Occupational Safety: Identifying and Mitigating Hazards in Mechanical Engineering, Summaries of Mechanical Engineering

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WMSU

OCCUPATIONAL

SAFETY

BS MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

1

2

Safety Hazards

Something that has a potential for

injury

Health Hazards

Something that has a potential to

cause illness

Workplace Hazards

 Walk through survey / ocular inspection  Review of processes involved  Knowing the raw materials used, products and by-products  Gathering of workers’ complaints  Safety Data Sheet

Hazards are Identified through:

Occupational Safety Hazards:

 Poor Housekeeping

 Fire

 Use of Machine

 Material Handling

 Electricity

Housekeeping  Housekeeping is not just keeping your workplace clean and safe but it is an effective workplace organization.  Housekeeping means there is a place for everything and everything is in place. It is everybody’s business to observe it in the workplace.  Housekeeping is important because it lessens accidents and related injuries and illnesses; it therefore improves productivity, and minimizes direct and indirect costs of accidents/illnesses.

Signs of Poor Housekeeping  Cluttered and poorly arranged areas  Materials gathering rust and dirt from disuse  Blocked aisleways  Material stuffed in corners and out-of-the- way places  Untidy or dangerous storage of materials  Overflow storage areas and shelves  Broken containers and damaged materials  Presence of items no longer needed or in excess  Dusty, dirty floors and work surfaces  Tools and equipment left in work areas  No waste bins and containers  Presence of spills and leaks

WMSU

2. FIRE

What is fire?  It is a chemical reaction between a flammable or combustible substance and oxygen.  It is frequently referred to as “rapid oxidation with the evolution of light and heat.”  To produce fire, three things must be present at the time: Fuel, Heat and Oxygen.

Forms of Fuel  Gas has neither definite shape nor volume and tends to expand indefinitely (e.g., methane, butane, LPG)  Liquid assumes the shape of the container in which it is placed (e.g., gasoline, kerosene, solvents)  Solid have a definite shape (e.g., wood, paper, plastic, cloth)

Important Point to Remember About Liquid Fuels

• FLASH POINT – the lowest temperature at which liquid fuel gives off flammable vapors
• FLAMMABLE LIQUID – a liquid having a flash point below 100 °F (37.8°C)
• COMBUSTIBLE LIQUID – a liquid having a flash point at or above 100 °F (37.8°C) Flammable Liquid Flashpoint °C Gasoline - 42. Acetone - 20 Isopropyl Alcohol 12 Combustible Liquid Kerosene 37. Corn Oil 254

The lower the flashpoint, the more

dangerous a substance is.

Some Facts About Oxygen At 23 % concentration, the atmosphere is considered oxygen enriched and fire will intensify. At 16 % concentration, combustion is slowed down and will eventually diminish. At 12 – 14 % concentration, flammable liquids will not burn. Gaseous element in air at 21 % by volume. It is essential for respiration..

Fires Can Be Classified According To The Fuel It Consumes

Class Examples Pictogram

A – Ordinary Combustibles paper, wood, or plastic B – Surface Fires Oil, gasoline, alcohol, grease, oil

• based paints C – Energized Electrical Equipment Appliances, power tools, motors, electrical panels D – Combustible Metal Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium K – Kitchen Fires Combustible vegetable or cooking fats D

The Burning Process (Stages of Fire Development) PHASE FIGURE CHARACTERISTICS Ignition / Incipient Materials reach their ignition temperatures and a fire is started. Growth Fire begins to grow spreading chain of reaction resulting in an increase in size. Free - Burning All the contents within the perimeter of the fire’s boundaries are burning. Decay Fire will extinguish itself, when the fuel or oxygen supply is exhausted.

Causes of Fire Deaths  Inhalation of Toxic fumes:

• Carbon Monoxide (CO)
• Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
• Hydrogen Cyanide (HCn)  Deprivation of oxygen  Backdraft or smoke explosion