Workplace Safety: Essential Practices and Regulations

Posted on Jan 19, 2025 in Geology

Key Terms and Definitions

• Looking after / Regulations: Reglaments
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Equip de protecció personal
• Compulsory: Obligatori
• Deal with: Tractar amb
• Contravene: Infringir
• Turning up for work late: Arriving late to work
• Breaching: Salts

Confined Spaces and Hazards

• Confined Spaces: Small areas without ventilation
• CO2 Detector: Measures carbon dioxide
• Exposure: Contact with a danger
• Irritant: Causes skin to react
• Toxic: Poisonous
• Corrosive: Burns the skin
• Flammable: Catches fire easily
• Naked Flames / Sparks: Sources of ignition

Safety Guidelines for Using a Saw

1. Maintain the saw in top condition. Oil moving parts and sharpen the blades.
2. Make sure electric wires and cables are in good condition.
3. Use an earthed plug and never use the saw in wet conditions.
4. Unplug the saw before changing the blade.
5. Wear goggles at all times when using the saw.
6. Never remove the safety guard.
7. Keep your feet on the floor and maintain good balance.
8. Do not operate the saw after drinking alcohol or taking medicine.

Symbol Identification

1F; 2H; 3A; 4C; 5G; 6I; 7E; 8B; 9D

Fire Extinguishers: Types and Uses

• Water: Suitable for solids (wood, paper, cloth) and cooking oils and fats.
• Foam: Suitable for solids (wood, paper, cloth), flammable liquids, and cooking oils and fats.
• Dry Powder: Suitable for solids (wood, paper, cloth), flammable liquids, flammable gases, and electrical equipment.
• Carbon Dioxide (CO2): Suitable for flammable liquids, electrical equipment, and cooking oils and fats.

Handling Chemical Spills

• Acetone: For small spills, use paper; for large spills, use vermiculite or sand.
• Gasoline: Use dry sand or absorbent mineral.
• Caustic Soda: Vacuum the spill.
• Sulphuric Acid: Use dry earth, sand, or other non-combustible material.
• Mercury: Use zinc or copper dust. Aspirate the liquid with an eyedropper.

Ionizing vs. Non-Ionizing Radiation

What is the difference between ionizing and non-ionizing radiation?

Ionizing radiation can remove electrons from the outer shells of atoms.

Understanding Stress in Beams

Let me start by clarifying something. When a beam is subjected to bending stress, the bottom part is generally in tension, as you rightly say. But the top part is not ‘free from stress’, as you suggest. It’s in compression. Only the horizontal centerline of the beam – a zone called the neutral axis – is not stressed. It’s also important to be clear about the strengths of concrete and steel. You’re right that concrete is poor at resisting tensile stress as it’s prone to failure by fracturing suddenly. It’s also true that concrete is good at resisting compressive stress. But steel is much stronger than concrete, not just in tension as you point out, but also when it’s compressed. So steel is often put at the tops of beams in cases where the beam is subjected to high levels of compression, meaning that the concrete requires reinforcing to prevent it from crushing and failing. Another possible reason for a beam having steel on the top is to take tension. Why would you get tension in the top of a beam? It’s true that most beams want to deflect downwards because gravity causes them to sag, putting only the bottom of the beam in tension. But in some structures, there are beams or parts of beams that want to hog – being forced into upward deflection.

Understanding BLEVE

BLEVE is a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion. A type of explosion caused by the sudden expansion and ignition of a flammable gas that goes from liquid to gas state in the process.

Technical Terms and Definitions