Industrial Hygiene Program - Research Paper Example

Industrial Hygiene program (Physical Hazards) Industrial hygiene is a very dynamic issue with various implications to employees, society, government, NGOs and international environmental protection bodies. This paper seeks to study industrial hygiene with particular reference to physical hazards. However, it is also important to note that the various industrial health hazards are highly inter related. For example, increase in temperature can cause chemical reaction which can be categorized as a physical as well as chemical hazard and the implications are inseparable, because the chemical hazard is inherent in the material, but might have been caused by human negligence or ignorance. All types of risks in an industrial environment are partly inter-related. Segregation of risks by its impact on persons, property and environment as well the nature of risk associated with an activity or non-activity and establishment of procedures to be followed in relation to all materials and activities is very important in occupational or industrial hygiene from the safety and health perspective of the persons and environment. This paper study the responsibilities of the people at various levels in the company, the program of industrial hygiene implemented by the company, the facilities available for education and training to the people for eliciting complete cooperation in the implementation of the program with particular reference to the international petrochemical company SABIC with a view to make recommendations for improving the control systems in industrial hygiene. Table of Contents Company Profile 3 Assumptions – Stated & Implied 3 Purpose of the Study 4 Scope of the Study 4 Goals & Objectives 5 Industrial Hygiene – Physical Hazards 5 Definitions 5 Acronyms 5 Industrial Hygiene 6 Physical Hazards 8 Sources of Physical Hazards 9 Industrial Hygiene Program 10 Organization of the Team and Role of HRD 13 Resources & Budgeting 13 Training 14 Workplace Hazard Anticipation 15 Workplace Hazard Recognition 15 Documentation & Records 16 Auditing, Evaluation and Follow-up 16 Company’s Policy 17 Hazards in Petrochemical Industry 18 SABIC’s Performance Record in Safety & Health 18 Corporate Social Responsibility 18 Recommendations for improvement 19 Conclusion 20 References 21 Company Profile The company manufactures chemicals, plastics and other basic materials, for everything from toys to cosmetics to aircraft components with high class R&D facilities. Polymers like polystyrene and polyethylene, around 40,000 thermoplastic resins, specialty compounds, films, sheets and additives are manufactured for various industries like auto and electronics. Highly specialized, high value, technologically advanced chemical derivatives, metals and fertilizers produced by them make the company a very well diversified company with its operations in more than forty countries and 40,000 employees. It is one of the world’s top 100 companies. The company has US$89 billion in total assets, and annual revenues of over US$50 billion. (SABIC, 2012) According to Sustainability Report 2011 of SABIC SABIC has a good system in place for industrial hygiene associated with SABIC’s Environmental, Health, Safety & Security (EHSS) Manufacturing Center of Excellence, Sustainability teams. The independent advisory firm KPMG gives them additional confidence about the key performance indicators relating to energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and material loss. “SABIC transports more than 60 million MT of products annually, so increasing the efficiency of our supply chain can bring significant environmental, economic, and societal benefits. (36) Assumptions: Stated and Implied The company in its Sustainability Report, 2011 states “All our facilities have been built to comply with the strictest international safety requirements, and we work with all our partners and affiliates to make sure they maintain the highest safety standards… We use a Recordable Incidence Rate metric, modeled on the widely accepted U.S. OSHA standard, to evaluate our safety performance.” (34) The information furnished is treated as authentic in view of its compliance with the best international standards and endorsement by the internationally reputed advisory firm KPMG. Purpose of the study Health hazards could be broadly classified into physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic and psychological hazards. In order to lend focus to the study, this paper deals with the issues, control and management of physical hazards in an organizational set up in petrochemical industry, with particular reference to SABIC. Goals and Objectives The goals with reference to the study are to analyze the working environment with a view to i. identify the potential areas relating to industrial hygiene with reference to physical hazards, ii. establish procedures for improving the control system by segregation of hazards and iii. develop suitable system for anticipating hazards by classifying them The objective of the study is to make recommendations to the organization which are expected to be useful in their continuous efforts to improve the health and safety of the employees and the community in which it operates. The health and safety program should incorporate plan of action in case of emergencies and exigencies for better control over the situation and efficiency in dealing with the problem. Similarly, a firm plan of action is necessary for occupational diseases, disposal of hazardous waste for environmental cleanliness and pollution control measures. Scope of the study Health and safety aspects in an organization like SABIC in petrochemical industry are very wide in nature with several factors at interplay. The scope of the study is related to physical hazards especially in the manufacturing plants. It extends to storage and transportation as well. Managing the environment with a view to protect the health of the workers and ensure their safety takes into account the handling of materials and its storage also. Therefore, physical hazards need to be viewed in the context of other hazards like chemical and biological for formulating effective strategies for the purpose of control. Industrial Hygiene – Physical Hazards Definitions Industrial hygiene: “Science and art devoted to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, prevention, and control of those environmental factors or stresses arising in or from the workplace which may cause sickness, impaired health and well being, or significant discomfort among workers or among citizens of the community”  ( AIHA, 2012). Acronyms AIIHA American Industrial Hygiene Association EHSS Environment, health, safety, and security OSHA Occupational Safety & Health Administration REACH Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals SHEM Safety, health and environment management standards Industrial hygiene The decisions taken by a company in industrial hygiene is not borne out of the compulsions to comply with the government regulations. Rather, it is voluntary considering the benefits associated with the process. In fact, the companies are declaring return on investment made not only in the measures undertaken by a company within the organization but also the CSR activities carried out in the community.  According to a recent Liberty Mutual poll of executives Huang et al (2009, 38), “Participants perceived that, on average, for every dollar spent improving workplace safety, about $4.41 (SD = 12.0) would be returned.” The environmental conscious social groups are watchful of the industrial hygiene and environmental pollution caused by the industries. The governments have enacted several laws to regulate industrial hygiene and environmental pollution in various countries. The American Government’s investigation on Dover Chemical is an example in this respect. “The U.S. Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Dover Chemical Co. for 47 health and safety – including four willful – violations after an unexpected release of hazardous materials led to the temporary shutdown of the companys Dover plant and an adjacent highway in May.” (Industrial Hygiene News, 2012) The company, SABIC’s commitment to industrial hygiene is reflected in the statement “We also support Responsible Care® – the chemical industry’s global initiative that drives continuous improvement in environment, health, safety, and security performance – and we have received the Responsible Care® multi-site accreditation and RC14001:2008 certification. RC14001 enables us to obtain, through an application and audit process, a certification that our management system conforms to both the ISO 14001 standard and American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care® requirements. We aim to have all large chemical sites fully implementing Responsible Care® by 2014.” (Sustainability Report, 2011, 1) There are several international agencies for assuring industrial hygiene.  Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) assures “safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.” (OSHA, 2012) OSHA has developed standards for enforcement on the industries and its Safety and Health Officers are empowered to conduct inspections in the workplaces, especially functioning in hazardous conditions and fine them for violations. The agency sends Safety and Health Officers to work sites, where they carry out inspections and assess fines for regulatory violations. Similarly, “the main aims of REACH are to ensure a high level of protection of human health and the environment from the risks that can be posed by chemicals, the promotion of alternative test methods…” (REACH, 2012) in Europe. There are several advantages accrue to a company by maintaining the highest standards of health and safety in workplaces and the environment. It reduces sickness among the employees and consequently absenteeism, productivity increases due to good health conditions of the labor and it avoids compensation payments involved in case of accidents or death. The employees are also the stakeholders of the company. The environmental protection sends right signals to the community whose continued support for a company’s existence is crucial for a sustainable growth and development of the business. Industrial Hygiene Physical hazards Physical hazards include exposure to vibration, radiation, noise and hot or cold temperature. Acute weather conditions and levels of humidity can affect the health of the employees. It is important to understand that the impact of the other hazards like ergonomic and psychological hazards on physical hazards. This will enable the safety team segregate the activities which are prone to influences of the other factors and treat them effectively. For example, one of the important elements in ergonomic hazards is structure of the plant layout. It includes adequacy of the width of gangway for easy movement of men, materials and material handling equipments, provision for ventilation, lighting system and position of the overhead cranes with sufficient headroom. These factors determine flow of air, dampness on the walls and floors, chances for accidents in workplace, visibility and flexibility in the operations. It could also be inferred that it may lead to contamination of the goods either during storage or operations. The consequences could be chemical or biological depending upon the types and properties of the materials. Sources of physical hazards This could be broadly divided into the following categories. Human factors involved in the operations. Nature of the production process and the hazardous agents involved in the process Nature of the inputs and out puts (Hazardous agents) Environmental hazards inherent in the nature of the industry Therefore, the program designed for a sustainable progress in health and safety of the people and environment should aim to eliminate all the barriers involved in achievement of the objectives. The management of the physical hazards in an organization SABIC is very complex considering especially the size of the organization, number of persons employed, diversity in manufacturing methods or processes and the number of inputs and outputs involved in manufacturing. Therefore, a broad spectrum of the safety and health issues to be considered in an organization like SABIC in petrochemical industries are given below: Air quality in the work place, temperature and humidity. Noise levels, radiation and exposure to physical and chemical agents. Setting permissible or acceptable limits for hazardous agents in the environment and their control. Treatment and disposal of hazardous waste and toxic emissions. Maintenance of water resources and protecting ground water resources by avoiding pollution. Medical attention and facilities for first aid and treatment of injuries in case of accidents and emergencies. Treatment of occupational diseases and mitigation of its effects. Disaster recovery plan with all contingencies provided for, to avoid damages to the people, property, community and the environment. Maintaining established channels for communication and reporting of the incidents for efficiently handling and solving the health and safety related issues. Industrial Hygiene Program A comprehensive safety program needs effective interaction and coordination among various personnel responsible for operations, maintenance (civil, mechanical & electrical) and safety. Therefore, establishing a structure for formal communication within the organization with set procedures for normal day to day operations and emergency situations is very important. Emergency situations may have to be notified to different authorities within the organization, say the top management, operational heads, medical and labor welfare officers, families of the persons involved and the government authorities. All the functions in an organization need to be broken down into the various activities involved in such functions, however it is small and prima facie insignificant. The steps involved (as in the case of work measurement) in performance of these activities should be defined and each step’s relationship with the other activities clearly mapped out. This will enable the team to segregate the activities based on hazardous risks involved in performance (or non-performance) of these activities. Non-performance of certain activities, say use of gloves in handling certain materials, or use of goggles in performing certain activities, may invite health or safety related problems. These activities should be evaluated for the risk potential due to its association with the other hazards for establishing effective procedures to prevent this association. Otherwise these operations should be carried out in a controlled atmosphere to mitigate the risks. In case of multiple risk potential due to simultaneous interaction of several types of hazards, the process of elimination needs to be adopted in the same manner. For instance, there is persistent dampness in the floor and walls in a store room used for storing chemicals. The Stores Officer is of the view that continuous storage of a particular chemical in the same storage area eventually leads to dampness which can’t be helped. The Production Engineer feels it is dangerous to use contaminated chemical in the production process. According to the Quality Control Manager the quality of the output would be inferior. The Safety Engineer says that the chemical evaporates slowly. The vapor is injurious to health if it is inhaled, and sometimes it could also lead to biological hazards. In the above scenario, the action would be on the following lines. 1. Changing the storage place for this particular chemical by periodical rotation to some other places. 2. Modify the construction of storage area with elevated platform. 3. Checking the moisture level of the chemicals with the instruments before its issue for production/processing. 4. Making ventilation facilities in the room with suitable outlet for release of the air or gases beyond the safe distance from the workplace and community after ensuring that such release has no harmful effect on the environment. Adopting a suitable plan by incorporating one or more solutions placed for consideration has the following features: 1. The activity, storage of the chemical is analyzed for all types of hazards. 2. The potential physical hazard in this case is segregated from the other potential chemical and biological hazards. 3. Suitable action is initiated to avoid damages to the production and quality. 4. The negative effects on health and safety of the people and the environment are avoided. If the activities are separated based on the risk possibilities due to various hazards or these activities are carried out in a controlled atmosphere, health and safety of the personnel are ensured and the working environment is protected. Rating of all the activities based on hazard potential to people and environment is essential and a manual should be prepared for this purpose and updated continuously based on the changes taking place in the production processes in the manufacturing plant. This manual will act as a reference guide for the people. Organization of the Team & Role of HRD Industrial hygiene is a highly specialized area and the organizing the team involves recruitment of people from different educational background and previous experience in similar industries. The qualified and experienced industrial engineers, medical professionals and environmental scientists with experience in the petrochemical industries, especially for senior positions like Chief Industrial Hygienist are necessary for the industrial hygiene program of a company like SABIC. However, special training programs in the context of the petrochemical industry is very essential for honing their skills to meet the standards required or expected on the part of the personnel for effectiveness in their functioning. The role of HRD is very important in deciding the composition of the various talents in the team and organizing recruitment, job orientation and training the people recruited. The responsibility at departmental levels and at the factory level for implementing the program should be entrusted to the personnel who have the required authority to take actions wherever necessary. Resources and Budgeting The Department of Industrial Hygiene in the organization plays a crucial role in the sustainability of the business. There are various types of instruments and equipments required for measurement of industrial hazards and setting up of acceptable limits and measuring of hazardous agents in the working and community environment. The instruments and implements may be required for research and development purpose as well. It involves participation of the departmental people in international conferences on industrial hygiene and organizing seminars and conferences locally for creating awareness among the employees and local community about the health and safety issues. Therefore, budgeting for resources is important for appropriating funds for the various programs. Also, capital investments have to be planned for and budgeted to avoid procedural hassles at the time of emergencies. Training Training to the new employees and the people transferred to the new jobs is an important area in respect of health and safety management. Also, training at the time of introducing new production methods is necessary. Sustainability Report, 2011 states: “We address issues of safety in the workplace by providing training and appropriate equipment as well as by carrying out regular audits, inspections, and reviews. We are active in promoting safety in the communities surrounding our facilities, and organize safety awareness events such as local Safety Days.” (34) Employee involvement is very important in training as well as on the job. He needs to be motivated and guided properly by the supervisor. Compliance with the safety procedures by the employees will reduce the level of accidents as well as incidence of hazards in the work place. Workplace Hazard Anticipation Advance planning in operations with regard to the various control systems involved in the process and checking of the conditions of the instruments used in processing of the chemicals, cleanliness of the equipments and leakages in the boilers or tubes is essential to comply with the standard operating conditions. The responsibilities in such cases are divided between the operators and the supervisory staff. Workplace Hazard Recognition The various physical hazards such as heat or cold, noise level, vibration and electromagnetism, poor excess lighting could be perceived and reacted by the supervisor and the operators. The variations, if any could be reported to the higher authorities and safety management team immediately. Workplace Hazard Control Operations Evaluation of hazards and the extent of its likely impacts are usually done by the supervisors who are properly trained to assess the features as they exist. The Supervisor can approach the Safety Officer for his advice. The evaluation process could be done qualitatively. A look at the condition or substance may be enough in some cases to evaluate the potential of the hazards. Burnt smell, over noise level in the machinery or equipment, vibrations noticed in them or color of the substances could reveal the problems to a trained eye or an experienced Supervisor. The Supervisor is also responsible to assess the physical and mental conditions of the operator based on the external symptoms such as burning eyes, slackness in movements, nausea or the body language. Evaluations could be made by sending the samples for analysis, taking measurements of the inputs or the outputs, using instruments or meters to measure radiation level, moisture content or contamination of the materials. These types of quantitative analysis for the purpose of evaluation would be more reliable. Selection of appropriate option is dependent upon the nature of the hazard to be evaluated. Documentation and Records There are several forms used by the organizations for recording the incidents, notifying the variations, accidents and physical and other hazards. The forms are standardized to avoid ambiguity in reporting of the incidents. The record keeping procedure should be uniform. There are time limits prescribed for preservation of the records in respect of matters such as exposure levels, accidents and injuries. Statistics compiled from these documents would be useful for research purposes as there may be certain patterns involved in various incidents related to health and safety. Periodical inspection of the facilities necessitates establishing written procedures and the modus operandi for such periodical inspection, maintenance of records and reporting. Auditing, Evaluation and Follow-up Safety audit conducted on periodical basis and statistics compiled on accidents and emergencies over a period of time would reveal the pitfalls in the system. SABIC conducts annual audit through SHEMS to ensure that the operations in the company safeguard the employees and other stakeholders of the company and it is also reviewed by EHSS. Also, Sustainability reviews are made by SABIC with reference to sustainability Key Performance Indicators. Compliance with acceptable limits with reference exposure levels or percentage of hazardous substances set by the international bodies is very important and these standards should form the basis for the purpose of comparison and evaluation. Evaluation of the performance of the program needs to be based on the audit and analysis of the audit findings to identify the areas which need further attention and follow-up action. Further attention and follow-up ensures strict compliance of the health and safety policies of the organization at all levels. Consistent poor performance in a particular area as reflected in the accident history or health and safety related issues warrants proper education, training and stricter supervision. Penalties could be levied on the person(s) responsible poor performance or other departmental actions could be considered as it is justified in view of the health and safety of all the persons related to the activity, and not a single individual. Sustainability Report, 2011 states “Any site that receives a safety incident of the most severe classification is immediately disqualified from the award process. After sites submit their performance figures, they are audited to ensure accuracy of data.” (35) Company’s policy The efficacy of the policies adopted by the company could be gauged from the statement in their Sustainability Report, 2011: “We use a Recordable Incidence Rate metric, modeled on the widely accepted U.S. OSHA standard, to evaluate our safety performance. For direct hire employees, this index dropped from 0.34 in 2005 to 0.22 in 2011, which shows a 35 percent reduction. The OSHA Incidence Rate including contractor employees has also dropped from 0.53 in 2005 to 0.25 in 2011— a 53 percent reduction. (34) Our SHER rate has also dropped significantly – from 3.55 in 2005 to 1.05 in 2011, a 70 percent reduction. (35) In logistics, the company focuses on continuously increasing performance in safe, secure, and sustainable product delivery.” (37) Hazards in petrochemical industry Petrochemical processing involves emission of certain toxic gases into the environment which are harmful to the health if it exceeds certain limits. This could be covered significantly under chemical hazards. “Although flammable and toxic gas hazards are generally understood by operators, technicians and safety personnel working within the petrochemical industry, continuous training and refreshment of knowledge is essential to avoid potential incidents linked to complacency or misguided actions.” (Avanell, 2010) SABIC’s performance record in Safety & Health According to the Sustainability Report, 2011, in SABIC health and safety are included as components in our overall EHSS performance measure, which is evaluated using an index known as SHER (EHSS Incident Rate) which includes all types of EHSS incidents, including those involving injuries, process safety, occupational health, environment, and security. SHER rate is calculated based on the working hours of our combined employee and contractor workforce SHER and factors the severity of reported incidents. (35) Its compliance with the international standards and the auditing and review system can set an example in the industry for others to follow. Corporate social responsibility The evolution of the concept of corporate social responsibility took a historical turn from Kyoto Protocol on climate change. There are several social groups active throughout the world constantly monitoring the environmental pollution due to greenhouse gas emissions, disposal of waste, pollution of water resources and other activities of the industries and businesses which have impact on the environment. The governments have enacted several legislations for regulating the industrial pollution to comply with the international agreements with regard to environmental protection. Every company as a good corporate citizen needs to contribute for the cause of environmental protection by reducing pollution from its activities and taking measures to keep the environment clean, as it is our responsibility to provide good environment for the future generations. SABIC has undertaken several CSR activities for the benefit of the community in which it functions as well as programs related to environmental protection. Sustainability Report, 2011 states, “we are aligning our community efforts around the issue areas where we can make the greatest difference: environmental responsibility, water management and sustainable agriculture, and education in science and technology. In recognition of our work and business practices, SABIC was awarded the King Khalid Award for Responsible Competitiveness in 2011.” Recommendations for Improvement The company has an elaborate organizational setup for health and safety of its employees, workplace and community in which it operates its business. The track record of the company with regard to health and safety is impressive and at par with international standards. However, in spite of the efficient system with efficient internal control procedures the physical hazards cannot be completely eliminated in any organization as they are inherent in the business to some extent and is also related to inherent qualities of the people. In order to reduce the impact of physical hazard in the organization to the minimum level, we propose the following recommendations for the consideration of the company. All the companywide functions related to manufacturing, material handling and storage need to be broken down to the components of the functions or activities related to the function. These activities should be categorized based on the types of risks such as physical and chemical attached to them in terms of health and safety of the people, working and community environment. These risks should be separated or the activities carried out in a controlled atmosphere to mitigate the risks related to the hazards. A Hazard Manual could be prepared by a team consisting of people drawn from different departments of the organization which contains classification of all the activities and their ratings based on the potential risks. The manual shall include the precautions required to be taken and the manner in which reporting should be made in case a particular activity could not be carried out in a normal way as envisaged in the manual. It is expected that this manual could be used for reference purposes by the personnel in various departments. This will also be useful as a guide to the people new to a job either by way of appointment, promotion or transfer during the period of their training on the job. Conclusion The progressive management of SABIC has implemented the Industrial Hygiene Program successfully. The company ensures its systematic implementation through proper auditing and reviews with reference to the best international standards. For the industrial hygiene program to be successful, involvement of the employees at all stages is very important. Its compliance with the best international standards in health and safety reflects the level of cooperation the company enjoys in its operations from the employees. The company has started disclosing its environmental performance from the year 2011. This performance is measured against the key environmental performance indicators. 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