BIRTH OF OSHA: Occupational Safety and Health Administration

We are now living in 2020 enjoying 4.0 and as well planning towards 5.0. By using Smartphone, iPad, Laptop and Computer, we transfer funds, Purchase materials, shopping, entertainment and with the help of Google etc download educational materials, with usage of YouTube recipes of food preparation.  The above said benefits and usages are not made available in a short period. It is because of the development from the earlier periods. Eve during the development and research, every step, the problems were overcome and could achieve good results with great difficulties.

SAFETY CULTURE The Employee and the Employer are expected to maintain discipline on SAFETY both in workplace and in their routine including personal activities.  A habit is to be developed and continued for all 365 days. It is not an Optional or Seasonal.  An Example for CULTURE. A Managing Director of an Organisation used to carry his Lunch Box and Brief Case from his room to the Car. He drives his Car and reaches the Factory. He parks the Car in the allotted space and carry the Lunch Box and Brief Case to his Cabin. He made it as a regular practice from the Day one and continues for ever. Reverse side. A General Manager of a Factory while getting ready at his residence, the Driver carry the Lunch Box and Brief Case and Office files at used to keep in the front seat. The General Manager just walk and take his seat.  After reaching his Office, the Driver drop the GM at the door step. The  GM enter into his Cabin.  The Driver or the sub staff used to bring the lunch box and the Brief Case.  Here the GM feels that the Company provided him a Driver and he act with the allotted powers

SAFETY 1 Safety means relative freedom from injury, blood injury, threat and loss of life or property whether caused deliberately or by an accident.  RISK The likelihood of a specific effect with a specific period. Complex function of Probability Consequence of Vulnerability.  RISK ANALYSIS AND RISK ASSESSMENT Can be a set of Systematic Methods. 1. Identify of Hazards 2. Quantity of Risks 3. A Risk Analysis and Risk Assessment 4. Hazard and its identification Anything (condition, saturation, practice a behaviour) that has the potential to harm including injury, disease, death environment, property, equipment damage HAZARD IDENTIFICATION means process of finding out in work task or area. INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION 1. The First Industrial Revolution took place in Europe and US in the year 1912. At the same time the First World War took place between 1914 and 1919. The machineries  were just invented. There was no SAFETY and Standards.  Factories were established and operated with available knowledge and workforce, no training and experience. Hence they faced more accidents both minor and major. People were dying due to faults and poisonous gases. The accidents were not recorded and reported. Slowly the SECOND INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION stepped into Europe and US during 1925.  During this period the machines with some  slight improvement  were  manufactured. The SECOND World war took place between 1939 and 1949. Here also the accidents and casualties were recorded and known to public. Subsequently, taking into consideration of the previous faults gradually improvement taken place.  They started producing Quality machines and high Standards.  BHOPAL TRAGEDY.  The Union Carbide Limited, Bhopal unit had a fateful day on 4 December 1984.  There was a leak in a liquid MIC in their storage tank resulting the release of harmful and poisonous gas.  The nearby area is heavily affected.  The labourers and the Public lost their Eye Sight, Breaking Problems as well heavily loss of Human life.  Though they declared 2000 Casualties, it is learnt that the real picture is much more. This episode was published in one of the British Bulletin in the year 1985.  Due to inhaling of the dangerous gas, the labourers are suffering various types of diseases and health disorders even after 36 years. The Compensation packages offered were meagre and the case is still pending at the International Court of Law. Another Example. The Phillip Petroleum Refinery accident with a Death of 123. Three Island mile nuclear plant disaster in Kansas city accident with a record of killing lot of people due to radiation effect.  Likewise, Ammonia Compressor blast at the Texas Fertilizer Company with heavy Casualties. The HAZARD Chemical releases continue to a significant problems to the Employees. These incidents draw the attention among the International Community and particularly the US.  The Well-wishers and the Scientists and the Management of Hazard Chemicals decided to draw a healthy practice. After careful studies and numerous meetings and discussions, they set up Standards to adopt. In June 1990, OSHA, Occupational Safety and Health Administration of US proposed the Standards. They declared norms and Policies, Programs, Procedures and Practices.

The Scheduled hearings was done in 1990 at Washington DC. After several meetings and discussions till February 1992, the OSHA was enacted as a law in US with Clean Air Act Amendment. It is also called Process Safety Management System. It applies to all Industries in Europe and US. The Standard Specification contain 14 Elements. 1 Process Safety Information 2 Process Hazard Analysis 3 Operating Procedures 4 Employees Participations 5 Training 6 Refresher Training 7 Training Documentation 8 Contractors 9 Employers Responsibilities 10 Contract Employers Responsibilities 11 Pre start up Safety Review 12 Mechanical Integrity 13 Hot Eork Permit 14 Management of Change 15 Emery Planning and Response 16 Compliance Audit 1 Develop and document Safety Procedure Identify Chemical and Process Hazard Equipment used in the process.  2 Ascertain whether the workplace having a potential for Catastrophic consequences.  3 Consult with Employees and their representatives for the development and conduct Hazard Assessment as well as record the chemical accidents 4 Establish a system to respond to the workplace and assess findings which shall prevent mitigation and emergency response. 5 Conduct Hazard Assessment, review the response periodically. Preliminary Hazard Analysis Risk Management can be defined as collection of culture process structures which are to be redressed our potential.  While managing adverse effects, it can be a systematic application of Management policies, procedures and practices. Traditionally HAZOP and Process Hazard Analysis study are two different sessions.  HAZOP bring structure, procedure and criteria mainly use of nodes key and deviation words.

CONCLUSION With the help of the present available resources in Communication the State Government and Central Government utilised property by employing manpower and restricted the Human loss to great extent during the last year.  They alerted the public with media in regular intervals in a systematic approach.  There may be loss of property which can be made available in the long run. In the same way during this CORONA Crisis Episode, The Central Government declared LOCKDOWN. The situation was continuously monitored at District Level, State Level and Central Level.  With the result INDIA could reduce the Human loss to a grest extent.  Some of the International Dailies projected human loss will be more on INDIA and which has been proved as WRONG.

By V Narasimhan and A K Srikantan, partners of ENYES ASSOCIATES Chennai and Coimbatore