Safety engineering is an engineering discipline which assures that engineered systems provide acceptable levels of safety, assuring that a life-critical system behaves as needed, even when components fail. This article is extension of previous two introductries “10 Tips guides to Start Health and Safety career” and “Why Learning Health and Safety Engineering?”. Welcome on board of health and safety career, what ever your title Safety engineer, Safety officer, Safety advisor or even Safety specialist, you are required in your first day to define your objectives ( goals) and planning how to achieve them in workplace.
Remember that first impression last forever, write down a list of work activities and tasks then merge them with friends and segregate from Enemies practically. Enemies and Friends in my first day?!! what are you talking about !!, CALM DOWN BRO, “It is not Colleagues” In the field of occupational health and safety there are Friends to make at the same time having enemies to face in deadly combat. enemies you have to study their deep details to know how to knock them out.
FRIENDS AND ENEMIES OF HEALTH AND SAFETY PERSPECTIVE
The subject of health and safety is like all subjects full of its own language and terminology and it’s important to be clear about the number of the basic concepts of the subject and here we shall define and explain certain underlying principles. Health and safety at work is a general term to cover a wide range of effects which may be created by activities and events which occur at the workplace
1- “Health” definition
Briefly means the absence of disease or ill health, in detail meaning the physical condition of both body and mind for people at the workplace including workers in workshops, office workers, contractors and even visitors and listing all sources of harm in order to protect against it
2- “ill-Health” definition
Unplanned, unwanted event that leads to disease, occupational disease
3- “Safety” definition
Briefly means absence of hazards and risks, in detail meaning the conditions at the workplace where hazards and risks leading to injuries/fatality had been eliminated/reduced to an acceptable level
4- “Near-Miss” definition
Unplanned, unwanted event that had the potential to lead to injury, damage or loss but did not infact cause any harm. it is very positive matter to witness near-miss case, the more nearmiss cases recorded the less serious injuries recorded. As that lessons learned from them prevent them recurring and perhaps causing harm next time
5- “Environmental Protection” definition
A term with two faces, The first refers to general conditions of the workplace environment directly influence the area of the workplace itself like levels of lighting a noise heat, cold and dust. The second refers external environment which relates to pollution off or damage to the air,land,water and living creatures outside the workplace that may be affected by workplace activities
6- “Risk Assessment” definition
A process of identefying hazards and assessing their risks and define the control measure to decide if it is enough or more controls are needed
More details how Risk Assessment can Save lives , how Risk Assessment can Save lives 2
Accident prevention – your no. 1 intention
– Safety Advisor
1- “Hazard” definition
Substance or situation with potential to cause harm to people or damage to equipment. common workplace hazards like electricity, work at height, noise, machinery, chemicals, manual handling, fires
2- “Risk” definition
Combination of liklihood that a specific hazard cause harm or damage and severity of that harm. unfortunately it’s very often impossible to eliminate all hazards so the best remaining choice is to controlling Risks from that hazard by reducing to an acceptable level before accident occurs
3- “Accident” definition
Unplanned, unwanted event that leads to ill-health, injury, damage or loss whether to person or equipment.
4- “Occupational Accident” definition
Occurrence arising out of or in period of work which may cause injury, damage or even death
5- “Accident’s Financial Loss” definition
The cost of money the results from health and safety accident or ill health.
(direct cost/ indirect cost), Read more Health and Safety Management, Is It a Financial Burden ?
6- “Occupational Disease” definition
Any disease appears as a result of an exposure to unhealthy factors arising from work activity like cancer arising from exposure to asbestos
