the yellow - orchidpharma
TRANSCRIPT
TheYellowBookOrchid’s Official Safety Awareness Manual, 2008
Issued in the interest of making the world a safer place for all.
Orchid’s safety manual aims to make the world a safer placethrough educating people about safer practices and products –ranging from a small safety pin to a radar used for aerial and
terrestrial surveillance or even our body’s inbuilt intricate immunityand reflex mechanisms that tick all day long to ensure that we keep
safe and sound. Because safety is more than an industrial orcommercial response. It is a way of life.
For more copies and correspondence of the yellow book, messages should be addressed to:
Ch. Ram, Head, Corporate Communication & Investor Relations
Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
‘Orchid Towers’,#313, Valluvar Kottam High Road, Nungambakkam,
Chennai - 600 034. INDIA E-mail: [email protected]
TheYellowBookOrchid’s Safety Awareness Guide, 2008
Presented byOrchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Limited
to
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safety is…“At Orchid, safety is not a concept but away of life, reinforced day in and day outby little acts that make a difference in theway we work, live and cherish a safertomorrow.” K. Raghavendra Rao, Managing Director
a way of life
At Orchid,
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At Orchid, when we say ‘safety’, we mean infrastructural safety,employee safety, environmental safety and community safety.
As a result, ‘safety’ enjoys a wider connotation, representing asensitivity that goes beyond safer practices and policies to anoverarching corporate philosophy.
To reinforce this sensitivity, we partnered with DuPont,international safety pioneers, resulting in a holistic 22-prongedapproach to the subject.
The result is something we aretruly proud of:
• The use of high-endtechnology to recycle dischargeand make it toxic-free through aseries of processes – a pioneeringinitiative in India’spharmaceutical industry
• The institution of three-tiersafety committees to monitorsafety initiatives, StandardOperating Procedures (SOPs),process and working standardsfor R&D and manufacturing units
• The discipline of round-the-clock medical care and safetytraining for all employees
• The meticulous disseminationof safe practices at work andhome through booklets, postersand Tara
• The creation of Orchid Trust,comprising social workers, toensure community safety
• The use of sophisticatedequipment in mobile vans tomonitor air quality inside andoutside plants
Safety with a human faceTara represents Orchid’s movement for asafer world. Tara – an innocent girl child –reminds someone is waiting back home,lending an emotional imperative to safepractices.
The mascot is the product of Orchidians’wish to have a symbol, reinforcing theirconcern for safe practices for a safer world.
Tara communicates a simple reality: thatsafety is important not just for us today, but for our children and their children downthe ages.
initiativessafetyOrchid’s
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Safety is…peace of mind
The fuseAfter crores of material and lives have been irretrievably lost, thesearch for the culprit often narrows down to just two words: short circuit.
It is then that we recognise the full value of a Rs. 15 fuse – astrand of metal wire tied inside a porcelain clasp.
Works as a safety device. Enables the wire to melt. Makes a breakin the current flow. Cuts off the electricity.
Tip 1• If a circuit breaker trips, youhave either a short-circuit or anoverloaded circuit. To trace thecause, disconnect all lamps andappliances on the affected circuitand simply re-energize thatcircuit.
• If the circuit breaker tripsagain, then the wiring itself mustbe repaired or replaced.
• If the circuit is good, reconnecteach appliance one at a timewith caution. Resist plugging infrayed or bare cords or damagedplugs.
Tip 2If one specific circuit interruptsrepeatedly, there may be toomany appliances or lamps on it.It may be necessary to add anadditional circuit for applianceswith heavier current drain.
General tips Working with electricity is nothazardous as long as you obeysafety rules.
• Shut off or disconnect powerbefore handling wires.
• If you are working on theelectrical service entrance, do notstand on a damp floor.
• Protect yourself by wearingrubber gloves, stand on a rubbermat or dry wood.
• When in doubt, call in anexperienced electrician.
• If your entire house is withoutpower, call your utility or localelectrical contractor. You mayhave a problem with the servicepanel or wiring leading to it.During such problems, stopplaying the ‘Don’t worry I can doit’ types.
Source: Adapted from a safety manual
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Safety is…Safety is…sleeping peacefully protecting your finger
If you want to thwart one,consider these safetyrecommendations:
• It would be simplistic to statethat all doors and windows mustbe locked securely when leavinghome. But consider an unusualadvice instead: keep a few lightsor the radio on to give theimpression that someone isactually in. Burglars do not like tokeep looking over their shouldersif someone is coming.
• Avoid hiding a spare keyanywhere outside your frontdoor (remember Aitbaar, MukulAnand's adaptation of
Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder). Ifa burglar is dumb, he willaccomplish nothing.
• Remove tell-tale traces. Burglarinformers – you will be surprisedhow the network works – feedon clues like piling mail ornewspapers on the doorstep. Kissof death: a note on the frontdoor saying your family will beaway.
• Invest in a burglar alarmsecurity system. Burglars aretechnology-allergic.
The cover of darkness. The blanket of silence. Just the ‘rightenvironment’ for burglary.
Early thimbles were made ofwhale bone, horn or ivory;natural sources also utilisedConnemara marble, bog oak, ormother of pearl; rarer worksutilised diamonds, sapphires orrubies. Today, thimbles are made
from metal, leather, rubber,wood, glass, or china.
Not only protecting the finger,but helping accelerate sewingspeed. Source: Adapted fromwww.wikipedia.org
In the good old days, sewing garments was literally a “pain”: theneedle could hurt your finger if you were not careful. The thimblechanged all that; it worked as a protective armour for the finger orthe thumb.
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Safety is…fearlessly enjoying the rain
The people who design buildingsdon’t make such mistakes. Theyhave drawn on BenjaminFranklin’s seminal work withlightning shocks to protect theirconstructions.
Let’s ride a time machine to seewhat Benjamin did on a fatefulnight of 1752. He prepared hishistoric electric kite by fasteningtwo cross sticks to a silkenhandkerchief, which would notsuffer so much from the rain aspaper would have. To theupright stick was affixed an ironpoint. The string was, as usual,of hemp, except the lower end,which was silk. Where thehempen string terminated, a keywas fastened. With thisapparatus, he approached athunder-gust and raised his kiteas a thunder-cloud passed over
it; no sign of electricity appeared.Suddenly he observed the loosefibres of his string to movetowards an erect position. Henow presented his knuckle to thekey and received a strong spark.Franklin's experiment successfullyshowed that lightning wasactually static electricity.
The painted lightning rod is apoint well above the constructedstructure to attract the lightning;it possesses good, earthedconnection to divert thelightning energy into the ground.Result: lightning dissipation.
In lightning safety, distance andshelter represent your bestprotection.
The man who was cheating on his wife was trying to cover himselfmost imaginatively… until he opened his metal umbrella in asecluded garden during a storm.
Myths
Lightning never strikes the
same place twice
If it’s not raining, or if clouds
aren’t overhead, I’m safe
from lightning
I am safe in a car because the
rubber tyres protect me.
If you touch a lightning
victim, you’ll be electrocuted.
If stuck in a thunderstorm,
seek shelter under a tree.
Lightning is a sign from God
Lightning only occurs during
thunderstorms.
Facts
Lightning often strikes the same place
repeatedly, especially if it’s a tall, pointed and
isolated object. The Empire State Building
was once used as a lightning laboratory,
since it is hit nearly 25 times a year.
Lightning often strikes more than three miles
from the thunderstorm.
Lightning laughs at two inches of rubber!
Most cars are reasonably safe from lightning.
But it’s the metal roof and metal sides that
protect you, not the rubber tyres.
The human body doesn’t store electricity, so
it’s perfectly safe to touch a lightning victim
for first aid.
Being underneath a tree increases your
exposure to lightning.
Lightning can be explained with scientific and
logical reasoning.
The most dangerous moments for a fatal
strike is before a storm. Lightning may travel
as far as 10 km nearly horizontally from the
thunderhead and can occur out of the clear
blue sky or at least when the day is still
mostly sunny. The faster the storm is
travelling, the more violent it is. Lightning
can also strike after a thunderstorm. Sour
ce:
Ada
pted
fro
m T
each
ing
Ligh
tnin
g Sa
fety
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Safety is…Safety is…a pin made safe and useful protecting your apparel
One, it is sharp enough to pierceimmediately. Two, it is longenough to go deep.
It is quite a tribute to the brainof Walter Hunt who transformedthis potential ‘stay away from it’threat into a safety product. Infact, so safe that it almost alwaysused with children right from thetime they are born. What betterendorsement?
It’s not as if the concept eluded
man for centuries. The ancientGreeks, Italians and Sicilians hadgot it right. Well, almost. Huntmade two crucial improvements:a spring for the tension and aclasp for the security. Thedifference.
The rest of the world added thestainless steel bit as a bonus.
All it took was some wire and adash of imagination. And anumber of centuries in between.
A pin – used as a fastener – can be potentially dangerous.
Moth balls promote mothanorexia. Especially ones thatcontain naphthalene and para- dichlorobenzene.
Moth balls generate chemicalfumes – we don’t see it, but askthe moths – that smother thebanqueting army. These ballssublimate, which means thatunder room temperature, these
solid chemical compoundstransform directly into toxicvapour.
A few precautions: Wash handsafter use; tell children that theyare not sweets (what a look-alike!).
One extended use: place onbathroom drains (sink and floor).Keeps cockroaches away.
Source: www.home.howstuffworks.com and www.newton.dep.anl.gov
Moths feast on clothes made from natural fibre (ah, wool!).
Source: Adapted from www.inventors.about.com
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Safety is…your automotive brakes
The brakeThis is how it works: When youdepress your brake pedal, yourcar transmits the force from yourfoot to its brakes through a fluid.Since the actual brakes require amuch greater force than youcould apply with your leg, yourcar must also multiply the forceof your foot. It does this in twoways: mechanical advantage (thepedal is designed to multiplyyour leg force several times) andhydraulic force multiplication(force applied at one point istransmitted to another pointusing an incompressible fluid).The brakes transmit the force tothe tyres using friction, and thetyres transmit that same force tothe road to stop the car.
Modern cars also come tailoredwith hand brakes for additionalsafety, consisting of a cabledirectly connected to the brakemechanism on the one end, andto a lever for manual operation –hand or foot operated – on the other.Source: Adapted fromwww.familycar.com
Automobiles would have been phased out soon after theirinvention had it not been for a safety device that would go on tochange the product’s application, and in turn, save the fortunes ofan entire industry.
Safety is…when you keep children at bay
You can guess the consequencesif unsuspecting children pop inthe wrong medicine because ofthe bright colour, or drink thewrong liquid – a cleaningsolution looks appetizing – oreven ingest the wronginsecticide.
That’s where a child safety lockcomes in. Especially for cabinets,drawers, bottles with sensitivecontent. Today, child safety locksare also built into cars to preventchildren from opening doors orwindows during transit.
And then there is always thepopular channel blocking deviceon television to prevent yourchildren from watching soap,junk or ‘adult’ content.Particularly handy when youknow that mere counselling willnot work.Source: Adapted fromwww.answers.com/topic/child-safety-lock
Most homes may appear safe, but they also contain a range ofmedicines, cleaning solutions, mosquito repellents andinsecticides, which is of course not good news when you havechildren at home.
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Safety is…Safety is…having water without worry having safe food
This is intended for consumersin developing countries;countries that are still someyears away from providing theconfidence that water can bedrunk straight from the tap (justa thought, why weren’t we sofussy when drinking out of theunfiltered school water tap?).
Enter the water purifier. Thecandles in a water purifier containchlorine and iodine to killmicroorganisms, dissolved saltsand harmful minerals. The hi-techpurifiers come with UV technologythat ensures maximum bacteriaelimination by destroying thebacterial cell wall or cellmembrane.
A deodorisation tank removes ionsand odorants from running waterthrough absorption, while a meshfilter segregates the suspendeddust particles. Source: Adapted fromwww.wikipedia.org
Microwaves were discoveredquite by accident when PercySpencer, working on an activeradar set, noticed that apeanut chocolate bar in hispocket started to melt.
As the holder of 120 patents,Spencer realized what washappening: the radar had meltedhis candy bar with microwaves.On October 8, 1945, Raytheonfiled a patent for Spencer'smicrowave cooking process andin 1947, the company built thefirst microwave oven, theRadarange. It was almost 6 feet(1.8 m) tall and weighed 750pounds (340 kg). It was water-cooled and consumed 3,000
watts, about three times as muchas today's microwave ovens.
The lower temperature ofcooking (the boiling point ofwater) in a micro-oven is asignificant safety benefitcompared to baking in the ovenor frying, because it eliminatesthe formation of tar and char,which are carcinogenic.Microwave radiation alsopenetrates deeper than directheat, so that the food is heatedby its own internal watercontent. In contrast, direct heatcan fry the surface while theinside is still cold. Pre-heating thefood in a microwave oven beforeputting it into the grill or panreduces the time needed to heatup the food and reduces theformation of carcinogenic char.
The safety of the product isendorsed by the fact that nearly95% of American householdsown a microwave oven today.Source: www.wikipedia.org
1918
Asingle door is
far more difficultto work on thandouble doors. Invest
in multiplelocking
mechanismswithin a single
lock.
Safety is…testing the burglar’s patience
The classic anti-theft response came from a bank teller who saidthat the biggest break-in deterrent was not necessarily theintervening physical segregation… but time.
it would be more prudent to invest in delaying mechanisms inaddition to conventional infrastructure. The result is if the cashextracting process consumed more seconds than anticipated, theintruder was most likely to decamp impatiently with precious little…than risk overstay.
The same logic works at the residence. Let’s face it…. most burglarsare good at breaking locks. A lock does not discourage them; anumber of locks in sequence try their patience. Because the burglar ismore likely to do a quick appraisal of the number of locks he has tocrack at the outset, do a risk analysis and leave when he figures outthe time required to break in would be far in excess of his budget.
Time? That’s right. The longer that it takes for the teller to hand overthe cash, the greater the risk for the burglar. So the teller argued that
So consider these delaying mechanisms:
Lockthe various
rooms.
Betterto leave the
crown jewels as deepinside as possible; the
prospect of cracking toomany locks serves as
a deterrent.
Ifyou use an
imported lock, then itis entirely possible thatour intruder friend has
not yet done R&Don it.
Aswipe card
locking system thatsends out a continuouslyimpolite beep when thedoor is broken in could
be an intruder’s baddream.
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Safety is…negotiating traffic with ease
Traffic discipline needs to reconcile increasing vehicular speed onthe one hand and pedestrian safety on the other.
Dos and don’ts of road walking
The zebra crossing – 40 to 60 centimetres (16 inches to 2 feet) wide –is the solution. If you walk on it, you are safe. In India, one wouldamend that to ‘ought to be safe’.
The zebra crossing was first used (after isolatedexperiments) across 1,000 sites in the UK in1949 (the original form being alternatingstrips of blue and yellow). A 1951measure introduced them into law.
These crossings help pedestrianscross only at the point wherethese lines are provided andwhen the signal is in their favourat controlled crossings. A zebracrossing emphasises a pedestrian’sright to cross the street – at his or her ownpace – and with safety.
Lastly, there is a saying: a pessimist is one wholooks on both sides before crossing a one-way street.In India, we would call such a person a pragmatist.
Dos
Avoid walking next to thekerb with your back to thetraffic. Look both ways first.
Wear light coloured, bright orfluorescent clothing in poordaylight. When dark, the useof reflective material(armbands, sashes,waistcoats and jackets), helpsgetting noticed by a factor ofthree.
Where there are nopedestrian crossings, watchthe traffic on both sides andcross when safe.
Ask the traffic police for helpand guidance.
Don’ts
Adults should take care oftheir children: hold theirhands firmly, strap veryyoung children into push-chairs or use reins.
You must not walk onmotorways or slip roadsexcept in an emergency.
Do not read newspapers orlook at hoardings whilewalking on the road. You willbe amazed as to the numberof people who actually do!
Do not run after a movingbus. Avoid travelling on busfootboards. Do not mount ordismount a moving bus.
Source: Adapted from http://cyberabadpolice.gov.in/Traffic_1.asp andhttp://www.delhitrafficpolice.nic.in/guidelines-for-pedestrians.htm
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Safety is…
preventing catastrophes
Thou shalt not usecellphones while driving because …
• It distracts and could lead to accidents. Heard ofKolkata’s leading make-up artiste who walked the
railway tracks while talking on his cellphone and never heardthe oncoming train?
Thou shalt not use cellphones in an operation theatre because … • Interferes with medical electrical equipment
• Distracts surgeons (imagine answering to ‘Darling, what will you like fordinner this evening?’ when you have to declog the aorta!)
Thou shalt not use cellphones in a petrol pump because …• Static waves can ignite sparks and cause a fire (understatement) owing
to the presence of petrol vapour. Won’t you mind your favourite cargoing up in smoke, while you are telling your boss, “Don’t worry, I’ll be
there in a minute”.
Thou shalt not use cellphones on a flight because …• Electro-magnetic waves interfere with onboardcommunication and navigation systems. Do you
want the pilot to tell you, “Throw your cellor we will throw you out into
thin air!”.
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Safety
is...
using a
protec
tive b
eltHeard of Delhi’s Blueline mayhem – which claimed 96lives in 2007 – and triggered angry protests fromcitizens demanding safety on roads?
Even though most modern cars – or vehicles for thatmatter – are now fitted with side-guard head protectionairbags for front and rear occupants, electronic brake-pressure distribution and hydraulic brakes, it is the goodold seat belt that still remains one of the most effectivesafety devices on road.
For a simple reason: during collision, the car’s momentumis transferred to the occupants. As a result, they are pushedto the steering wheel, windshield or interiors – or simplyejected from the vehicle. Result: injury through impact.
The seat belts prevent ejection. Within milliseconds, seatbelt pre-tensioners tighten safety belts and help preventbelted occupants from sliding or bouncing around. Theyalso bend during a crash to reduce the impact.
Better to escape with scratches for a few days than to be ina plaster for months.
So the next time, don’t sneer at the use of the safety beltwith ‘What useless precautions….’ Source: Adapted from www.directessays.com
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Safety is…staying indoors and healthy
Sick building syndrome? Never heard of it?
An increasing number of those who work indoorsbreathe yesterday’s stale air, inhale each other’s carbondioxide, work crammed under a field of fluorescents andpretend it is all healthy because their workplace is air-conditioned.
And yet they invariably complain about eye-strain, lethargy,respiratory disorders. The culprit: their sophisticated office.
Doctors indicate that the doubling of asthma rates since 1980is a result of foul indoor air (Source: BusinessWeek, 12th June2000). Indoor pollutant levels are two-five times, and onoccasion 100 times, more concentrated than outdoors(Source: United States Environmental Protection Agency). Infact, 38 per cent of the world’s pollution can be tracedindoors. Amazing.
Modern architects are responding in two ways:
• Designing offices and homes that protect occupant healththrough improved air quality, lower storm water runoff andheat island effect
• Increasing the efficiency with which buildings use andharvest energy, water and materials, leading to lower long-term costs.
To encourage this green movement, the US Green BuildingCouncil has formulated the Leadership in Energy andEnvironmental Design (LEED), which promotes a whole-building approach across key areas: sustainable sitedevelopment, water savings, energy efficiency and materialsselection.
In 2005, Washington became the first US state to enact greenbuilding legislation. According to the law, all major publicagency facilities with a floor area exceeding 5,000 sq. ft. arenow required to meet or exceed LEED standards.
The result is that modern ‘green’ buildings are safer, promoteworker health and keep them refreshed even after a hardday’s work. Source: Adapted from Olympia Technology Park Green Book
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Safety is…being physically protected It is quite interesting that for more than a century, cricket used anumber of safeguards – pads, gloves, abdomen guards, thighpads and shin guards… but not the helmet.
One of the reasons could well have been the cricket establishment’sobsession to retain its pristine appeal. So when an improvised helmetmade its appearance in the Thirties around the time of Bodyline, it wassoon consigned into oblivion. It was not until the Seventies that thehelmet reappeared… Mike Brearley used an improvised protection
under the normal England cap that he wore. A few months later in 1978, Graham Yallop of Australia wore a protective helmet (motorcyclist style) when playing against the West Indies at Bridgetown. Soonhe had a convert in Dennis Amiss of England.
Fielding without helmet very close to the batsman could prove to bedangerous: Raman Lamba, a former Indian Test player, was hit on the
temple while fielding at short leg during a club match in Dhaka in1998. He succumbed to his wounds.
Today, a helmet is an accepted safety feature; covers the whole of the skull and provides viewing space through a grill
or perspex visor.
Level of acceptance: Worn alsoby wicket keepers; worneven by seven-year-olds
when the ball barely risesknee high!
Irony: Cricket helmets are being increasingly used by two wheelerowners as well. Whether this is safe is another matter!
Now let’s talk about hockey. A hockey helmet is worn by icehockey players and field hockey goalkeepers to protect the
head from potential injury. Prior to the 1980s, manyNational Hockey League (NHL) players did not don
helmets because it was not mandatory. However, sincethe 1990s, wearing helmets became mandatory. The
shell of a hockey helmet is made of a substance calledvinyl nitrile that disperses force and absorbs the impact
of hits by pucks, sticks, skates or contact with the ice,reducing chances of concussion.
The last helmetless player in the NHL was Craig MacTavish. Played helmetless
until his retirement in 1997. Source: Adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org
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Safety is…reading your fingerprint and eyes
Fingerprint reading is a tried-and-tested safety weapon used byimmigration officers in a world ravaged by terrorist attacks.
The method of identification is based on a reading of the impressionsmade by the minute ridge formations or patterns on the fingertips.Depending on the reality that the fingerprints of no two individualsare alike. Infallible means of personal identification.
Retinal identification or iris reading remains another potent meansfor personal identification. The iris is so unique that no two irises arealike, even among identical twins, in the entire human population. Inactuality, after identifying the iris and converting into mathematicalcode, the probability that two irises will produce the samemathematical code is approximately one in 10 to the 78th power. Thepopulation of the earth is approximately 10 to the 10th power. Thereare two types of identification methods: passive and active.
The active iris system requires the user to move back and forth so thatthe camera can adjust and focus on the user's iris. A user could beanywhere from six to 14 inches away from the camera. The passive irissystem is different: it incorporates a series of cameras that locate andfocus on the iris. The passive iris system allows the user to beanywhere from one to three feet away from the camera(s). Source: Adapted from www.fbi.gov
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Safety is…making currency notes tamper-proof
What to do Genuine Counterfeit
Feel thepaper
A new genuine note hasthe feel of crisp paper.
The paper tends to be a lotfloppier than the real thing.
Hold thenote up tothe light
Generally most bank notescarry a watermark andthread. The thread willalways appear as a solidline when viewed againstthe light.
The absence of a finenessof detail is often thegiveaway. Some alsoattempt to reproduce theeffect of the thread butagain it is more likely to bevisible when not looking atthe note using transmittedlight.
Print quality High tonal range in theintaglio areas.
Fine details are lost with alot of blur.
Magnifyingglass
Print crispness maintainedeven under magnification.You should be able to read micro-text messages.
Absence of detail. Micro-text difficult to read.
UV lamp Under ultra-violet lampgenuine currency willappear dull.
Very often counterfeitersuse UV-bright paper, whichglows more than originalcurrency under UV light
Colour Clear and defined colours.Metallic ink areas have asheen.
Colours can be washed out.Colour copiers sometimecopy both light greens andoranges as yellows. Metallicareas often appear withoutsheen.
Source: http://www.indigoimage.com/count/feat1.html32
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Safety is…smooth navigation
Lighthouse: Lighthouses mark dangerouscoastlines, hazardous shoals, safe entries toharbours and facilitate aerial navigation. Themost famous lighthouse in history was theLighthouse of Alexandria, built on the islandof Pharos in Hellenistic Egypt. Modernlighthouses usually use solar-chargedbatteries and have a single stationary flashinglight perched on a steel skeleton tower. Thelast manned lighthouse built in the US wasthe Charleston Light constructed in 1962.Resembling an air traffic control tower, it hassuch modern features as a triangular shape,aluminium alloy skin, air conditioning, anelevator and the most powerful lamp in theWestern Hemisphere.
Air traffic controllers: The ATCs coordinate the movements ofthousands of aircraft, keep them at a safe distance from each other,direct them during takeoff and landing, monitor their movementduring inclement weather and facilitate smooth traffic flow. Primaryand secondary radar are used to enhance a controller's ‘situationalawareness’ within his/her assigned airspace – all types of aircraft sendback primary echoes of varying sizes to controllers' screens as radarenergy is bounced off their skins, and transponder-equipped aircraftreply to secondary radar interrogations by giving an ID (Mode A), analtitude (Mode C) and/or a unique call sign (Mode S). Certain types ofweather may also register on the radar screen. These inputs, added todata from other radars, are correlated to forecast the air situation.
Source: Adapted from www.boatsafe.com andhttp://travel.howstuffworks.com/air-traffic-control.htm
Ships: In the good old days, ships at sea were completely isolatedfrom the shore and other ships. Wireless telegraphers used a simpleMorse code: three dots, three dashes and three dots, representing thealphabets SOS, the abbreviation for Save Our Souls – to representwhat is now the commonest globally used distress signal.
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Safety is…washing hands before an operation
In 1847, at the age of twenty-eight, the Vienneseobstetrician Ignac Semmelweis famously deduced that, bynot washing their hands consistently or well enough,doctors are themselves to blame for childbed fever.
Childbed fever, also known as puerperal fever, was the leadingcause of maternal death in childbirth in the era beforeantibiotics (and before the recognition that germs are theagents of infectious disease). Out of three thousandmothers… at the hospital where Semmelweis worked, sixhundred or more died of the disease each year–a horrifying 20percent maternal death rate.
He mandated that every doctorand nurse on his ward scrub witha nail brush and chlorine betweenpatients. The puerperal death rateimmediately fell to 1 percent– incontrovertible proof, itwould seem, that he wasright.
Source: Better, A Surgeon’s Notes onPerformance by Atul Gawande
Safety is…protection during war
Trench: Trench warfare represents aform of war with static lines of defence.Trench warfare arose following a revolutionin firepower without similar advances in mobilityand communications. The important periods oftrench warfare occurred during the American Civil War(1861–65), the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05 andpeaked on the western front in the First World War.
The trench architecture explains its safety parameters:trenches were dug in a zigzagging pattern that broke the lineinto bays connected by traverses; this meant that a soldiercould never see more than 10 metres (30 ft) or so along thetrench. The pattern ensured that the enemy would not be able toattack from the sides or cause any major damage. Consequently,the entire trench could not be enfiladed if the enemy gained accessat one point; or if a bomb or shell landed in the trench, the shrapnelcould not travel far. Even if enemy aircrafts were sent to gatherintelligence for artillery strikes, it would be difficult to gather co-ordinates for zigzagging trenches than straight trenches.
Bunker: A bunker is a defensive military fortification built mostlybelow ground and used extensively during World War I and WorldWar II. During the Cold War, massive bunker complexes were built tohouse strategic (command and control) infrastructure, governmentpersonnel and stores in case the war went nuclear.
Bunkers deflect the blast wave from nearby explosions to preventear and internal injuries to occupants. While frame buildingscollapse from as little as 3 psi – pound per square inch –ofoverpressure, bunkers are constructed to survive several hundredpsi, offering maximum safety against incessant bombing.
Nuclear bunkers are also built to cope with the under-pressure that lasts for several seconds after the shock wavepasses and block radiation.
Source: Adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org
3938
40
Safety is…being shielded by armour
Armour is worn to protectone’s skin from swords, spears,arrows and even fire arms.
Protective armours were worn bywarriors across time. Emperorsand kings of medieval India,including the Mughals, useddelightfully ornamental armoursduring war. Rana Sangram SinghII, a Rajput king even had hisprotective chest plate inscribedwith verses from Indianscriptures.
Earliest medieval knightspreferred metallic armourcomprising thousands of
interlocking rings wovenpainstakingly by hand to form a shirt, coif, or leggings.Underneath the metallic armourthe knight would wear a paddedgarment known variously as an‘aketon’ or ‘gambeson’. To thisdefensive equipment he added ashield, usually made of leather-covered wood and a helmet.
As the medieval arms raceprogressed and new, morepowerful weapons weredeveloped (such as the longbowand crossbow), chainmailbecame ineffective on its own.So in the Middle Ages platearmour began to appear (ca.late 13th/early 14th century),first as reinforcements to vitalareas such as the chest andshoulders and finally as acomplete suit (ca. early 15thcentury). Chainmail armour wasnow relegated to protecting
smaller vital areas that could notbe covered with plate armour,such as the groin and under thearms. The shield became smallerand even redundant. With theeffective use of gunpowderweapons (ca. 15th/16th century)not even plate armour couldprotect the knight and thecumbersome armour graduallybecame ineffective.
Experimental inquiry intoeffective armour against gunfirecontinued, most notably duringthe American Civil War, WorldWar I, and World War II, but itwas not until the plasticsrevolution of the 1940s thateffective bulletproof vestsbecame available to lawenforcers, military personnel, andothers.
In 1965, Stephanie Kwolek, achemist at Du Pont, inventedKevlar, trademark for poly-para-phenylene terephthalamide, a
liquid polymer that can be spuninto aramid fibre and woven intocloth. Originally, Kevlar wasdeveloped for use in tyres, andlater for such diverse products asropes, gaskets, and various partsfor planes and boats.
In 1971, Lester Shubin of theNational Institute of LawEnforcement and Criminal Justiceadvocated its use to replacebulky ballistic nylon inbulletproof vests. Kevlar has beenthe standard material since. In1989, the Allied Signal Companydeveloped a competitor forKevlar and called it Spectra.Originally used for sail cloth, thepolyethylene fibre is now used tomake lighter, yet stronger, non-woven material for use inbulletproof vests alongside thetraditional Kevlar.
Source: Adapted fromhttp://science.howstuffworks.com/body-armor.htm
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4342
Safety is…having a friend to fight fire
For years a fire extinguisher stands mutely on the wall and youcontinue to complain about compromising the aesthetics.
Then one day, it finally gets used, and saves lives.
There are four types of extinguishers: dry chemical, halon, water, andcarbon dioxide. A carbon dioxide fire extinguisher is most effective onClass B (fire ignited by flammable liquid and gas) and C (fire ignited byelectrical equipment) fires. Since the gas disperses quickly, thisextinguisher is effective from 3 to 8 feet. The carbon dioxide is storedas a compressed liquid inside the fire extinguisher; as it expands, itcools the surrounding air. The cooling will often cause ice to formaround the ‘horn’ where the gas is expelled from the extinguisher.Since the fire could re-ignite, a safety strategy could be to apply theagent even after the fire appears to be put out.
Source: Adapted from http://www.grainger.com/production/info/fire-extinguisher.htm
PPull the
safety pin
SSqueeze the
handle
AAim the
nozzle at the firebase from 4 to
10 feet
SSweep the
extinguisher fromside to side; aim
at the fire base
The fire fighter can turn into a potent ally if you simply follow these simple steps:
4544
Safety is…having a plan for it
operation: a failure is "theinability of a system orcomponent to perform itsrequired functions withinspecified performancerequirements", while a fault is "adefect in a device or component,for example: a short circuit or abroken wire".
The unexpected failure of adevice that was operating withinits design limits is a primaryfailure, while the expected failureof a component stressed beyondits design limits is a secondaryfailure.
Safety engineers also identifydifferent modes of safeoperation:
Probabilistically safe system:Has no single point of failure,and enough redundant sensors,computers and effectors so thatit is unlikely to cause harm(usually "very unlikely" means, onaverage, less than one human lifelost in a billion hours ofoperation).
Inherently safe system:A clever mechanical arrangementthat cannot be made to causeharm – obviously the best
arrangement, but this is notalways possible. A fail-safesystem is one that cannot causeharm when it fails.
Fault-tolerant system:Can continue to operate withfaults, though its operation maybe degraded in some fashion.
These terms combine to describethe safety needed by systems: forexample, most biomedicalequipment is "critical", and henceoften another identical piece ofequipment is kept nearby, so itcan be merely "probabilisticallyfail-safe". Train signals can cause"catastrophic" accidents (imaginechemical releases from tank-cars)and are usually "inherently safe".Aircraft "failures" are"catastrophic" (at least for theirpassengers and crew) so aircraftare usually "probabilistically fault-tolerant". Without any safetyfeatures, nuclear reactors mighthave "catastrophic failures", soreal nuclear reactors are requiredto be at least "probabilisticallyfail-safe", and some such aspebble bed reactors are"inherently fault-tolerant".
Source: Adapted from wikipedia.org
We have heard of mechanicalengineering, even chemicalengineering or marineengineering but what is safetyengineering?
Safety engineering is an appliedscience strongly related tosystems engineering and systemsafety engineering, which assuresthat a life-critical system willrespond as needed even when itsconstituent pieces fail.
The safety review is beingrecognised as an important riskmanagement tool. A failure toidentify safety risks and theinability to manage them can beexpensive. The multi-disciplinarynature of safety engineeringmeans that a broad array ofprofessionals must beincorporated into accidentprevention or safety engineering.
Safety engineers distinguishdifferent extents of defective
Safety is…getting out in the nick of time It took one individual's idea tosave lives in the combatenvironment of Iraq.
One of the top killers of soldiersin Iraq has not been the enemy…it had been the inability toescape from Humvees, thewheeled vehicle replacement ofArmy staple jeep. Each time theHumvees rolled over and landedin one of Iraq's many irrigationcanals, the casualty wasconsiderable.
This is why: when an armouredvehicle is upside down or on itsside, it can sometimes take up tothree soldiers to get a door openwide enough for people to getout. If the door is stuck in mud,then the verdict: impossible.
Bill Del Solar, safety officer forthe Second Brigade CombatTeam, developed a new devicecalled the Rat Claw to assistthose trapped. This is a flat, steelhook used to pull open a
Humvee door, or if necessary,remove it completely. "If you geta little momentum, you can pullanything off," Del Solar is quotedas saying. According to thereport, a typical door openingwith the Rat Claw takes less thana minute; the really tough casestake up to three minutes.
The big question: how long isthree minutes? Del Solar isreported as saying that thehuman brain can go three tofour minutes without oxygenbefore suffering damage. "It's areasonable amount of time for a rescue," Del Solar said in the report.
The Army News Service reporteda recent case where the Rat Clawwas used by the Fourth Battalion,31st Infantry Regiment of the
Second Brigade Combat Team.After a Humvee had flipped openfrom an improvised explosivedevice, soldiers used the RatClaw to open the vehicle for thepassengers to get out. One ofthose passengers was thebattalion commander, LieutenantColonel Michael Infanti.
"I remember I was pinned insidethe truck," Infanti is reported tohave said. "Fuel was dripping onme. I was in pain, but thesoldiers did extremely well andthe Rat Claw worked. It took onetry and I was out of the vehicle.Honestly, I don't know how theywould've gotten me out with theequipment we had on hand, ifwe didn't have the Rat Claw,"Infanti said.
Source: www.associatedcontent.com
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Safety is…when the machine stops just when you want it to
The spinning teeth on a table-saw the blade move at about 120 m.p.h.
The good news: This makes them highly effective in cutting wood.
The bad news: they are also very good at cutting fingers.
So the table-saw comes equipped with new sensor technology thatcan tell immediately when the blade comes in contact with softhuman flesh.
Within a few milliseconds – yes, milliseconds – the saw blade stopsand drops below the cutting surface, so that what could have beenthe probable loss of a finger is reduced to only a scratch.
Safety is…getting out of any life-threatening situation
After two New York City firefighters jumped to their deaths from aburning building in January 2005, the FDNY set out to design asafety device to prevent its occurrence.
Result: a compact, lightweight (6 lbs. including harness) personalsafety system that's easy to carry and provides for a quick getaway.
The unit's forged-steel hook can penetrate brick, if necessary, to allowa firefighter to anchor himself before heading out of the window. The50-ft rope is fire resistant up to 1100°F, but the real innovation is thepatented lever mechanism that allows the user to control the speed of descent.
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Safety is…having nature on your side
A chameleon changes its colour as a safetyreflex action when under threat of otherchameleons, when attempting to mate, whenneeding to regulate temperature or whendefending territory (reminds of a higherspecies, right?).
The next time you use crocodile skin as ametaphor for resistance to criticism, perhaps youmay use the rhinoceros for a more suitablereference. The rhino’s 15.5 cm thick protective
skin is formed from layers of collagen, positioned in a lattice structure,acting as a safety shield. The collagenous – the fibrous proteinconstituent of bone, cartilage, tendon, and other connective tissue –dermis of the white rhinoceros forms a thick, protective armour that ishighly specialized in its structure and material properties comparedwith other mammalian skin.
Rhinoceros skin is three times thicker than predicted allometrically (thestudy of the change in proportion of various parts of an organism as aconsequence of growth.), and it contains a dense and highly orderedthree-dimensional array of relatively straight and highly cross-linkedcollagen fibres. In compression, rhinoceros skin withstands averagestresses and strains of 170 MPa (MPa determines force per unit area)and 0.7, respectively, before yielding. The skin armour of therhinoceros is very well adapted to resist blows from the horns of otherrhinos, as might occur during aggressive behaviour, due to specializedmaterial properties as well as its great thickness.
A typical snail wears a calcareous shell as aprotective armour. The shell is coiled in a spiralpattern around a central axis called thecolumella. Sometimes elaborate surface
sculptures – knobs and spines – provide additional protectionagainst predation. The knobs and spines are sharp edged andwork like a knife when danger lurks.
52 53
When a porcupine is threatened, it assumes adefensive posture – head and shoulders arelowered, every quill erects, tail thrashes backand fourth – enough to scare the predator
away. Quills strike the enemy, driving deep. With painful andpotentially fatal impact.
A type of lizard, the chuckwalla, escapes pursuers, by crawlinginto a crack in a rock and inflating its body with air so that it’swedged tightly into the crack and can’t be pulled out.
Source: Adapted from www.practical-pet-care.com, www.wisegeek.com;www.botany.uwc.ac.za, www.turtletrack.org, www.britannica.com, and TheGiant Book of Facts and Trivia, edited by Isaac Asimov
The nictitating membrane in a number ofanimals is drawn across the eyeball for
protection against debris, prey or air dryness- like regular eyelids. Reptiles, birds, sharks,and some mammals evolved this extra layer
of protection to keep their eyes moist andclean while maintaining visibility.
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Safety is…having an octopus’ weaponry
Safety is…
• Ink: An octopus can disorient a pursuer by squirting aburst of purplish-black ink.
• Appendage regeneration: An octopus can grow a newlimb when it loses one when under attack.
• Camouflage: An octopus can change skin colour andtexture of its skin cells in less than a second – you can readthat again – to blend with its surroundings. These cells inits skin called chromatophores are under muscular control,allowing different pigments to come into view as the cellwalls are stretched or squeezed. The verdict: Chameleonsare dead boring compared to octopuses.
Source: Adapted from http://nationalzoo.si.edu
When a crab sheds its legs to a predator, it works as a safetyresponse called ‘autonomy’. This is how it works: anautotomiser muscle suddenly contracts, bending the limbbackwards until it breaks off at a predetermined weakenedspot (the gaping hole is then covered with a protectivemembrane). This can distract a predator long enough for thecrab to escape. The limb is gradually replaced…which explainswhy crabs are commonly seen with a small leg or claw.
Source: Adapted fromwww.scottishshoreangler.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/pages/crabs.htm
distracting the predator
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Safety is…looking at how we were created
Safety barrier for your brainIn the late 1800s, German bacteriologist Paul Ehrlich
found that when he injected coloured dyes into theblood stream they coloured all the organ systemsexcept the brain. Edwin Goldman, his student,injected a dye into the fluid that surrounds the brain
– the CSF or cerebrospinal fluid – and ended upstaining the brain but little else. Inference: there is a
membranic structure called the Blood Brain Barrier that protects thingsfrom travelling between the blood stream and brain, protecting thebrain from chemicals in the blood and permitting essential metabolic function.
Source: Adapted from online medical dictionary and www.abc.net.au/science
Safety reservoir for blood lossThe human spleen creates lymphocytes for thedestruction and recycling of old red-blood cells. Italso acts as a blood reservoir, supplying the bodywith blood in emergencies (bad cut for instance).Its white blood cells also trap organisms. So thenext time you have a cut or a bruise, thank the spleen.
Safety is…living inside an intelligent machine
Many organs/ reflexes of the human body are excellent protectivedevices:
• The hypothalamus that lies at the base of the brain is the body’ssilent metronome. It times sleep cycles, the action of the heart,breathing, digestion and other vital processes. If our bodytemperature drops, it prompts us to shiver – an exercise which warms us.
• Many of the human body’s extraordinary reflexes serve a protectivefunction. A finger touches a hot stove. Scores of heat receptors in the
skin sound the alarm. Messages flashalong nerve pathways. But valuabletime would be lost if they had totravel all the way to the brain. Hencethe spinal cord itself takes over. Itorders instant muscular contractionand the finger is automatically pulledaway. This is quite like the knee-jerk
reflex which a doctor produces by tapping with a rubber hammer totest the alertness and health of nerve pathways.
• The activity of the salivary glands – which secrete more than aquart of fluid a day – is one of our most thoroughly studied reflexes.These little glands react if the body’s water reserves drop too low andproduce the sensation of thirst.
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• Eyes have a number ofprotective reflexes. Pupils contractin bright sunlight to shut outexcessive light that may be
damaging. We blink continually: our lids act as windscreen wipers tokeep the eyes clean and to lubricate them with tears.
• Coughing is another reflex, which sweeps the throat clean. We maycomplain of the annoyance of coughing, but we would face a seriousproblem if we didn’t cough. When the cough reflex moves into action,air is sucked into the lungs and trapped by the epiglottis, the little flapvalve which keeps food from going down the windpipe. At the sametime the soft palate rises to close off nasal passages. With everythingin readiness, the chest muscle tightens. The epiglottis then flaps openand a minor hurricane rushes from the throat, sweeping irritantsbefore it.
• Sneezing is another familiar reflex. Like coughing, it is a house-cleaning operation. An irritant gets into a nasal passage. The brainsends out orders to get rid of it immediately. A series of events getsunder way. As the explosion is about to take place, the brain sendsfurther orders: shut the eyes, open the soft palate wide so that airrushes out through mouth and nose.
• Yawning remains another safety reflex to help us stay awake. Whenwe are sleepy, circulation in the brain becomes sluggish and theoxygen supply is diminished. If we are to stay awake, oxygen must beincreased. The yawn – and the chestful of air that goes with it – is the answer.
Source: Adapted from Your body’s built-in automation by J.D. Ratcliff in TheReader’s Digest Book of the Human Body
Safety immunity for our bodyThe human body’s immune system never tires, ticks all day long,providing wholesome safety and wellbeing. An immune system is acollection of mechanisms within an organism that protects againstdisease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumour cells. Itdetects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, andneeds to distinguish them from the organism's own healthy cells andtissues in order to function properly. Detection is complicated aspathogens adapt and evolve new ways to successfully infect the hostorganism. However, our immune system can create immunologicalmemory through adaptation for future encounters with thesepathogens. This process of acquired immunity inspired vaccination.
Source: Adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immune_system
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Safety is…in the design of the iglooThink Eskimo, think igloo. Immediate question: what makes itmelt-proof?
The snowflakes falling outsidethe igloo quickly melt when theyland on its roof, and provide areplacement layer of insulation.Its ongoing freezing and re-freezing transforms the snowblocks into a solid icy domedrefuge. The igloo is now strongenough to withstand the weightof a massive polar bear,weighing 300-600 kgs.
The initial freezing and re-freezing of the igloo takes placeat the end of the igloo's
construction. First, the men mustdig a trench into a fresh snow-drift, and, using their knives, cutblocks of snow from it that arespecifically shaped to face inwardwhen fully laid out. They then laythe blocks on their edges to forma circle, cutting them to size asthey go, so that the result is anarrowing spiral. They cap theigloo by dropping a keystone, orblock with edges cut wider abovethan below, into the remaining
gap in the roof. They ‘grout’ thegaps between blocks of snowwith additional snow.
The men then call in the residentexpert, the Eskimo woman, toput the finishing touches. Armedwith her whale blubber lamp,she enters the structure, lightsher lamp as brightly as possible,beats a hasty retreat, and sealsthe entrance with a block of ice.Inside the igloo, the snow on theroof begins to melt but, becauseof its domed design, the watermelts down the sides of theigloo, and soaks the blocks ofsnow. When the blocks arealmost completely saturated withwater, the Eskimo womanreturns, douses her blubberlamp, and allows the frigid
outside air to rush in,transforming the fragile snowstructure into one of hard, solidice.
The igloo is now prepared toreceive residents, whose bodyheat, combined with the warmthof one to two blubber lamps,maintain the interior temperatureat approximately 55°F.
Not until the winter ends, and theexterior temperature rises, doesthe igloo begin to melt, but theEskimos are long gone by then,and the faithful igloo has done itsjob: protecting its occupants fromthe harsh Arctic winter.
Source: Adapted fromwww.coolquiz.com
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Safety is…harnessing the sea About a quarter of theNetherlands lies below sea level.So the Dutch built their first dykes– land walls – in the 19th century.
The inspiration came from a lakeclose to Amsterdam that threatenedthe city’s existence. So Dutchengineers built a dyke and dugcanals around the lake. Through thedyke the water from the lake waspumped into the canals. The canalsled the water to rivers and the sea.In the end the lake went dry and
was called a ‘polder’.
The Dutch perfected the art of dykemaking for centuries to arrest waterinflow and conserve it duringdroughts. This skill manifestedvisibly in the Delta Project (in responseto the disastrous floods of 1953) thatused dykes to reclaim precious land.
This skill is now finding extensive usein a world where global warmingthreatens to raise sea levels by 85centimetres over the century.
Safety is…scanning unauthorised entryThe radar remains the sleeplessvigilant of the skies and earth.
It scans the seemingly innocuousskies and earth for airborne fixedor moving objects. In theprocess, it makes a country orregion relatively sensitive toinfiltration through promptidentification.
This is how the radar enhancesaerial and terrestrial safety: it
uses electromagnetic waves toidentify the range, altitude,direction or speed of aircraft,ships, motor vehicles, weatherformations, and terrain.
Thus radars are extensively usedin the meteorological detectionof precipitation, air trafficcontrol, police detection ofspeeding traffic and by themilitary.
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6564
Safety is…lighting a lamp withoutexplosion
underground fires or explosions.Such animals are much moresusceptible to gas, and will diebefore a human, an earlywarning. An alternative methodof removing the methaneinvolved igniting the gasdeliberately to cause explosions,thus evacuating the mines of themajority of explosive or easilyflammable material present.
And so was created the firstsafety lamp. This was improvedupon by Sir Humphrey Davy who used a flame enveloped in wire gauze.
However, these early lamps werefragile. The gauze in the Davylamp rusted in the moist air of acoal pit and became unsafe; theglass in the Stephenson lampwas easily broken and could thenallow the flame to ignitefiredamp in the atmosphere.
It was only the later designs – the
Gray, Mueseler, Marsaut andother lamps – that circumventedthese problems with the use ofmultiple gauze cylinders.However, one problemcontinued: the glass wouldbecome too hot and crack. It wasonly when toughened glass wasdeveloped did the safety lampbecome a reality.
Now came another problem. Thelight was considered poor and itwas only when electric lightingwas introduced in mines around1900 that miners could seeclearly and consistently.
And finally around 1930 thehelmet lamps were battery-powered so that miners couldfocus closely on what they weredoing without seeking lightingreinforcements beforeproceeding further. Therebysaving lives.
Source: Adapted from Wikipedia
In the olden days, when peoplewent underground to mine,they used candles with openflames or phosphorescentsources of light (such as rottingfish), flint or steel mills andbarometers to tell if
atmospheric pressure was low(when more methane seepedout of the mine).
Small mammals or birds wereused later to warn of thepresence of the deadly carbonmonoxide present after
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Safety is…being as secure as Fort Knox
Fort Knox is the principal golddepository of the United States.
Amount of present gold holdings:147.3 million ounces. In the past, theDepository has stored the Declarationof Independence, the U.S. Constitution,the Articles of Confederation, Lincoln'sGettysburg address, three volumes ofthe Gutenberg Bible, and Lincoln'ssecond inaugural address. In additionto gold bullion, the Mint has storedvaluable items for other governmentagencies. The Magna Carta was oncestored there. The crown, sword,scepter, orb, and cape of St. Stephen,King of Hungary also were stored at theDepository, before being returned tothe government of Hungary in 1978.
This is what keeps it secure: • Every soldier in today’s armoured force has served here at least onceduring his or her term of service.
• The building has been created out of granite, steel and concrete.
• The two-level steel and concrete basement vault is divided intocompartments.
• The vault door weighs more than 20 tons.
• No one person is entrusted with the combination.
• Various members of the Depository staff must dial separatecombinations known only to them.
• The vault casing is constructed of steel plates, beams and cylinders,laced with hoop bands and encased in concrete.
• The vault roof is of similar construction and is independent of theDepository roof.
• The outer wall of the Depository was made from granite lined withconcrete. The exterior dimensions measure 105 feet by 121 feet andthe attic is 42 feet high.
• To construct this impregnable complex, builders used 16,500 cubicfeet of granite, 4,200 cubic yards of concrete, 750 tons of reinforcingsteel and 670 tons of structural steel.
• The building is equipped with the latest modern protective devices.While it is conceivable that a well-armed and well-coordinatedcriminal mastermind and his army of mercenaries could be successful
Safety is…having technology on your side
The Electronic Article Surveillance prevents shop lifting through asimple mechanism: it uses disposable label tags or reusable hard tagsattached to the merchandise. These tags – containing magnetic strips– are removed or deactivated by the clerks when the item is properlybought or checked out. But when the shoplifter walks past thedetection pedestal at the store exit, comfortable in the thought thatshe has not been detected, there is a loud beep that draws theattention of the exit counter. The logic is simple: in her case the taghas not been deactivated and the magnetic sensor promptly reads thesignals sent out by the magnetic strip.
Source: Adapted from www.freepatentsonline.com
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in breaking into the Depository, there would be no chance ofremoving the gold. At each corner of the structure on the outside, butconnected with it, are four guard boxes. Sentry boxes, similar to theguard boxes at the corners of the Depository, are located at theentrance gate.
• A driveway encircles the building and a steel fence marks theboundaries of the site.
• The Depository is equipped with its own emergency power plant,water system and other facilities.
• The guard force is composed of men selected from variousGovernment agencies, or recruited from Civil Service registers.
• No visitors are permitted at the Depository.When you come to Fort Knox, you may
stand outside the Depository gate andtake pictures, but you may not enter thegate or tour the Depository.
• The nearby Army post providesadditional protection. Anyone trying toget the gold would have to take onseveral armoured regiments of one thestrongest fighting force on earth.
Source: Adapted fromhttp://www.govmint.com/knowledgebase/fortknox.aspx
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Safety is…making anti-fungal pickle
In India’s ancient towns, where much of the wisdom of the ages isjealously guarded by family tradition, the one culinary secretremains the century-old pickle.
In a fast-food-driven world where the ‘throw by’ date could betomorrow, you actually have something on the evening thali thatwould have survived 70-80 years. The nimbu pickle is one of them.
Old timers in Surat spoke of the pickle in the kitchen that had beencreated by the great-great grandmother, handed down acrossgenerations with as much care as the family silver.
things that kept the pickle in apristine condition (or nearly) even 70-80
years after being made:
These are the various
The result is that the pickle could well figurein people’s wills from now on.
Source : Farida Kheyroolla
Acloth on the
jar (banni) to keepout the dust and
moisture
The use ofvinegar and sugaras preservatives
Adiscipline of
opening the jaronly during theday, never at
night
Discouragingthe use of metalspoons to extract
the pickle
Activeperiodic stirringto counter the
thickeningThe
tying of anamulet around the
jar cap, and invokingdivine intervention
against fungalaction
70 71
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Safety is…preserving our heritage
Source:http://asi.nic.in/asi_cons_prev.asp
The Archaeological Survey ofIndia – responsible for theupgradation and protection ofthe Taj – initiated a series ofmeasures to arrest the decay.Silicone-based products wereused to prevent the growth ofalgae and fungi. An ancient face-pack recipe – a blend of soil(multani mitti), cereal, milk andlime – is smeared on the smut-stained marble surfaces of the17th-century Moghul tomb and
washed off with warm waterafter 24 hours. The formula –described with meticulous detailin Abul Fazl’s Ain-i-Akbari – hassuch restorative qualities that it isnow being exported to Italy toclean grimy monuments. Indianarchaeologists were astonishedto find that multani mitti drewblack and yellow impurities fromthe Taj Mahal's marble, leavingthe surface gleaming white forthe first time in decades.
Few civilisations in the worldcan match the awesomebeauty of India’s pricelessarchitectural glory, the TajMahal. This marble wonder – a world heritage monumentsince 1983 – was built by ShahJahan in the 17th century toimmortalize his love for hisbeloved, Mamtaz Mahal.
But the real challenge is topreserve Taj Mahal’s timelessappeal from decay: adverseclimatic conditions and monsoonrains have led to waterinfiltration and erosion of thewhite marble exterior; pollutionfrom heavy traffic and proximityof factories have evendiscoloured the marble façade.
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Safety is…a greener earth
Global carbon dioxide emissionsin 2006 approached astaggering 32 billion tons. For asafer world, the following needto be done immediately:
• Turn food into fuel: Are cornhusks better than corn forproducing energy? Ethanol is thealternative fuel that could finallywean the world from itsexpensive oil habit and turn offmillions of tons of carbonemissions that go with it.
• Get blueprints for a greenhouse: Control heat, air andmoisture leakage by sealingwindows and doors. Insulate thegarage, attic and basement withnatural, nontoxic materials likereclaimed blue jeans. Protectwindows from sunrays withlarge overhangs and double-pane glass. Emphasize naturalcross ventilation.
• Change your lightbulbs: Thehottest thing in householdenergy savings is the compactfluorescent lightbulb (CFL), a
funny-looking swirl that fits intostandard sockets. CFLs cost threeto five times as much asconventional incandescent bulbsyet use one-quarter of theelectricity - and last years longer.
• Ditch the mansion: Oversizehouses aren't just architecturallyoffensive; they also generallyrequire more energy to heat andcool than smaller ones even afteryou have factored in efficientappliances.
• Hang a clothes line: Washyour clothes in warm waterinstead of hot; launder big loadsinstead of many smaller ones.New machines use as little as afourth of the energy of olderlaundry machines. When clean,dry your clothes the natural wayby hanging them on a line ratherthan loading them in a dryer.
• Take another look at vintageclothes: Not buying a shirt thesecond time around means youavoid consuming all the energy
used in producing and shipping anew one and, therefore, the carbonemissions associated with it.
• Work close to home: Sitting ingridlock wastes your time andthe planet's fuel. The solution:move your home next to theoffice. Or take the bus.
• Pay your bills online: Eliminateyour paper trail and pay billsonline. Save trees.
• Open a window: Open awindow instead of running theAC. Adjust the thermostat acouple of degrees higher in thesummer and lower in the winter.Insulate your walls and ceilings.Use the dishwasher only whenit's full. Install low-flowshowerheads. Wash your clothesin warm or cold water. Turndown the thermostat on thewater heater. At the end of theyear, don't be surprised if yourhouse feels lighter. It just lost4,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide.
Source: www.time.com
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Safety is…focusing on fundamentalsGeoff Boycott’s advice before you open the batting.
Orchid’s safety manual aims to make the world a safer placethrough educating people about safer practices and products –ranging from a small safety pin to a radar used for aerial and
terrestrial surveillance or even our body’s inbuilt intricate immunityand reflex mechanisms that tick all day long to ensure that we keep
safe and sound. Because safety is more than an industrial orcommercial response. It is a way of life.
For more copies and correspondence of the yellow book, messages should be addressed to:
Ch. Ram, Head, Corporate Communication & Investor Relations
Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
‘Orchid Towers’,#313, Valluvar Kottam High Road, Nungambakkam,
Chennai - 600 034. INDIA E-mail: [email protected]
TheYellowBookOrchid’s Official Safety Awareness Manual, 2008
Issued in the interest of making the world a safer place for all.