Industrial Safety, Occupational Health and Environment
Industrial Safety, Occupational Health and Environment tests hazard recognition and the control measures expected in a workshop or plant, together with the environmental duties of a technician.
Core rules
- Hierarchy of control: eliminate, substitute, engineering control (guarding, ventilation), administrative control, then PPE as the last line.
- Safety colours: red = fire and prohibition, yellow = caution, blue = mandatory action, green = safe condition and first aid.
- Fire triangle: fuel, oxygen, heat. Classes: A (solid), B (flammable liquid), C (gas), D (metal); electrical fires need CO₂ or dry powder, never water.
- LOTO (lockout/tagout) and permit-to-work isolate energy before maintenance; confined-space entry needs gas testing, ventilation and a standby person.
- Health: silicosis (silica dust), asbestosis, lead poisoning, noise-induced hearing loss (risk rises above 85 dB(A) over 8 hours), vibration white finger, ergonomic strain.
- Environment: segregate waste, treat effluent before discharge, control air emissions, apply the 3R principle; ISO 14001 covers environmental management, ISO 45001 occupational health and safety.
Worked example
A machine control panel catches fire. The correct action is to raise the alarm, isolate the power if it is safe to do so, and use a CO₂ extinguisher. Water is wrong because it conducts and can electrocute the operator; foam is also wrong on live electrical equipment. Afterwards the cause is investigated and the panel is cleaned and checked before re-energising.
Traps that cost marks
Choosing water for an oil or electrical fire; using PPE as the first rather than last control; mixing up the meanings of blue and green signs; entering a confined space without gas testing; forgetting that noise is a health hazard and not merely a nuisance.