1

)Safety and the Law of

Unintended

Consequences

“No Group of

Engineers in a

Boardroom can

ever Anticipate

what Normal

People will do with

their Inventions“(Peter Thelen, LBWL)

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What does a Mechanical

Engineer Do?

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What is Mechanical

Engineering?

• Application of principles from physics and

materials science.

• Requires a solid understanding of core concepts

including mechanics, kinematics,

thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer,

materials science, and energy.

•robotics heating and cooling

systems

•motor vehicles,

•medical devices •manufacturing plants •aircraft

•machinery •industrial equipment •watercraft

4

What is Safety?

To the Engineer

• Reliability – Takes great pride that the equipment will operate as designed.

• Planning, Design, Operational Procedures, Training

• Remember - What you design can hurt people!!!!!

To Everyone Else

• Human Factors – “Why bad things happen to good people”

• Man-machine relationship – “Who in their right mind put the valve against the wall with 6” clearance?”

• Exposure – chemicals, noise, pathogens, radiation

• Ergonomics – repetitive stresses, lifting, twisting, vibration

• And things you never even thought of!

5

The Engineer is in the Middle

Problem

to Solve

Use it

Safely

Build it Safely

Do not create a

bigger

problem

Design

Challenge

New

Ideas

6

7

Occupational Safety and

Health Administration

OSHA

General Duty Clause

The employer is

responsible to provide a

safe work place

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Michigan Occupational Safety

& Health Administration

MIOSHA

140 General

Industry

59 Construction

6 Administrative

24 Agriculture

1,000’s of pages !!!

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Consensus Standards

• ANSI - American National Standards Institute

• ASTM - American Society for Testing and Materials

• NFPA – National Fire Protection Association

• Electrical, mechanical, medical, etc

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Engineering Design &

Hazard Control

Administrative

Engineering

Hot

work

Permit

Confined

Space

Lock

Out –

Tag

Out Protective

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Engineering ControlsRemove or reduce the Hazard

Make sure the solution is not worse than the original hazard

Administrative ControlsRemove or reduce the Exposure

Manages but does not remove the hazard

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)Protective Barrier

Only provides a barrier that is not fail safe

The Hierarchy of Controls

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Personal Protective

Equipment

1. Least effective

2. Last line of defense when:

a. Exposure can not be removed

b. Administrative controls cannot

provide sufficient protection

3. Equipment that puts a barrier

between worker and hazard

4. Does not remove the hazard

Gloves, Hard Hat,

Safety Glasses,

Face shield,

Clothing, Shoes,

Hearing Protection

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Design for Safety

• Contractor has to install it

• Operations has to use it

• Maintenance has to fix it

• Everyone else has to live with it

$$Estimate 1,000 times more expensive

to redesign after installation

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------ Behind here to work ???

How do you get

this ---

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Control

Accessibility

• Visible

• Preferred at ground

level or fixed platform

• Readily available for

emergency shutdown

Pressure

gauge & sight

glass

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A Portable

Step Ladder

should not

be

permanent –

That’s why

they are

called

portable !!!

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How

do

you

get

from

here?

To

Here

18

19

Through

here

So we can

get to this

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Keep a clear

path to Safety

Showers and

Eye Wash

Stations &

Fire

Extinguishers

Safety Equipment Accessibility

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Working Aloft

First Rule is

Prevention

Railings

Barriers & Structures

Scaffolds

Ladders

Personnel-lifts

Safety Harnesses

Attachment points

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Fall Restraint

• Prevent the worker

from “going over the

edge”

• Attachment point &

cable – 2 times

expected load.

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Fall Arrest System

Last resort for Fall Protection

When you fall you will not hit the

ground!!

• Engineered attachment point to

withstand 5000 lbs

• Free fall limit of 6 feet

• Swing clearance

• Rescue plan – 30 minutes or

less

– Orthostatic intolerance (suspension

trauma) Restricted Blood circulation

– Blood pooling

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Sound levelsHearing damage is

permanent !!

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Sound Levels

Operating at Full Load

115 -125 dB

8 hour exposure is exceeded in 15 minutes

Engineering Controls are the Most Effective

Hearing protection is the method of last resort.

Caterpillar 2MW generator

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Drains

Remember water runs

down hill !!!

Floor drains should

be close to the

equipment drain

Floor

Drain

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Confined Spaces

• Limited Access

• Air Monitoring

Carbon Monoxide

has no warning

signs and is

deadly

• Emergency

rescue

• Training

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Machine Guarding

• Power presses

• Robotics

• Saws

• Grinders

• Machine shop

equipment

Have to be able to do the work with the guard

in place.

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Muscles

Tendons

Ligaments

Joints

Blood vessels

Nerves

Work Related Musculo-

Skeletal Disorders (WMSD)

Occupational

disorders of the

soft tissues

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Lifting

References

http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/niosh/calculating_rwl.html

http://www.emcins.com/lc/niosh.htm

http://wisha-training.lni.wa.gov/training/presentations/CommonWMSD.pps#1

http://wisha-training.lni.wa.gov/training/presentations/Lifting%20Hazards.ppt

• There are 50,000 Work Related Musculo-Skeletal Disorders (WMSD) in Washington State every year.(2002 data)

• How many of them are due to lifting?

17,000! (34%)

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Lifting Injuries Aren’t Just

Back Injuries

30% of Shoulder WMSDs

22% of Elbow

WMSDs

13% of Hand/Wrist

WMSDs

43% of Back

WMSDs

Lifting results in:

Source: SHARP technical report No. 40-6-2002

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Reduce Heavy Lifting

• Reduce the weight

• Increase the weight

distribution

• Use mechanical

assistance

• Slide instead of lift

• Team lifting

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Other Ergonomic Stress

Factors

• Repetitive - Computer use,

assembly line work

• Vibration – Jack hammer,

construction activities

• Twisting and pulling

• Reaching and over extension

• Posture – Crawling, working in

small spaces

• Static stress – Same posture for

long periods of time

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Spot says, “it’s HOT out there!”

“Be sure you’re drinking plenty

of water!”

Heat Illnesses

Heat Stress – rash,

fainting, cramps,

exhaustion

Heat Stroke - Core body

temperature >105 o F

Life threatening

condition!!!

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Hypothermia & Frost Bite

Hypothermia ("low heat”) Body fails to maintain its normal core temperature of 98.6°F.

Frostbite - Deep layers of the skin and other body tissues freeze (<28°F-30°F). Ice crystals form, destroying tissues and causing

permanent damage.

Hypothermia is a medical emergency!

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Chemical Safety

• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)

• Substitute a less hazardous material

• Employee exposure

• Spill Response

• Containment structures

• Storage and disposal

• Environmental requirements

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Hazardous Energy Control

Lockout \ Tag Out

(LOTO)

Equipment must be

able to take a lock

Location of lock

must be accessible

Electrical, mechanical, chemical,

pressure, thermal, pneumatic,

gravity, hydraulic

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Housekeeping and Storage

• Design places for

accessible tool

storage

• Provide work

spaces and work

benches

• Wash stations and

sinks

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Combustible Dust

Since 1980, there have

been at least 350 dust

explosions in the U.S.,

killing 133 people and

injuring hundreds more.

There are at least 30,000

factories in the nation

vulnerable to dust

explosions

•Youtube hyperlink

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Combustible Atmosphere

Dust, gas vapor

Ignition Source

OxygenExplosive when concentration is between the LEL

& UEL!

Combustible Atmosphere

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Combustible Atmosphere

Dust Ignition Source

Oxygen

Combustible Atmosphere

SuspensionConfinement

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Slips Trips & Falls

• Most falls (injury/death) are from less

than 6 feet.

• 15 % of all accidental deaths

(≈12,000/year)

• 2nd leading cause behind motor vehicles

• About 25% of reported injury claims per

year

• > 17% of all disabling work injuries are

the result of falls

MANY OF THESE COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED

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Slip, Trip, Fall Definitions

Slip - too little friction or traction between your feet (footwear) and the walking or working surface, and you

lose your balance.

Trip - foot (or lower leg)

hits an object and your upper

body continues moving,

throwing you off balance.

Fall

Occurs when you are

too far off your center of

balance.

Friction: The resistance encountered when an object (foot) is moved in contact with another (ground). Friction is necessary in order to walk without slipping.

orWhen you step down unexpectedly to

a lower surface (Misstep) and lose your

balance, e.g., stepping off a curb.

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Causes of Slips, Trips, Falls

• Falls - same level,

lower level

• Contamination of

surface

• Highly polished

surfaces

• Unexpected height

or transition

• Slopes, uneven

terrain

• Weather conditions

• Rug, mats

• Inappropriate shoes

• Inattention

45

You have a Great

Responsibility

But you are not alone

Use your resources

– Operators

– Maintenance staff

– Professional

colleagues

– Even the regulators can

help !!!

46

Irene Armock, Certified Industrial Hygienist

Lansing Board of Water & Light

Safety Department

PO Box 13007

Lansing Michigan 48910

Phone: 517-702-6385

Cell Phone: 517-388-6385

E-mail: Irene@LBWL.com

Good Luck &

Have a Safe Day !!!