A cell phone is a portable phone that uses a network of “base stations” or fixed antennas, that allow users to call from almost any location. The phones send and receive radio frequency signals to and from the base station. Base station antennas often are mounted on towers, but can also sit on rooftops, water towers, power poles, and other tall structures. All cell phones are tested according to government standards and cannot be marketed or sold unless they have passed these standards.

What is RF?

Electromagnetic radiation consists of waves of electric and magnetic energy moving together (radiating) through space. Radio waves and microwaves released by transmitting antennas are one form of electromagnetic energy. They are called “radio frequency” or “RF” energy or radiation. Often the term “electromagnetic field” or “radio frequency field” is used to indicate the presence of electromagnetic or RF energy.
RF radiation should not be confused with ionizing radiation, such as x-rays or gamma rays. RF fields have lower energy and therefore cannot cause ionization (potentially resulting in chemical changes) in the body. RF fields are non ionizing radiation.

What is non ionizing radiation?

Non ionizing radiation has lower energy and longer wavelength than ionizing radiation. It is not strong enough to change the structure of atoms it contacts but may be strong enough to heat tissue. Examples include radio waves, microwaves, visible light, and infrared.

What is ELF?

Another type of non ionizing electromagnetic radiation is emitted by electric current (such as overhead power lines or anything else with electricity flowing through it). This type of electromagnetic radiation is extremely low frequency (ELF). RF radiation is much higher frequency than ELF radiation, even though they are both non ionizing.

Does using a cell phone cause health problems? Can using one cause cancer?
The possible health effects of RF radiation have been studied for many decades, mostly in laboratory research with animals or cell samples. Most of these studies did not consider the types of exposure people experience when using cell phones because that technology did not exist. In the last 10 years, hundreds of new research studies have been done to more directly study possible effects of cell phone use. Although some studies have raised concerns, the scientific research, when taken together, does not indicate a significant association between cell phone use and health effects.

Since the public continues to be concerned; there are ongoing studies being conducted by many researchers including the World Health Organization, WHO. In addition to investigating the association of cell phone use and cancer, other health effects are being studied, including effects on the eyes, sleep and memory problems, and headaches.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reported one additional potential health effect. Studies have shown that when some cellular phones are placed very close to implanted cardiac pacemakers, interference with the pacemaker’s normal delivery of pulses can occur. For most digital phones, and for most pacemakers now in use, this does not have an effect if the phone is more than about six inches from the implanted pacemaker. Thus the operation of these pacemakers would not be disturbed with the phone used in the normal talking position.

Do cordless telephones emit radiation?

Cordless telephones work the same as cell phones. The only difference is that the cordless phone is limited to being close to the single base unit to which it belongs, while a cell phone can be carried around all across the country because it can connect to the many base stations that the cell phone system has.

[from : http://hse-k3l.blogspot.com/2009/09/cell-phone-health-hazards.html]

In these circumstances, it becomes imperative that all efforts be taken to save the persons life. The most valuable service that each of us as lay persons, as community members, and as responsible human beings can provide is the study and practice of CPR and Basic Life Support. CPR or Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation is the application of trained maneuvers designed specifically to aid the vital functions of our body. The basic forces that support life in each of us are the normal involuntary functioning of our heart and lungs. We aren’t continually aware of them until it’s apparent that there is a problem.

When our ability to respire, or take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide suffers, our body goes in to an alarm or shock stage. Our lungs may cease to inflate, our heart may stop its regular beating, and we come to be in a state known as distress. This distress occurs at three separate levels, namely Airway, Breathing, and Circulation, or the ABC’s of Life Support. If the airway is obstructed, the lungs are without oxygen, and the heart starts to skip or stop its normal rhythmic beating. Uncorrected, death is imminent. Practice of CPR specifically targets these vital components and attempts to rejuvenate our lungs and heart from a distress state to a safe or non-distress condition, while we wait for emergency personnel to arrive at the scene. CPR and Basic Life Support is certainly not the highest level of care afforded to a person in physical distress.

However, it is the support that we can afford to provide each other in the event of a life-threatening emergency. The knowledge that you or your neighbor or a room full of crowded strangers is trained in CPR and Basic Life Support serves as the trusted guardian that can mean the literal difference between life and death. As intelligent beings we embody the characteristics of self-awareness and self-preservation. The latter is our way of ensuring we stay alive. Intelligence must tell us then, that to be individually trained in CPR is to save a life, but to train as a community is to save our own.

from : http://hse-k3l.blogspot.com/2009/07/why-learn-cpr.html

A hazard is any aspect, factor or condition that has the innate potential to cause harm. (to property, processes, people, and the environment). Harm to these entities may include production losses, increased liabilities, payouts, and harmful releases to the environment, chronic and acute ill health, and adverse effects on mental health or property damage.
For ease of identification, hazards are classified based on the severity or magnitude of the potential loss or consequence of an event occurrence. The classification system is simple – They are Class A, Class B, and Class C Hazards.

A Class A (Major) hazard is a condition or practice, which could result in death, permanent disability, loss of a body part, or permanent debilitating occupational illness. In countries with advanced codes of practice on workplace safety, the classified hazard is allocated a financial sum for better identification. E.g. A Class A hazard may be referred to as a practice which may lead to a loss of over £20,000 (In foreign currency as no up-to-date naira equivalents exist).

A Class B hazard is a condition or practice likely to cause serious injury or illness, resulting in temporary disability or property damage that is disruptive not extensive. An example of a Class B hazard is spilled oil on the aisle of a building.

A Class C hazard is a condition or practice likely to cause minor, non-disabling injury or illness, or non-disruptive property damage. An example is the handling of solvents without the use of proper protective gloves or public nuisance caused by offensive odours from substance released.

Hazards are of different types and may fall into any of the following categories found in the workplace:
Chemical Hazards: include acidity, alkalinity, corrosivity, explosivity, flammability, toxicity.
Thermodynamic Hazards: include high pressure, heat, high or low temperature.
Electrical or Electromagnetic Hazards: include high voltage, electric current, and radiation
Mechanical Hazards: include mechanical energy, stresses
Health Hazards: include noise, pollutants, chemicals, temperature extremes, radioactivity,
Hazard Analysis is used by safety-conscious organisations to identify applicable hazards and possible consequences. A hazard analysis involves the identification of adverse occurrences which could lead to the materialisation of a hazard; the analysis of the process which leads to these unwanted events and; the estimation of the extent, magnitude and likelihood of the harmful effects involved.

There are various methods and related tasks employed in the identification of hazards. These methods are very useful to organisations that operate plants or factories that have complex, convoluted processes. They include:

Concept Hazard Analysis (CHA) : This method is used to identify hazards and hazardous conditions. The primary aim is to identify conditions that have been identified as being dangerous from previous incidents. CHA involves a team effort, with team members focusing on the details of a process within the organisation, to stimulate a specific discussion about that process using specially selected keywords that refer to the main hazards presented by the process. CHA is a good method for use in determining the suitability of a plant site, as well as the acceptability of a particular process approach. It has however been found deficient in identify immediate or root causes if incidents.

Preliminary Process Hazard Analysis (PPHA): A hazard identification method for use in technical and specialist industries, it is often used as a follow-up to CHA, to provide additional information on hazards and hazard characteristics of factories and plants. PPHA also helps in the evaluating of emissions, effluents and wastes from plants. The main objective of a PPHA is to duplicate a potential incident scenario, tracing the process down to its immediate cause. The analysis studies the path of a potential incident, evaluating the root cause of each event in the chain leading to the event. The PPHA makes conclusions as to the possible frequency of hazardous incident scenarios and determines the significance to the organisation of each potential incident.

Hazard and Operability Studies (HAZOP): This is a formal examination of a plant or factory, used for identifying hazards, process failures and operability problems. The HAZOP technique assesses the consequence of such failures. HAZOP is also a team activity, where a process parameter is combined with selected guide words (such as NO, LESS OF, MORE OF, PART OF) and is used to suggest deviations of processes and their causes. The team goes on to examine these causes of potential deviation in the given processes. HAZOP is the method of hazard analysis most widely used in the process industry. It is recommended for use by legislators, regulators and engineering organisations.

Once identified, there are a number of ways to control hazards. Some of the fundamental ways include:
Safety training: Safety orientation and function-specific training should be provided for new and existing employees, are well as employees moving from one function to another. This gives them a fundamental foundation in working safely and important information on the hazards present in their workplace.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): The adorning of PPE during workplace operations is often the cheapest method of controlling occupational hazards, though this method has proved to be far from the best. This is because protective equipment only reduces the effect of hazards if they do occur, and this equipment do not in any way affect the root causes of hazards in the first place. PPE include respirators, Gloves, Head Protection, Hearing Protection, and Protective Footwear.

Change of Process: If certain processes for performing work tasks are considered dangerous, and safer alternatives exist, it is often advised to adopt these new safer processes. An example is replacing potentially harmful solvents with detergents, which have a less hazardous effect on the hands.

HAVE A SAFE AND PROSPEROUS DAY

T.M.KHALEEL BATCHA

DIRECTOR INSTITUTE SAFETY MANAGEMENT-CHENNAI ( DIVISION OF OSHA INDIA)

from: http://hse-k3l.blogspot.com/2009/06/hazard-identification.html

There are four major components of workplace first-aid, namely; first-aider, first-aid, box, first-aid room, and first-aid equipment.
When deciding on the number of first-aiders, first-aid box, first-aid room and first-aid equipment for the workplace, the following factors should be considered: type of industry, number of workers, number of work shifts, and location of workplace in relation to the nearest hospital or aid station.

If there is a shift work schedule, there should be a sufficient number of first-aiders for each shift based. In a work-site where employees of different employers, such as in construction, are working together. The principal employer should provide and maintain safe systems of work which include provisions for adequate and appropriate first-aider, first-aid box, first-aid room (if needed) and first-aid equipment.

However, the relevant employers may make arrangement where one of them agrees to provide adequate and appropriate first-aider, first-aid box, first-aid room (if needed) and first-aid equipment. The agreement should be recorded in writing and a copy of the agreement should be kept by each employer concerned.
An employer should display a notice, in a prominent place in the work-site, of the names and locations of first-aiders. First-aiders should also be provided with a form of identification for easy recognition. An employer shall, from time to time, recruit or select suitable persons to go for first-aid training. The employer should consider persons with the following qualities to be trained in first-aid: physically fit, free from blood borne infectious diseases, and free to leave their work immediately to respond to an emergency.

The training will be a course on first-aid conducted by institutions recognized by a governing body. The local telephone book will have many listings on companies given courses. Depending on the number of trainees, they will come to your workplace. Once trained, first-aiders will need to undergo recertification. Check with the course giver on years of validation. Employers should keep a record of the dates on which first-aiders obtained their training and the dates on which they received refresher training.

In the management of an injured worker or ill worker, first-aiders should:

• Give immediate first-aid treatment, keeping in mind that a casualty may have more serious injuries and illness.
• Arrange without delay for the injured worker(s) to be sent to a doctor, hospital or home, according to the seriousness of this condition.
• This first-aider’s responsibility ends when the injuried are handed over to the care of health care personnel.
• A record of the injury and treatment given by the first-aider should be made.
• This record shall be kept by the employer for a period of five years.
• The record should include information on:
• The immediate treatment
• Details about the incident/accident including information about the work process involved
• Details about injury or work-related illness
• Any referral arrangements made such as the usage of local ambulance service, referral to local hospital
• Subsequent injury management.

First-aid boxes should be made of sturdy material and be portable so that it can be taken to the site of an incident. The boxes should also be clearly marked and kept current with a written record of contents. Each first-aid box should be placed in a clearly marked area. Where a workplace covers a large area, an adequate number of first-aid boxes should be provided. Employees should be informed of the location of all first aid boxes.

First-aid boxes should contain a sufficient quantity of suitable first-aid materials. They should not contain oral medication of any kind other than those required for first-aid treatment. It is essential that first-aid boxes be checked frequently so as to make sure they are fully equipped and all items are usable. Materials used should be replaced as soon as possible. The size and contents will be determined by the number of employees and type of industry. In the first-aid box, it is a good idea to have a quick reference sheet in first-aid and booklet. A quick reference sheet is handy for quick analysis of an injury.

sumber : http://hse-k3l.blogspot.com/2009/06/first-aid-is-important-for-workplace.html

info training?

When you are facing life and death situations, whatever decisions or actions you make decides your survival. If you are caught in a lift break down, first thought in mind may be ‘waiting to die’… But after reading below, things will definitely be different the next time you are caught in a lift.

First – Quickly press all the different levels of buttons in the lift. When the emergency electricity supply is being activated, it will stop the lift from falling further.

Second – Hold on tight to the handle (if there is any).
It is to support your position and prevent you from falling or getting hurt when you lost your balance.

Third – Lean your back and head against the wall forming a straight line.
Leaning against the wall is to use it as a support for your back/spine as protection.

Fourth – Bend your knees
Ligament is a flexible, connective tissue. Thus, the impact of fractured bones will be minimized during fall.

from: http://hse-k3l.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-to-do-when-you-are-trapped-in-lift.html