OPERATIONS, MAINTENANCE AND SAFETY

Description of module
Name: Operations, Maintenance and Safety
Code: MET 06214
Number of Credits: 9
WHAT TO EXPECT?
Sub-enabling outcome:
[1] Use risk management skills to identify risks and hazards for assessment.
[2] Employ risk assessment and hazards control techniques for mitigation.
[3] Use machinery maintenance knowledge to identify types of maintenance strategies to be
adopted.
[4] Apply technical procedures to perform installation and maintenance tasks for machines
improved efficiency.
[5] Employ machinery knowledge to identify facilities and machines maintenance requirements
for planning.
[6] Use human factors effects considerations to improve maintenance of facilities and machines.
REFERENCES
Required References:
[1] Brumbach, M. E. and Clade, J. A. (2013), Industrial Maintenance, 2nd edition, Delmar Cengage
Learning, pp. 816.
[2] Green, D. and Gosse, J. F. (2010), Industrial Maintenance, 3 Har/Cdr edition, Amer Technical
Pub, pp. 423.
[3] Wark, K , Cecil F. Warner and W. T. Davis: (2007), Air Pollution 3ed, Its Origin and Control,
Prentice Hall 69
[4] Gulati, R. (2012), Maintenance Best Practices, 2nd ed. Edition, Industrial Press, pp. 496.
[5] Mallick, A. R. (2015), Practical Boiler Operation Engineering and Power Plant, 4 th Revised
edition, PHI Learning, pp. 616.
Recommended References:
[6] Woodruff, E. B. and Lammers. H. B. (2016), Steam Plant Operation, 10th Edition
(Mechanical Engineering), McGraw-Hill Education, pp. 752.
INTEGRATED METHODS OF ASSESSMENT
Continuous Assessment components: 40%
End of Semester Examination: 60%
1. Occupational health and safety
The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the foundations on which appropriate health and safety
management systems may be built. Occupational health and safety affect all aspects of work. In a
low hazard organization, health and safety may be supervised by a single competent manager. In
a high hazard manufacturing plant, many different specialists, such as engineers (electrical,
mechanical and civil), lawyers, medical doctors and nurses, trainers, work planners and
supervisors may be required to assist the professional health and safety practitioner in ensuring
that there are satisfactory health and safety standards within the organization.
According to WHO (1995), occupational safety and health can be defined as a multidisciplinary
activity aiming at:
• Protection and promotion of the health of workers by eliminating occupational factors and
conditions hazardous to health and safety at work.
• Enhancement of physical, mental and social well-being of workers and support for the
development and maintenance of their working capacity, as well as professional and social
development at work.
• Development and promotion of sustainable work environments and work organizations.

1.1 Some basic definitions

Before a detailed discussion of health and safety issues can take place, some basic occupational
health and safety definitions are required.
i. Health – Is physical and mental well-being; freedom from disease, pain or defect.
ii. Safety – The protection of people from physical injury.
iii. Welfare – The provision of facilities to maintain the health and well-being of individuals
at the workplace. Welfare facilities include washing and sanitation arrangements, the
provision of drinking water, heating, lighting, accommodation for clothing, seating (when
required by the work activity or for rest), eating and rest rooms. First-aid arrangements are
also considered as welfare facilities.
iv. Occupational or work-related ill-health – This is concerned with those illnesses or
physical and mental disorders that are either caused or triggered by workplace activities.
Such conditions may be induced by the particular work activity of the individual, or by
activities of others in the workplace. The time interval between exposure and the onset of
the illness may be short (e.g., asthma attacks) or long (e.g., deafness or cancer).
 v. Environmental protection – These are the arrangements to cover those activities in the
workplace which affect the environment (in the form of water, air and soil) and, possibly,
the health and safety of employees and others. Such activities include waste disposal and
atmospheric pollution.
vi. Accident – This is defined as any unplanned event that results in injury or ill-health of
people, or damage or loss to property, plant, materials or the environment. Accidents at
work can lead to serious injury and even death.
vii. Near miss – is any incident that could have resulted in an accident.
viii. Dangerous occurrence – is a ‘near miss’ which could have led to serious injury or loss of
life. Examples include the collapse of a scaffold or a crane or the failure of any passenger-
carrying equipment.
ix. Hazard – is a present condition, event that could lead to or contribute to an unplanned or
undesired event such as an accident. Or is something with the potential to cause harm. This
include machines, methods of working, the working environment and other aspects of
work.
x. Risk – is the future impact of a hazard that is not controlled or eliminated. It can be viewed
as future uncertainty created by the hazard. Or is the likelihood of potential harm from that
hazard being realized.
xi. Environmental health professionals – are those who apply their knowledge and
experience, understand the
environmental health hazards, analyze the technical and social approaches and reduce and
eliminate human exposures and health impacts.
xii. Industrial hygienists – are scientists, engineers, and public health professionals
committed to protecting the health people in the workplace and the community.

1.2 General responsibilities for safety

Employees at all levels are involved in accident prevention, but the main responsibility rests with
the directors and management who alone have the authority to issue orders and direct work.
A stop in production rarely happens when a properly organized safety program is in operation. In
the general experience of industry, the safe works is the efficient works.
1.2.1 Responsibilities of directors and senior management
i. Provide and maintain workplaces, machinery and equipment, and use work methods, which
are as safe and without risk to health.
ii. Give the necessary instructions and training to managers and staff.
iii. Provide adequate supervision of work, and use of occupational safety and health measures.
iv. Provide adequate personal protective clothing and equipment without cost to the worker.
v. Ensure the work load, with respect to hours of work and rest breaks, does not adversely
affect the safety and health of workers.
vi. Take all reasonable and practicable measures to eliminate excessive physical and mental
fatigue.
vii. To deal with emergencies and accidents, including adequate first-aid arrangements.
viii. Cooperate with other employers in improving occupational safety and health.

1.2.2 Responsibilities of supervisors and foremen

The responsibilities of management also apply to supervisors and foremen. The person who gives
direct instructions to employees is in a key position in reducing accidents, is closely associated
with the work force, knows them personally, and is acquainted with their habits, grievances,
attitudes and personal qualities. The foreman is generally at least as skilled as they are and may
work beside them and controls the work force by influence and example.

1.2.3 Responsibilities of the safety specialist

i. Identify and assess hazards, risks and control measures for a specific operation or process.
ii. Conduct ongoing review of operations and processes to identify potential hazards, risks
and control measures that should be implemented to reduce these risks.
iii. Set up and supervising temporary work areas.
iv. Supervise the safe handling, storage & disposal of hazardous materials.
v. Supervise the operation of any potential hazards in the workplace.
vi. Continuous inspection of project sites, to ensure a hazard-free environment.
vii. Ensure that all company employees meet all OSHA requirements.
viii. Provide OSHA training if necessary.
ix. Ensure that health, safety, and environmental policies are followed.
x. Investigate workplace accidents and injuries and refer them to the proper authorities.
 xi. Verification of tools and equipment to ensure good quality.
xii. Responding to workers’ safety concerns.
xiii. Testing effectiveness of site emergency response plans.

1.2.4 Responsibilities of the workers

As an employee, you have a 'duty of care' responsibility for safety and health at the workplace.
Under Section 20 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984, your 'duty of care' means that
you must:
i. Work safely to ensure your own safety and health.
ii. Make sure your actions do not cause injury or harm to others.
iii. Follow your employer's instructions on safety and health – ask for assistance if you do not
understand the information.
iv. Take care of any protective clothing and equipment (PPE) in the way you have been
instructed and report any concerns about it.
v. Report any hazards, injuries or ill health to your supervisor or employer; and
vi. Cooperate with your employer when they require something to be done for safety and
health at the workplace.

1.3 Principles of Occupational Health and Safety

The core occupational health and safety principles put forth by the ILO are as follows;
i. All workers have rights.
ii. Occupational health and safety policies must be established.
iii. There is a need for consultation with the social partners (that is, employers and workers)
and other stakeholders.
iv. Prevention and protection must be the aim of occupational health and safety programs and
policies.
v. Policies must be enforced.
vi. Education and training are vital components of safe, healthy working environments.
vii. Health promotion is a central element of occupational health practice.
viii. Compensation, rehabilitation and curative services must be made available to workers who
suffer occupational injuries, accidents and work-related diseases.
ix. Information is vital for the development and implementation of effective programs and
policies.
1.4 Management responsibilities in Occupational Health and Safety training
It is the responsibility of management to:
i. Give each worker practical and appropriate instruction.
ii. Provide training involving the acquisition of knowledge and know-how to be applied in a
specific job and corresponding to the qualifications required.
iii. Give refresher courses to update the knowledge acquired through training.
iv. Provide further training, thus enabling workers to acquire new knowledge.

1.5 Occupational Hazards and Hygiene

1.5.1 Occupational Hazards
An occupational hazard can be defined as any condition that may adversely affect the well-being
or health of the exposed persons.
Occupational hazards can be divided into two categories:
i. Safety hazards, that cause accidents that physically injure workers.
ii. Health hazards, that result in the developing of a disease.
It is important to note that a “hazard” only represents the potential to cause harm. Whether it
actually does harm will depend on circumstances, such as the number of workers exposed and the
degree and duration of exposure.
The occurrence or severity of occupational disease is related to the exposure to factors on the job
or in the work environment. Such factors can be:
• Physical – heat, noise, radiation, vibration, cold
• Chemical – solvents, pesticides, heavy metals, dust
• Biological – Tuberculosis, hepatitis B virus, HIV
• Psychosocial stressors – lack of control over work, inadequate personal support
• Mechanical –causes of work accidents and injuries

1.5.2 Reasons in Poor Performance

Reasons for the poor and hazardous performance are:
i. Workplace
• Unsafe building
• Old machines
• Poor ventilation
 • Noise
• Inaccessible to inspection
ii. Workers
• Limited education
• Limited skill and training
iii. Employers
• Limited financial resources
• Low attention and knowledge

1.5.3 Occupational Hygiene

Occupational hygiene is defined by the International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA)
as 'the discipline of anticipating, recognizing, evaluating and controlling health hazards in the
working environment with the objective of protecting worker's health and well-being and
safeguarding the community at large’.
The classical steps in occupational hygiene practice are:
i. The recognition of the possible health hazards in the work environment.
ii. The evaluation of hazards, which is the process of assessing exposure and reaching
conclusions as to the level of risk to human health.
iii. Prevention and control of hazards, which is the process of developing and implementing
strategies to eliminate, or reduce to acceptable levels, the occurrence of harmful agents and
factors in the workplace, while also accounting for environmental protection.
iv. Participate in overall risk analysis and management of an agent, process or workplace, and
contribute to the establishing of priorities for risk management.
v. Understand the legal framework for occupational hygiene practice.
vi. Educate, train, inform and advise persons at all levels, in all aspects of hazard
communication.
1.6 MANDATORY SAFETY, HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL RULES
The following Safety, Health and Environmental Rules are a partial list of general regulations that
shall apply to all work.
i. All occupational injuries and illnesses, no matter how slight, must be reported to your
supervisor immediately.
ii. Submitting false information when reporting an accident or injury is unlawful and wilbe
cause for dismissal.
iii. Fighting, gambling, horseplay and other misconduct, are not permitted, nor shall
threatening or attacks upon another employee be tolerated.
iv. The use, or possession of intoxicants or drugs on the project is prohibited.
v. Only authorized and properly trained and supervised personnel are permitted to operate
equipment, vehicles, valves, electrical switches and similar machinery.
vi. Keep clear of all equipment. Avoid pinch points and blind areas. Be alert to avoid swinging
and suspended loads.
vii. Unless authorized, do not attempt to repair or tamper with equipment that is not functioning
properly. Report malfunctions to your supervisor.
viii. Misuse of tools and equipment or circumventing safety devices can result in injury to
yourself or others.
ix. Riding loads, slings, the ball, crane hook or other material hoisting equipment is prohibited.
Ride only in vehicles designated and designed for transporting personnel.
x. Jumping on or off equipment or vehicles, either moving or stationary is prohibited.
xi. Keep all machinery guards, guardrails and other protective devices in place and in good
operating order.
xii. Personal protective equipment such as hard hats, eye, face, hearing and respiratory
protection will be furnished and used as required.
xiii. Be alert for and heed all information and warning signs at all times.
xiv. Be alert at all times to conditions and work processes in your area, surrounding areas and
with the presence of other workers and equipment.
xv. All fire protection and emergency equipment must be plainly marked and kept free of
obstruction for emergency use.
xvi. Maintain good housekeeping.
xvii. Do not use compressed air to “dust‐off” yourself.
xviii. Report all unsafe and unhealthy practices and conditions to your supervisor at once.
xix. If you are in doubt about the safe or proper way to perform a specific job or duty, get
instructions from your supervisor before proceeding.
xx. When you are relieved from a job that has unusual or concealed hazards, immediately
inform the person relieving you that such hazards exist. BE SPECIFIC.
xxi. All hazardous material must be properly handled, stored and disposed off.

THE END