Safety Test 1 September 2

Question 1

Reasons for investigating accidents/incidents

Answer 1

• to determine causes so that action can be taken to prevent similar or worse events
• economic motivation
• OSHA/gvmnt requirements
• insurance company requirements
• trend analysis
• potential litigation (law suits)

Question 2

Incident Definition

Answer 2

• an undesired event that, under slightly different circumstances, could have resulted in personal harm or property damage; any undesired loss of resources
• AKA near miss

Question 3

Risk

Answer 3

• is a measure of both the likelihood and consequence of all hazards of an activity
• is a subjective evaluation of relative failure potential
• can be thought of in terms of “acceptable” levels of risk or “tolerable” levels
• function of the reward structure

Question 4

Methods of Hazard Control

Answer 4

• eliminate the hazard (engineering, substitution)
• reduce the hazard level and potential (severity and frequency) - distance, time, shielding, reduction in quantity, limit # people exposed
• provide safety devices, procedures, and associated training (JSA)
• warnings
• PPE
• Worker rotation (administrative)

Question 5

Hazard Control Hierarchy (What sesek says it is)

Answer 5

1. Engineering controls (physical/operational design)

2. everything else

Question 6

Direct Causes

Answer 6

these are the accident events, the release of energy that may or may not cause injury, damage, or system failure

Question 7

Indirect causes

Answer 7

the unsafe acts and conditions that precede the accident event. this is where many accident investigations stop

Question 8

Basic or Root Causes

Answer 8

the system failure that permitted, encouraged, allowed, failed to identify and correct, failed to follow up on, failed to anticipate or correct, the unsafe acts and conditions that preceded the release of energy
- often management related (affects not just particular incident, but all incidents like it)

Question 9

Accident Investigation

Answer 9

keep going until you get to a cause that causes an entire systematic change

Question 10

• unsafe acts have root causes in / result from:

Answer 10

• many unsafe acts have a root cause in poor implementation of safety procedures or enforcement of existing safety rules - MANAGERS ARENT GOING AROUND DOING THEIR JOBS
• many result from equipment that’s awkward to operate, uncomfortable PPE, lack of understanding of basic ergonomic principles

Question 11

where to find root causes

Answer 11

you should virtually always be able to find underlying root causes related to shortcomings in the design and/or procedures

Question 12

Types of Basic/Root Causes

Answer 12

• management system failure - policies/procedures not adequate or not enforced, health/safety not considered in procurement of equipment (ppl often buy whats cheapest)
• design failures - workers experience/ability not adequately considered/evaluated, physical/mental factors of workers not adequately considered, operating environment not adequately addressed, “forseeable” misuse not seen (you need to account for the fact that ppl are going to misuse equipment)

Question 13

Root Cause “rules”

Answer 13

• ask why until you can no longer ask why
• answer to each why should lead to the root cause or another why; if it doesnt, consider it a dead end or look for another why question
• a root cause is reached when a root action can be taken (action that permanently affects the root cause)

Question 14

definition of industrial hygiene

Answer 14

the science and art devoted to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of those environmental factors or stresses arising from the workplace, which may cause sickness, impaired health and well-being, or significant discomfort among workers or among citizens of community

Question 15

What is Job Hazard Analysis

Answer 15

• a method for analyzing jobs, identifying potential hazards (not just existing ones), and proscribing abatement’s for these potential hazards
• use JHA to figure out which PPE to use
• ideally, most hazards engineered out of system
• if hazards cannot be eliminated or minimized below injurious levels, procedures and PPE should be recommended

Question 16

JHA Steps

Answer 16

• select jobs for analysis
• involve employees in analysis
• break job into tasks/steps
• identify potential hazards
• recommend safe procedures and protection, after engineering controls are explored
• periodically revise the JHA

Question 17

why do we need to inspect for hazards?

Answer 17

there might be something you didn’t anticipate, initially

Question 18

hazards are a function of…

Answer 18

the worker, task, and environment

Question 19

eliminating and controlling hazards

Answer 19

• eliminated and controlled by good design and/or procedures
• those hazards that remain after control measures, are undiscovered, or are added by changes in the system configuration must be dealt with

Question 20

Order of preference for eliminating and controlling hazards

Answer 20

eliminate hazard
limiting hazard level
isolation, barriers, interlocks
fail-safe design
minimizing failures
PPE

Question 21

two types of controls:

Answer 21

• engineering control - physical changes to environment

- administrative - policies, methods, or procedures to limit potential of exposure to hazard

Question 22

elimination of hazards

Answer 22

• good housekeeping
• use noncombustible materials
• use alternative energy sources
• eliminate sharp/protruding objects

Question 23

hazard level limitation

Answer 23

• limit it if it cannot be eliminated
• solid state electrical devices ( power is less than that required for ignition of flammables)
• automatic ventilation/pressure relief
• limit static electricity w/ conductive coatings & ESD procedures

Question 24

lockouts and interlocks

Answer 24

• lockout prevents an event from occurring or a person from entering undesired area
• lockout prevents activating/initiating an operation
• interlock stops an event in progress or does not allow an event to progress

Question 25

what does fail-safe design prevent

Answer 25

• injury to personnel
• major catastrophes
• damage to equipment
• degraded operations

Question 26

how does fail-safe design prevent these things

Answer 26

• leave system unaffected, or

- convert to state where no damage results (deadman control on lawn mower)

Question 27

types of fail-safe designs

Answer 27

• fail passive: reduces system to lowest energy level
• fail active: keeps system in safe operating mode until corrective action or an alternative is activated (e.g. blinking light signal)
• fail operational: allows system to function until corrective action is possible (no loss of function)

Question 28

Proper fail-safe design must have adequate:

Answer 28

• speed

- sensitivity

Question 29

failure minimization

Answer 29

• safety factors and margins
• failure rate reduction
• parameter monitoring

Question 30

what are safety factors and margins?

Answer 30

• components and structures designed with strengths greater than normally required
• allows for calculation errors, variations in material, transient loads and material degradation

Question 31

What is failure rate reduction and what are methods of it?

Answer 31

• actions to limit failures while system is operating
• methods:
• increasing life expectancy of components
• screening
• timed placement
• redundant arrangement

Question 32

responses by systems

Answer 32

• normal situation: no response
• levels set to provide adequate time to decide and act
• automatic response may be desired or required (or not!)

Question 33

in this class, we put root/basic causes into 2 categories:

Answer 33

• design flaws

- procedural flaws

Question 34

ways to isolate hazards

Answer 34

• separate by space
• separate materials
• isolation devices (keep noise in an area)
• shielding
• vibration amounts
• machine guards
• etc.