Health Safety and Environment (HSE)

Introduction The kitchen is one of the most used rooms in any household. However, many of us are unaware of the potential hazards that can result from poor ergonomics in the kitchen. The job of preparing, serving and cleaning up after meals gets done there. Making sure that the environment fits the user is a critical factor in ensuring satisfaction with one's kitchen. Ergonomics is important because it makes work more efficient, faster, more pleasant and with less fatigue by improving the interface between the human body and the things we need to interact with to get work done.   The movement abilities of the human body are the fixed parts of the equation. We are not going to alter the body to fit the environment. So, to make work more efficient, we have to alter the design to fit human movement. We want to minimise movement by eliminating unnecessary steps and make the kitchen usable for all the individuals in a household. Every aspect of kitchen design is given a new, ha...

Designing for pregnant women should consider the ease of movement of pregnant women without restraining too much due to movement limitation. (a) Ergonomic Stairways The following are descriptions of ergonomic stairways: (i) Gently Sloping Stairs in the house should be gently sloping for pregnant women. Steps should ideally be reduced to just three or four steps before the landing platform. (ii) Having Handrails Handrails are needed to protect users from falling off the edge of the stairs or landings (secure to grasp). (iii) Proper Lighting Good lighting can protect users from falls or slips due to lack of visibility. (b) Ergonomic Bedrooms Mattresses and beds for pregnant women should be low, making it easy to sleep. This ensures that pregnant women will remain in a good posture to reduce injury and keep them comfortable. Ergonomic pillows should not cause neck aches and strains. The floor must be rough and not too slippery to prevent slipping and injuries. (c) Ergonomic Kitchen...

Planning the simplest 5’x7′ bathroom so that it reflects the client’s lifestyle can be a challenge. Despite the limited space, the prospective client hopes for a great bath packed with convenience, safety and grace. Likewise, clients planning a master suite have visions of a spa retreat that may not fit either their available square footage or their budget.  As planners work with the “dream bath” wish list, we need to be ever vigilant about making the bath a good fit for the user while being thoughtful regarding the space and storage requirements. So let’s talk about the basics of bathroom design before we focus on the special details the clients hope you can fit in – all while staying within the available space and investment figure reserved for the project. Successful bathroom designers begin planning any bathroom space with a careful information gathering program. That means finding out who will use the space, how it will be used, what fixtures are required, what l...

Moderate static work might produce localised fatigue in the muscle involved and could lead to intolerable pain. Moreover, excessive effort or work (could be static or dynamic) repeated over a period of time could lead to light pain initially and then to intense aches and pains. This does not only involve muscles, but could affect joints, tendons, ligaments and other tissues. Continuous exposure and repeated efforts or movement can lead to damage of  ligaments, tendons and joints. These impairments are usually referred to as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). MSDs develop over time; the process evolves gradually with repeated overuse and lack of recovery. Sudden appearances of injury such as a torn ligament or a sprain, are not musculoskeletal disorders associated with repetitive work and are clearly work-related accidents. Other terms generally used apart from MSDs are cumulative trauma disorders, repetitive stress disorders, repetitive stress injury (RSI), overuse injuries and re...

The principles of neutral sitting postures for computer operation are as follows: (i) Forearms  straight and parallel to the floor; (ii) Hands and wrists  straight and should not bend up, down or to the side; (iii) Shoulders  relaxed and not elevated, raised or abducted; (iv) Elbows  bent approximately 90 degrees, close to the body and supported on an arm rest;  (v) Feet  must be fully supported on the floor and should not hang;  (vi) Back  fully supported on back rest or lumbar support. Should not lead forward and without support; and  (vii) Popliteal  should have clearance to promote blood circulation in the leg and there should not be any compression to the popliteal by the seat pan.

Let us discuss what makes some companies prone to accidents, while others are accident-free. Numerous studies have been conducted to determine the factors that make a company prone to accidents. There is a growing body of empirical evidence concerning the impact of safety culture on safety performance. Numerous studies have investigated characteristics of companies with low accident rates, while generally comparing  them with similar companies with higher-than-average accident rates. A fairly consistent result of these studies conducted in industrialised as well as in developing countries, emphasises the importance of senior managers' safety commitment and leadership for safety performance (Chew 1988; Hunt and Habeck 1993; Shannon et al. 1992; Smith et al. 1978).  Moreover, most studies show that in companies with lower accident rates, the personal involvement of top managers in occupational safety is at least as important as their decisions in the structuring of the safe...

Layout design is very important for each workplace because it will determine the quality and productivity of employees. The design should be comfortable for the users and facilitate the work process. Low job satisfaction can be observed among the employees if ergonomics design of layout of workspaces is neglected.  (a) Workspace Size The following are a few suggestions for having an optimal workspace size. (i) Ensure suitable for functions to be performed (including maintenance tasks); (ii) Ensure lighting and temperature appropriate for functions to be performed; and (iii) Review needs with changing or evolving functions and equipment. (b) Workspace Arrangement The suggested workspace arrangements are as follows: (i) Facilitates appropriate work postures; and (ii) Adequate space for all equipment. (c) Design of Layout Offices exist primarily to allow employees to do their work and thereby support their organisation's goals. Generally speaking, employees may spend more than 3...

Introduction Terrorism is a criminal act that influences an audience beyond the immediate victim. The strategy of terrorists is to commit acts of violence that draws the attention of the local populace, the government and the world to their cause. The terrorists plan their attack to obtain the greatest publicity, choosing targets that symbolise what they oppose. The effectiveness of the terrorist act lies not in the act itself, but in the public's or government's reaction to the act. Terrorism has become a global threat and needs to be controlled from the root level to the international level. Governments throughout the world are realising that terrorism is a serious threat. The bombing of the World Trade Centre in 2001 was one of the deadliest terrorist episodes in the world. There are various types of terrorism  nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) terrorism. Different types of terrorism have been defined by lawmakers, security professionals and scholars. Types...