BSHE51601A Hazardous Industries Module Reflective Report, 2017

This report is a reflective account of a student's learning experience in the Hazardous Industries module, focusing on workplace safety and health in various sectors. The report covers key topics such as asbestos management in construction, industrial hygiene practices, aviation safety regulations by CAAS, electrical and electronics safety, marine driving safety, and workplace safety and health legal requirements in Singapore. The student reflects on the knowledge gained from guest lectures and discussions, emphasizing the importance of practical application and legal compliance to improve professional competence in HSE. The report highlights the student's increased understanding of risk assessment, safe work practices, and the significance of continuous learning in the field of hazardous industries. The report concludes with the student's enhanced ability to implement safety measures across multiple industries.

Running head: HAZARDOUS INDUSTRIES
Hazardous Industries
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Asbestos.......................................................................................................................................2
Industrial Hygiene.......................................................................................................................3
Aviation industry and CAAS aerodrome safety requirements....................................................5
Electrical and Electronics regulatory agency..............................................................................6
Marine Driving............................................................................................................................7
Work Place Safety & Health Legal Requirements......................................................................8
PSB and STU Certification..........................................................................................................9
Facilities management, Singapore Sports Hub..........................................................................10
General Industry Singtel Facilities management.......................................................................11
Overview of the course..................................................................................................................12
Reference List................................................................................................................................14

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Introduction
HSE practitioners often believe that safety knowledge means an expensive formal
training course. Sometimes it does, but by using reflective practice, we can create our own
opportunities to develop our skills. We can creatively tap into the skills and knowledge of others
– professionals in various industries and beyond, to develop competency. In this module, I had
the opportunity to gain competency in various industries including those, which are latent and
not visible immediately, but a key part of any HSE role (Schulte et al. 2014). To become an
effective practitioner, commanding the respect of other professions, we need to take a different
approach) to accelerate our effectiveness in a work environment, which may be complex,
conflicted and uncertain.
I owe it to the people whom had come in the various classes to lecture of the various
hazardous industries and share their knowledge with the class. The session was a cost effective
session, which was beneficial for the entire class and me. I will now start on my learning journey
of the various hazardous industries, which I believe will improvise my professionalism in
workplace safety.
Asbestos
The first hazardous industry that I would like to talk about is the building construction
industry. Since I had 6 years of experience in building construction, this session has helped me
expand my knowledge regarding some of the risks that are associated with the building
construction industry. Asbestos, which was widely, used in buildings, ships and plants owing to
its excellent heat, chemical and fire resistance properties. However, the use of asbestos was

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banned in Singapore in 1988 by the Building and Construction authority due to the harmful
impact it had on heath, which often resulted in serious diseases.
The Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) (Asbestos) Regulations 2014 has been
enacted by the Minister for Manpower in exercise of the power conferred upon him under
section 65 of the Workplace Safety and Health Act (Crawford et al. 2016). The regulations act
as a guideline to ensure workplace and health safety of the workers engaged in activities
involving asbestos-containing materials and the occupants of the building, which has asbestos-
containing material. However, several old buildings in Singapore still include asbestos-
containing materials, which if released into the air can affect the occupants of the building.
Hence, it is important to manage asbestos used in workplaces and buildings to prevent harmful
exposure of the asbestos-containing material.
Since I was in the building construction industry for six years, I was already aware of the
health related risks that are associated with harmful exposure of the asbestos. The guest lecturers
and people who shared their experiences discussed about the various safety measures that could
be adopted to prevent the risks arising out of exposure of the asbestos containing material. I
learnt in details about the responsibilities that an occupier of a workplace should undertake to
ensure that asbestos containing materials are removed safely that were installed in a building,
plant, ship or workplace. I learnt how carrying out the removal of the asbestos in confined spaces
is to be undertaken and how workers are to be equipped appropriately to prevent any heat-related
hazards that may arise from working in confined places.

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Industrial Hygiene
The next topic that is related to the workplace safety in hazardous industries is industrial
hygiene. The exposure levels of workplace health hazards indicate the conditions in the work
environment. Workplaces having specific hazards must maintain industrial hygiene medical and
monitoring surveillance. Such surveillance shall include biological monitoring of workers who
are exposed to hazardous substances or circumstances (Halford 2016).
In this module, I have learnt that factories having 10 or more workers who are exposed to
excessive noise must be subjected to regular monitoring of the environmental noise level once in
a year. It is important to have a competent person to monitor air contaminants at workplace
regularly if there is too much exposure to toxic substances. The occupiers and the employers
must ensure that the employees and the workers are not exposed to toxic substances above the
Permissible Exposure Levels (PEL).
The people who have imparted knowledge about the monitoring and maintaining health
and hygiene at workplace, talked about the legal framework that regulates the monitoring of the
industrial hygiene at workplace. The Factories (medical Examinations) Regulations, stipulates
that workers who are exposed to nineteen specified hazards must undergo mandatory medical
examinations to be conducted by the registered and designated medical professionals.
It is a known fact that every industrial worker must be subjected to periodical medical
checkups, especially, those workers who are engaged in hazardous activities but this module has
helped me to learn that the medical surveillance program is an important part of the integrated
surveillance strategy of Singapore (Waldron 2013). The classes have helped me to understand

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the legal requirements of an employer to submit a notification declaring that it had successfully
implemented risk management in the workplace to ensure safety of the workers.
Aviation industry and CAAS aerodrome safety requirements
Earlier, I only had the idea that the cabin crew play significant role in ensuring the safety
of the passengers from managing unruly passengers to ensuring smooth and expeditious
evacuation of passengers in the event an emergency evacuation is required. In this module, I
have the opportunity to learn more about the safety measures that is required to be maintained in
the aviation industry to ensure safety of the passengers and the cabin crew as well. The Civil
Aviation authority of Singapore (CAAS) have introduced various systematic measures that
would address the challenged faced or experienced by the flight operators yet such measures
assures safety of the passengers as well as the cabin crew.
The Aerodrome Safety Publication issued by CAAS purports to promote additional
guidance to the aerodrome operators in formulating procedures with respect to activities that are
usually conducted by the ground handling service providers so that these activities are safely
conducted at its respective aerodromes (Yeun, Bates and Murray 2014). Ground handling
accidents have an adverse impact upon the operations of the aircraft at the confirmed aerodromes
in Singapore. In the event, I get an opportunity to work in the aviation industry; I would certainly
apply this information in practice.
I have learnt about the requirements stipulated by the Manual of Aerodrome Standards
(MOAS) regarding the safety of the ground handling operations at confirmed aerodromes in
Singapore such as Aircraft fueling; Aircraft power back, Aircraft marshalling, Aircraft towing,
etc. Since the Ground Service Providers are primarily responsible for safety of the flight

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operations and the aerodrome operators must monitor the operations of the GSPs and ensure that
people performing ground-handling operations must undertake proper trainings related to safety.
This newly obtained information shall help me implement safety measures to ensure safety in the
aviation industry.
Electrical and Electronics regulatory agency
In regards to my experience in the Construction industry, I had knowledge about the fact
that when the developers and the construction companies possess a site for any development
project, they usually experience inconveniences relating to the underground electricity cables
that are found in the site. The activities involving electricity is the most difficult job in a
construction site as it has several risks associated with it, hence it becomes pertinent to ensure
that electrical equipments and systems are kept in safe place (Wells and Hawkins 2014). The
employer is required to ensure that the workers who are engaged in the electrical works are
prevented from coming in contact with any electrical source, as it might result in risk of shock or
burn injuries caused due to faulty electrical equipment or shirt circuits.
The statutory regulation that governs the prevention of hazardous risks associated with
electrical works in this industry is the Electricity (Electrical Installations) Regulations which
requires that every employer must ensure that the electrical works conducted in the industry are
performed by licensed electrical worker of the appropriate class stipulated in the Electricity
(Electrical Workers) Regulations. The information that I have obtained regarding the risks
associated with the hazardous industry shall assist me in implementing the rules in compliance
with the statutory framework, and enable me to improve my performance as a HSE practitioner.

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Marine Driving
In Singapore, the Association of Singapore Marine Industries (ASMI) has introduced
workplace safety and health applying the systematic approach with respect to the companies in
the marine industry. Since I did not have any experience in the marine industry the module
proved to be very useful to me as I have gained adequate knowledge about the risks that are
associated with this form of industry and the measures that are adopted in order to prevent the
workers from such workplace hazards.
In the marine industry, any work that is likely to jeopardize the life of any person in a
shipyard or on board a ship in a harbor is considered as hazardous work. The other hazardous
risks associated with the marine industry include damage caused to the ships or plant or property;
contamination of the environment or injury caused to any worker, etc. The workers must be
adopting a systematic approach that would ensure safety of the workers without compromising
with quality of work (Feng 2013). The people who have experiences in the marine industry
provided us with important information regarding the risk assessment and safe work practices
prevalent in the marine industry. For ensuring that proper safety measures and risk management
plan is being implemented in the marine industry, the Singapore government has passed a
statutory regulation under the Workplace Safety and health (Shipbuilding and Ship-repairing)
Regulations 2008.
Before joining the course, I did not have any adequate knowledge about the risks
associated with the marine industry. The persons experienced in dealing with such risks
explained the safe work practices that are prevalent in the marine industry. In the industry, any
procedure that is undertaken safely and which purports to safeguard the health and safety of any
person, in case of emergency shall be considered as safety measures. Such safe work measures

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may include written instructions about the safety measures that should be implemented in the
workplace; the instructions may be conveyed in pictorial form or by way of training. The
activities being conducted in the industry shall be subject to strict monitoring and surveillance.
Work Place Safety & Health Legal Requirements
According to the Workplace Health and Safety Act (WHS) Act, the employers,
contractors and self-employed persons are under statutory obligation to manage risks at work
while the employees must comply with the safe work practices in their respective workplace.
The statute safeguards the workers and the employers from all forms of injuries and occupational
disease that the workers and the employers may become subject to at workplace, thus creating
and maintaining a workplace that healthy as well as safe for the people working in the
environment (Tubosun 2015).
This module has assisted me to understand the significance of the work health and safety
practices at workplace. As per the legal requirement of the statute, the management department
of every organization must inform the employees, suppliers and customers about the purpose of
the WHS Act and that the act is binding upon the employers as well as the employees of any
industry. The statute requires every organization to adopt risk management strategies to
determine the risks associated with the concerned type of industry and the work activity, and
then communicate the same with the contractors, employees and other relevant parties (Zou and
Sunindijo 2015). The risk management regulations must be conducted in a manner that it ensures
health and safety of the persons who are engaged in hazardous activities at workplace. After the
proper evaluation of the risks, the company is required to implement effective measures to
overcome the risks and provide the employees with a healthy and a safe working environment.

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PSB and STU Certification
Earlier I had knowledge about the fact that strict statutory requirements are required for
occupational health and safety in all the areas where business operates. This module has
provided me with information relating to Occupational health and Safety Management System
OHSAS states that every employer must maintain and ensure health and safety of the employees
as it should be a priority in any organization.
The module has helped me enhance my information about the fact that it is imperative for
any industry to verify the quality of products to avoid later complications and degrading work
quality. In order to determine any issues, it is best to conduct independent testing on the various
products. The early determination of issues helps the industry to avoid delays and prevent
unnecessary expenses. The TUV and SUD is a world leader in product and testing certification in
Singapore, which ensures safety of the industry products.
I have further gained knowledge about the Standards and Conformance Framework,
which requires every employer to assure quality of products and services; enhance health, safety
and environmental protection and assures Trade and Market Access (Wells and Hawkins 2014).
The statutory regulations governing the quality for services and products include compliance
with the Consumer Protection, Consumer Goods and Safety requirements. In the process of
product certification, there are various kinds of determination that is used to establish evidence
for reviewing the products.
The various kinds of determination include testing of the products, inspection and
auditing of the products. The product certification bodies must be satisfied that the determination
activities with respect to the products have been conducted in a competent and reliable manner.

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Facilities management, Singapore Sports Hub
Facility management plays a significant role in the effective operation of the built
facilities, in particular, office buildings, schools, hospitals, and housing estates. The facilities
manager is responsible for performing several activities to ensure functionality of the concerned
built environment. Initially, I had restricted knowledge about the functions carried out by the
facility managers of the company. The significant role played by the facility managers to ensure
smooth functioning of the organization includes cleaning services; lift maintenance, landscaping
and pest control.
The activities performed by the Facility managers have various risks associated with
workplace hazards, which includes trips and slips, electrical accidents and falls, etc. Under such
circumstances, it becomes imperative to introduce safety measures to prevent the workers and
the customers from unwanted accidents and injuries (Safety 2016). The Work Health and Safety
Act has set up guidelines that deals with the proper management of the issues and concerns
related to the facility management of any organization. The Facility management must ensure
that the building and the people occupying it have access to safety in the event of any
emergency. The module has helped me learned to what extent facility management is responsible
for ensuring safety of the occupants, staffs and reduce risks associated with emergencies.
The facilities management of the Singapore Sports Hub strives to manage and improve
operational procedures, conduct periodical surveys and make necessary recommendations to
improve services. The staffs or members of the company must comply with the statutory
requirements and policies to ensure safety and health of the workers and the employers of the
company.

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General Industry Singtel Facilities management
The Singtel Group is well-known to be the leading communication group in Asia and the
primary responsibility and duties of the management is to look after the planning and execution
of the building and the M&E projects that ensures smooth functioning of the organization and
the and safety of the workers and the staffs in the organization (Tubosun 2015).
We were provided with the information related to the responsibilities of the facilities
management, which is to organize, plan and comply with necessary protocols that is mandatory
to maintain the physical structure, mechanical, electrical, fire alarm and other emergency options
to provide an effective and safe operating working condition to the employees and staffs of the
company.
The facility management is required to manage and act as a guide in implementing and
smooth functioning of the site systems and building infrastructure. As it is already a well-known
fact that the facility management is accountable for maintaining mechanical, electrical,
architectural and civil areas and implementing the smooth functioning of the same (Teo et al.
2015). The other essential information that I have learnt from this module through the people
who have been kind enough to share their experiences in these workplaces, is that the facility
management is also responsible for developing policies and procedures relating to the
engineering construction, safety management that would be beneficial for the members and the
staffs of the organizations.
The facility management of the Singtel Group establishes an Emergency Planning
Committee and has a Fire Safety Advisor; written emergency plan and set up Emergency Control

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Organization to ensure access to safety during emergency. The facility managers of any
organization must encourage a safety culture and ensure that they are safe in the workplace.
Overview of the course
The reflective statements on the above-discussed topics demonstrate the importance of
the work and safety practices in various hazardous industries irrespective of the risks associated
with each of the industries. It can be inferred from the information that I have received with the
help of this module, that in order to become an effective practitioner, it is imperative to possess
adequate knowledge about the workplace safety practice. This is because an adequate knowledge
of workplace safety practices can be implemented in the work environment irrespective of the
complex and uncertain nature of work environment, in the practical world.
While the knowledge imparted by the experienced people has provided me with sufficient
information about the hazardous industries, initially I faced minor difficulty in understanding the
hazardous risks that are associated in the other industries other than those, which I have, work
experience due to the lack of adequate knowledge about such industries. Nevertheless, I am
thankful to all those people who shared their knowledge with the class that enabled me to
broaden my knowledge about such industries.
Since I have work experiences in construction industry and the oil and gas industry, I was
aware of some of the basic safety practices that are prevalent in the workplaces to prevent the
risks that are associated with the industries, which helped me to identify some of the hazards and
control measures related to the industries. However, the lectures and the information that I have
received in this module has facilitated to expand my knowledge and gained competency in the

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various industries, which would further assist me in improving my performance in any work
environment with respect to the workplace safety.

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Reference List
Schulte, P.A., Geraci, C.L., Murashov, V., Kuempel, E.D., Zumwalde, R.D., Castranova, V.,
Hoover, M.D., Hodson, L. and Martinez, K.F., 2014. Occupational safety and health criteria for
responsible development of nanotechnology. Journal of Nanoparticle Research, 16(1), p.2153.
Crawford, J.O., Davis, A., Walker, G.H., Cowie, H. and Ritchie, P.J., 2016. 3 The use of
knowledge in occupational safety and health: from knowledge creation to employee use. Health
and Safety in a Changing World, p.59.
Sousa, V., Almeida, N.M. and Dias, L.A., 2014. Risk-based management of occupational safety
and health in the construction industry–Part 1: Background knowledge. Safety science, 66, pp.75-
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Friend, M.A. and Kohn, J.P., 2014. Fundamentals of occupational safety and health. Bernan
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Kiefer, M., Lincoln, J. and Schulte, P., 2014. Climate change and Occupational Safety and
Health. Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
Zhou, Z., Goh, Y.M. and Li, Q., 2015. Overview and analysis of safety management studies in
the construction industry. Safety science, 72, pp.337-350.
Jaafar, M.H., Arifin, K., Aiyub, K., Razman, M.R. and Ahmad, M., 2015. A review of
occupational safety and health (OSH) accidents and contributing factors in construction
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Chan, A.P., Javed, A.A., Lyu, S., Hon, C.K. and Wong, F.K., 2016. Strategies for improving
safety and health of ethnic minority construction workers. Journal of Construction Engineering
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Halford, C.D., 2016. Implementing Safety Management Systems in Aviation. Routledge.
Waldron, H.A., 2013. Occupational health practice. Butterworth-Heinemann.
Oliveira, M.D., Lopes, D.F. and Bana e Costa, C.A., 2016. Improving occupational health and
safety risk evaluation through decision analysis. International Transactions in Operational
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Yeun, R., Bates, P. and Murray, P., 2014. Aviation safety management systems. World Review of
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Hampson, I., Fraser, D., Junor, A., Quinlan, M. and Gregson, S., 2014. Aviation Safety
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Wells, J. and Hawkins, J., 2014. Promoting Construction Health and Safety through
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Feng, Y., 2013. Effect of safety investments on safety performance of building projects. Safety
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Tubosun, F., 2015, August. Strategic Management of Health Safety and Environment Risks in
Down-Trodden Oil Dependence Economy. In SPE Nigeria Annual International Conference and
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Zou, P.X. and Sunindijo, R.Y., 2015. Strategic safety management in construction and
engineering. John Wiley & Sons.
Wells, J. and Hawkins, J., 2014. Promoting Construction Health and Safety through
Procurement: A briefing note for developing countries. Engineers Against Poverty, London.
Frumkin, H. ed., 2016. Environmental health: from global to local. John Wiley & Sons.
Safety, W., 2016. Health Council, Singapore (2014). WSH Guide To Behavioural Observation
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Teo, E.A.L., Ofori, G. and Tjandra, I.K., 2015. Building Information Modelling (BIM) for safety
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Chia, S.E., Wah, J.L., Judy, K.S.G., Yoong, J., Lim, R.B.T. and Chia, K.S., 2015. A study on the
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