Safety Technology: PIMT Workplace Health and Safety Report

This laboratory report provides a comprehensive analysis of workplace health and safety at the Pioneer Institute of Management and Technology (PIMT) in Muscat, Oman. The report begins with an introduction emphasizing the importance of workplace health and safety, followed by a discussion section that evaluates both indoor and outdoor environmental parameters. Indoor parameters such as PM10, temperature, CO2 levels, humidity, and AQI are assessed, highlighting areas for improvement, such as the need for air purifiers and better CO2 management. The report also examines outdoor parameters like CO and PM10 levels, suggesting solutions like planting more trees to mitigate pollution. The second part of the discussion focuses on electrical safety measures, detailing the institute's adherence to OSHA standards, including regular equipment assessments, electrical safety programs, and employee training. Techniques like 'safety by design,' the use of barriers, current-limiting devices, and emergency shut-off switches are also described. The conclusion summarizes the findings, emphasizing the need for continuous monitoring and improvements to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. The report references various sources to support its findings and includes an appendix with a table of indoor and outdoor parameter results.

LABORATORY REPORT

Table of Contents
Introduction...................................................................................................................3
Discussion.....................................................................................................................3
Task A- Discussing the indoor and outdoor parameters...........................................3
Task B- Examination of electrical safety measures and techniques in the
workplace location.....................................................................................................4
Conclusion....................................................................................................................5
Reference list................................................................................................................6
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Introduction
The Health and safety of the workplace is getting prioritized in the whole world to
reduce hazards that impact workers. It is important to ensure a good environment in
the workplace for eliminating the risk of illness those impacts the reputation of an
organization. For an employer, it is the legal responsibility to provide health and
safety training to employees. Several organizations are taking steps for ensuring
healthy work practices by designing health safety programs.
Main objective of this assignment is to evaluate indoor and outdoor monitoring
parameters that are used in the chosen institution. Besides, electric safety measures
and used strategies are also discussed. The chosen workplace is a Pioneer institute
of management and technology (PIMT) located in Al-Nadha tower 2, Muscat,
Sultanate of Oman.
Discussion
Task A- Discussing the indoor and outdoor parameters
Providing a safe and healthy workplace to employees is the basic duty of an
employer. At present, in most of the companies, employees need to spend a major
part of their working hours indoors. Wolkoff (2018) has mentioned that regular
monitoring of indoor air quality parameters is required for initiating precautionary
measures. On the other hand, the impact of outdoor pollutants needs to be
measured as well. Particulate Matter (PM), CO2 level, temperature, and humidity,
concentration of formaldehyde, noise, volatile organic compound, CO level and light
can be measured as indoor parameters. Additionally, Air Quality Index (AQI) can be
measured within an office setting. The Regulation of Occupational Safety and Health
has mentioned in its Article 15 employers are bound to protect the health of
employees within the working hours (Omanlawblog.curtis.com, 2012).
An investigation has been done in the PIMT to assess indoor and outdoor measures.
PM 10 has been found 17, which is higher than the normal standard. This condition
may cause bronchitis, asthma attacks, heart stroke, and other physical issues in
employees. This institute must install air purifiers to reduce the rate of PM10.
However, it has been found that smoking is prohibited within working areas and
kitchen chimneys are attached in the canteen kitchen to remove smokes from the
building. Nanni et al. (2017) have mentioned that an average temperature needs to
be maintained in offices based on the climate and season to protect the health of
internal stakeholders. It has been found that this institute maintains 23°C in all the
seasons with the help of air conditioners and room heaters. It means that this
company is successfully providing a comfortable temperature for its internal
members.
Normally 350 to 1000 ppm CO2 within an indoor environment is acceptable and it
denotes the occurrence of good air exchange. It has been found that the CO2 level
is 1050 ppm in PMIT. According to Oelßner (2019), exhaust fans can be used to
remove extra CO2 from the working areas. Machines that release CO2 must be
maintained properly with the help of concerned experts. It has been found that this
organization knows this fact and they are investing their effort and money to improve
the internal air circulation system. The level of indoor humidity lies between 40% and
60%. At PMIT, the humidity level is maintained between 30-50%, which is normal
and good for employees. Hygrometer has been used to measure humidity and
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temperature. The management of this company has measured the Air Quality Level
through estimating the number of different gases (including nitrogen dioxide, ozone,
PM, CO, sulfur dioxide and others) present in the internal environment. The AQI has
been found 51, which is unhealthy for the workers. As suggested by Lim et al.
(2017), installation of air purifiers can be considered as a good option to reduce this
level. It has been noted that this company reminds employees to have sufficient
water to remain healthy at work. This organization needs to review the HSE
regulation mentioned by the government of Oman through monitoring indoor and
outdoor parameters regularly.
The outdoor environment of PMIT is slightly different from indoor. For example, it has
been found that the CO level is 72 outside of the PMIT building, which is above the
safe level. Employees smoke outside the building as per the company policy and this
activity is causing the increase of CO level outside. On the other hand, the release of
canteen smokes is increasing the CO level. As opined by Oelßner (2019), smoking
needs to be prevented within the entire premises for improving this situation. CO2
level has been found 1000 ppm outside this institute, which can be considered within
the safe level. Outside temperature keeps changing with the climate as it is not
within the control of this organization. The rate of PM10 is 18 outside this
organization due to passing cars and other external pollutant particles. Planting more
trees in the surroundings of this company may decrease the present level of air
pollution. [Referred to Appendix 1]
Task B- Examination of electrical safety measures and techniques in the
workplace location
In any workplace, electricity is considered a primary resource that helps in
conducting regular operations. For different purposes such as running computers,
projectors, electricity is very essential. This resource can cause damage to the lives
of people and can damage properties through fire. Precautions are essential for
eliminating the risk of damage like management of electrical gadgets and other
safety measures. As stated by Gore and Mane (2018), different hazards can occur
from electricity, which includes electrical shock, fire due to short-circuit and damaged
electrical equipment and others.
The OSHA act of 1970 states that employers must provide a workplace to
employees that is free from any sorts of hazards like electric shocks. Subpart S of
OSHA 29 CFR part 1910, includes different requirements for electrical safety
including regular assessment of electrical equipment (Ecmweb.com, 2020). Health
and safety board of PIMT conducts regular assessments of electrical equipment and
connections in the workplace. This helps them to identify faulty parts and risk levels
from them. Different control measures can be taken from this assessment like
replacements of faulty parts such as sockets. All faculties are instructed to report to
the concerned department if they find any fault in any electrical devices.
The institute also follows an electrical safety program, which is considered as a key
responsibility for an employer. As said by Waters (2016), any electrical safety
program needs to be well-planned, documented and improvise into practice. In this
institution, all levels of management and faculties are involved and committed in this
program, which helps to ensure electrical safety. Training is an essential part of
PIMT's electrical safety program. This follows the standard of OSHA 1910.332 (b)
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that states training is important for work practices related to electrical safety. In this
institute, the safety program includes some other processes like making employees
aware of different electrical hazards regularly and advising them to maintain self-
discipline. Identifying electrically safe work procedures and tools are encouraged.
Moreover, guidance about using different personal protective equipment is also
given.
In any organization, electricity is a major resource that helps in proper functioning.
Different equipment like laboratory machinery, computers, projectors, and their
connections are checked at regular intervals. This helps to identify any faults in
connections of vital electrical equipment that can cause a hazard to any employees
or properties. Different electrical equipment is not kept beside any source of water or
chemicals. Hence, risk of fire or short-circuits can be avoided. The institute has also
adopted the technique of “safety by design”, which is an important safety principle.
Isolation of essential equipment including circuit or fuse box is done that facilitates
repair purposes. Another measure is incorporating barriers that eliminate the
accidental contact of various parts of people. This includes insulation of wires that
increase protection from shocks or burns. PIMT has also installed current-limiting
devices, which helps to decrease incidents like flash hazards.
The organization follows different other principles such as de-energizing electrical
gadgets or equipment before conducting the process like testing or repairing. As
opined by Karunakaran (2018), de-energizing electrical gadgets before testing help
to avoid any instance of shock or any other damage. The building of the institute has
an emergency shut off switch that can be used in case of any accidents or faults.
Every faculty is given knowledge about the location of the emergency switch so that
they can use it at the time of emergency. Hence, this institution follows all major
electrical safety policies that help to ensure the wellness of employees. Following the
essential principles can help them to minimize the risk of hazards.
Conclusion
Different indoor and outdoor monitoring parameters in PIMT are discussed. It has
been found that the outdoor environment of this company is relatively more polluted
than the indoor environment. However, the management is taking necessary steps to
sustain a safe and healthy workplace for its employees. The inspection has shown
the gaps in efforts towards maintaining health and safety measures, which need to
be mitigated as early as possible. Moreover, the organization has followed different
electrical safety principles like regular assessment of equipment, providing training
and electrical safety design. This institute abides by all safety policies that reduce
risk of any electrical accidents or injuries.
Total words: 1520
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Reference list
Ecmweb.com (2020), Top Five Keys to Workplace Electrical Safety, Available at:
https://www.ecmweb.com/archive/article/20900528/top-five-keys-to-workplace-
electrical-safety [Accessed on 16th march 2020]
Gore, P.K. and Mane, A., 2018. ELECTRICAL HAZARDS AND SAFETY.
International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics, 120(6), pp.11997-12008.
Karunakaran, P., 2018. Electrical Power Simplified. AuthorHouse.
Lim, H., Um, K. and Jung, S., 2017. A study on effective mitigation system for
accidental toxic gas releases. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries,
49, pp.636-644.
Nanni, S., Benetti, E. and Mazzini, G., 2017. Indoor monitoring in Public Buildings:
workplace wellbeing and energy consumptions. An example of IoT for smart cities
application. Advances in Science, Technology and Engineering Systems, 2(3),
pp.884-890.
Oelßner, W., 2019. CO2 Safety Control. Carbon Dioxide Sensing: Fundamentals,
Principles, and Applications, p.329.
Omanlawblog.curtis.com. (2012). Health and Safety in the Workplace. Available at:
https://omanlawblog.curtis.com/2012/02/health-and-safety-in-workplace.html
[Accessed on 14th March, 2020]
Waters, R. T., 2016, March. Changing an electrical safety culture–the importance of
understanding why. In 2016 IEEE IAS Electrical Safety Workshop (ESW). P.p1-5.
Wolkoff, P., 2018. Indoor air humidity, air quality, and health–An overview.
International journal of hygiene and environmental health, 221(3), pp.376-390.
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Appendix
Appendix 1: Laboratory report of indoor and outdoor parameters
Indoor parameters Result
PM10 17
Temperature 23°C
CO2 1050 ppm
AQI 51
Outdoor parameters Result
CO 72
CO2 1000 ppm
Temperature Changes with seasons
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