Introduction to Industrial Safety & Signs
If you work in the Industrial Sector, you must maintain safety guidelines and signs to avoid any accident.
Let's start with some definitions of important topics which are related to industrial safety.
Industrial Safety: Industrial safety may be defined as some measures or techniques which are implemented to reduce the risk of injury, loss and danger to persons, property or the environment in any facility or place involving the manufacturing, producing and processing of goods.
Industrial Hygiene: Industrial hygiene is the knowledge of protecting employees from occupational illness.
Accident: Accident may be defined as an unintentional event resulting from unsafe act and/or unsafe condition or situation.
Incident: Incident is an occurrence that may be either an accident or a near miss.
Near Miss: Near miss is an extraordinary event that could have resulted in an accident but did not.
Need for Safety Legislations:
Related: Personal Protective Equipment or Gears For Industrial Work
Responsibilities Regarding Safety in Process Industries:
a) Responsibilities of the Employer:
- Giving the necessary instruction.
- Taking the necessary actions.
- Providing the necessary means.
- Maintaining the necessary supervision.
b) Responsibilities of the Employees:
- To obey the safety rules
- To use the safety facilities provided by the authority
Industrial Hazards:
a) Mechanical Hazards
- Failure of machine or equipment
- Entanglement
- Contact
- Trapping
- Impact
b) Electrical Hazards
- Electrical shock
- Short circuit
c) Chemical Hazards
- Fire and explosion hazard
- Chemical spillage
d) Health Hazards
- Vibration hazard
- Toxic hazard
- Biological hazard
- Non-ionizing radiation hazards (noise, heat, light, etc)
- Lonizing radiation hazard (radiation in the form of alpha, bet,a and gamma rays)
e) Physical or general hazards
- Slipping hazard
- Striking hard
- Piercing hazard
- Physical explosion
- Burning hard
- Exposure to injurious light
- Falling hazard
- Cutting & amputation
Safety Sings:
A safety sign combines geometrical shape, color, and pictorial symbol to provide specific health or safety information or instruction. Supplementary text may be used in conjunction with the relevant symbol, provided that it is apart and does not interfere with the symbol. The next should be in an oblong or square box of the same color as the sign with the text in the relevant contrasting color.
The following types of safety signs are mainly used in the factories
1. Mandatory (Compulsion) Sign: Safety signs to convey both
- Actions that must be adhered to, and
- Emergency procedures in the event of a fire
Blue circle on a white background complete with white symbol and text on a blue background.
2. Fire Safety Signs: Safety signs to identify the type and location of firefighting equipment and facilities. Red square on a white background complete with white symbol and white text on a red background.
3. Safe Condition Signs: Safety signs to identify actions and activities considered ok to do so. Green square on a white background complete with white symbol and white text on a green background.
4. Hazard Warning Signs: Safety signs to identify potential dangers, hazards, and risk areas. Yellow triangle with a black border on a white background complete with black symbol and black text on a yellow background.
