right perspective took years. It took years to have a building of NSC's own; it was working in a few congested rooms in CLI in the early days. After a few years, only the idea struck on celebrating its birthday. You can realize the point now.

Regards, Kesava Pillai

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your reply. Now the situation is clear. So, if we calculate according to the 39th Celebrations, I believe the first foundation day celebration took place in 1971. If there are any corrections, please let me know.

Thanks & Regards,
Dipil

Kesava & Dipil Sir,

Good to read the discussion and I'm benefited too. I think sometimes we delve too deep into technical details and overlook the basics.

Thank you, Dipil, for posing such insightful questions. I hope all safety professionals will be encouraged and motivated to ask even seemingly simple questions that can also be valuable.

Regards,
Hansa Vyas

Dear Savisudh,

I am attaching a short PPT presentation on confined space, which will help you understand the approach. However, if you intend to train someone, a PPT alone may not be sufficient. Confined space work can involve IDLH (Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health) situations. There are various types of confined spaces, and safety precautions may vary from one to another. In such cases, only a safety professional with thorough knowledge should conduct the training.

The norms for confined spaces include:
- HIP (Hazard Identification Plan)
- JSA
- Training for entry supervisor, entrant, and standby personnel
- Rescue team
- Confined space entry permit and other permits based on the nature of the job (e.g., Hot permit, Cold permit, etc.)
- Strict adherence to permit conditions

Regarding safety quizzes, there are many general and topic-specific ones. If you specify, I can provide assistance.

Regards,
Kesava Pillai

Dear Sir,

Nice and very useful posting.

Few questions from the attachment:

1. If the oxygen percentage is more than 23.5%, what health hazards can occur?

2. In what situations or types of jobs can this happen?

3. Is Tailboard Briefing the same as a Tool Box Meeting?

Hope to receive a positive reply.

With regards,
Dipil Kumar V

Dear Dipil,

As a health hazard, it has been discovered that the delivery of higher concentration and high pressure can cause hypoxia from pulmonary damage, as well as causing visual damage and central nervous derangement. Oxygen in excess of 23.5% is usually considered a fire hazard. Clothing and hair can easily catch fire in an O2 enriched atmosphere. Textiles can burn fiercely when they are enriched with oxygen.

Oxygen enrichment happens very rarely. By accident, chemical reactions, passing purposely, and failing to monitor, there are chances of O2 enrichment. Toolbox meetings are conducted on specific topics with a different purpose. It is a kind of training. However, a tailboard meeting is to instruct, clarify, and make sure that everyone involved is clear about what to do regarding the job at hand just before starting it.

Regards,
Kesava Pillai

Thank you, Kesava, sir,

I was under the impression that if the O2 level exceeds 23.5%, there would be no health hazard. However, I was aware of the fire hazard only. I believed that our lungs are designed to intake only the percentage of O2 for which they are designed.

Thank you for the information.

Regards,
Hansa Vyas

Dear Mr. Keshav Pillai,

Thank you for your response and technical explanations. I have a few more queries:

1. In confined spaces, we typically recommend a 24V supply. In most confined spaces I have observed, including those within our plant, 24V supply is used for lighting. However, for grinding and drilling operations, the machines run on 230V supply. Is this safe, or are there alternative options available in the industry today?

2. Are Tool Box Talks and PEP Talks the same, or if not, what are the differences between them?

I look forward to your positive response.

Best regards,
Dipil Kumar V

Dipil,

It is not safe to use a 230V supply grinder. We can use a pneumatic grinder instead. Am I right, Kesava sir?

Regards,
Hansa

Dear friends,

There are no hard and fast rules in dealing with confined spaces. Not all confined spaces can be treated equally, as each may have its own inherent hazards. A competent safety professional must check and determine the necessary safety precautions, while the permit issuer must decide on the type of electrical energy that can be permitted. Use 110 volts for lighting with a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) during grassroots operations, and intrinsically safe (non-spark producing) 24 volts in situations where even traces of hydrocarbons, flammable materials, and explosive atmospheres are present. Ensure that portable electrical tools are double insulated and connected to a portable leakage protection unit. Suspend all electric power cables to prevent them from creating a trip hazard.

An excavation just 4 feet in depth is now considered a confined space. Excavations are typically done mechanically, and in such cases, using 230V is safe and permitted. Use your discretion; your judgment is crucial.

A toolbox talk is planned, prepared, and often scheduled, while a pep talk is more casual.

Regards,

Kesava Pillai.

Dear Hansa,

Thank you for the reply. A pneumatic grinder is available, but I believe that most Indian industries are not using it. Even on our site, we are using a grinder with a 230 V supply in confined spaces. The key consideration in this case is to ensure that the cable is in good condition and without any joints.

However, we may consider implementing this in the future.

With regards,
Dipil Kumar V

Dear Mr. Kesava Pillai,

In the case of a metallic tank, vessel, or cyclone, what would be the recommended voltage to use? At our site, all electrical connections are routed through proper RCCBs. Can we suggest using the same 230V supply inside confined spaces as mentioned above?

With regards,

Dipil

Dear Mr. Keshav Pillai,

As per the presentation attached, which is based on OSHA, the PEL of Carbon monoxide is <35ppm. According to the Factories Act, the Time-Weighted Average concentration (TWA) (Permissible limits of exposure) of Carbon monoxide is 50ppm. Additionally, for Short-term exposure limit (15 min), it is 400ppm.

Why is there a difference in standards? Are we in India still lacking in standards? If we allow human exposure up to 50ppm of CO concentration, how safe is it?

I hope you don't get irritated by these questions and look forward to receiving a positive answer.

With regards,
Dipil Kumar V

Dear All,

I am attaching a file that clearly explains the classification of Confined Spaces. Some of you may benefit from this information.

@ Keshav Pillai: If you have any value to add to this, please let me know, sir.

With regards,

Dipil Kumar V

Dear Dipil,

OSHA PEL is correct. We are yet to update the information.

OSHA is quite serious. They update all the information timely and consider statutes for implementing. We are not so. Even with all the Factories Act and Rules; can you name one factory adhering to all those requirements? Can you name one Factory inspector who inspects at least one factory thoroughly in a year from his jurisdiction? This is one issue with which the Bhopal compensation case could not be handled properly. Implementing statutory requirements failed us. The question was "How often was the Union Carbide inspected and what were the citations, if any?" That means the factory was being run safely all those years. I do not want to go any further in this case. The fact remains.

On confined Space: You have taken some effort and for sure it is rewarding. However, your presentation needs improvement. Just look at and feel how much time is required to understand all that you want to explain. If the presentation is simple, understanding will be easy.

Regards,

Kesava Pillai

Dear Dipil,

Please see the attached document on Confined Space.

Regards,
Kesava Pillai

The definition of occupational health is the conditions and factors that affect the well-being of the personnel, including visitors and contractors.

Dear Kesava and other seniors, I am from the textile sector. May I have some material related to OHSAS Implementation? For example, hazard identification, risk analysis, and controls, particularly in Stitching and Knitting Departments.

Thanks
Regards