Industrial Safety Essentials: Accidents, Injuries, and PPE
Industrial Safety Fundamentals
Industrial safety is a discipline encompassing technical, legal, human, and economic activities to ensure human welfare and protect the physical property of a company. It focuses on detecting and controlling risks that can cause accidents.
Accidents can be caused by the nature of work, environmental conditions, equipment, materials, and human behavior.
Understanding Accidents and Incidents
ACCIDENT: A sudden and violent event during work that can cause:
- Physical harm to people
- Damage to property and materials
- Interruption of the normal work process
INCIDENT: An undesired event that can cause:
- Damage to property
- Damage to materials
- Interruption of the normal business process
Types of Workplace Accidents
Site: Occurs during work hours when the worker performs their normal functions. This includes accidents within the facility and during work-related travel.
In Itinere: Occurs during the usual commute between the worker’s home and the company, and vice versa. This includes travel for:
- a) Official recognition studies
- b) Other work-related purposes
Workplace Injury Consequences
A lesion is psychophysical damage caused by a work accident, which can result in the following consequences:
- Death: The accident results in the worker’s death.
- Total Permanent Disability: Prevents the worker from performing any work in their same occupation, trade, or profession after recovery.
- Permanent Partial Disability: Leaves the worker with diminished capacity for their normal occupation after recovery.
- Temporary Disability: Allows the worker to return to regular work without disabling long-term effects after recovery.
Occupational Illness Explained
An occupational illness is damage caused directly by the exercise of a profession or trade. The pathological condition typically develops gradually over time.
The Costs of Workplace Accidents
DIRECT COSTS (Insured): Includes injury and illness claims, medical benefits, and cash benefits or compensation.
INDIRECT COSTS (Uninsured): Includes:
- Damage to buildings, tools, or equipment
- Damage to products or materials
- Interruption or delay of production
- Costs of replacement staff
- Extra hours to recover production
- Time taken to investigate the accident
- Rental of machinery or equipment
Understanding Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) provides the last barrier between the worker and a risk, but it does not eliminate the risk itself. It is only one means to manage various risks. PPE should be used only after evaluating the possibility of eliminating or reducing the risk through other reasonable measures.
The Importance of Using PPE
The safety plan aims to eliminate or reduce the risk of accidents. However, this is not always feasible due to cost-benefit evaluations or other factors. Therefore, protecting workers with PPE becomes necessary.
Types of Protection Offered by PPE
PPE can offer:
- Protection for the face and eyes
- Hearing protection
- Respiratory protection
- Protection for hands and arms
- Protection for feet and legs
- General body protection
- Fall protection
PPE Design and Manufacturing Requirements
All PPE should be designed and manufactured according to standards that provide adequate protection and comfort, ensuring its effective use.