safety matters - siso · 1. desmond ho wee shoong 2. melvin tan cher tong 3. kenneth seah wei zhong...

Safety+Matters Making the

Difference in Safety

P.12 Shouldn’t You Be

Building Intelligence?

P.16Building Engagement in Safety? What You Need to Know Before

Launching Any Programs

P.20Beyond Legal Compliance –

What Innovative Ways areSingapore Companies Doing?

Permit No: R151033465

ISSUE 02

2017

P.03

Working Safely With induStrial

robotS

featurerePortS

feature03 Working Safely with Industrial Robots 07 Working Safely Hand in Hand, Side by Side 11 The Chasm Between Business Leaders

and Safety Professionals12 Shouldn’t You Be Building Intelligence?16 Building Engagement in Safety? What You Need to Know Before Launching Any Programs 20 Beyond Legal Compliance – What Innovative Ways are Singapore Companies Doing?

reports02 SISO’s Mobile Work-at-Heights Safety Clinic Volunteers Recognised at the PROBE+ Forum 26 SISO Joins NTUC Brothers and Sisters at May Day Rally 201726 National Workplace Safety and Health Campaign 2017 Singapore

membership27 Welcome New Members

advertisers06 Nitti (Asia) Pte Ltd08 Kee Safety Singapore Pte. Ltd.10 King’s – Honeywell Safety Products14 PDS International Pte Ltd – Justrite®15 PDS International Pte Ltd

– WORKSafe®18 Leeden National Oxygen Ltd22 QSS Safety Products (S) Pte Ltd23 Messe Düsseldorf Asia24 MSA – The Safety Company25 MSA – What are the fundamentals of best practice in fall protection?28 XXI World Congress on Safety & Health at Work 2017 APOSHO 32

SISO mailing Address:Blk 167 Jalan Bukit Merah #02-13, Connection One, Tower 5, Singapore 150167

office tel: 6777 5185 Fax: 6777 6896email: [email protected]: www.siso.org.sgopening Hours: 9am – 6pm (Monday – Friday)

OFFICE BEARERS 2016 – 2018PresidentBernard Soh [email protected] PresidentNiranjan Arun Masurekar [email protected]. Secretary Roger B C Lim [email protected]. treasurerSeah Liang Bing [email protected]. Asst SecretarySam Ng [email protected]

Committee members:Chow Choy Wah [email protected] Daud [email protected] Law [email protected] Ong Pak Shoon [email protected] Yen Ping [email protected]

Hon. PresidentSeet Choh San [email protected]

ex-officio:Winston YewDeputy Director, Industry Capability Building Department, Workplace Safety and Health Council, Ministry of ManpowerHon. Legal Advisor:Lee Kwok Wengeditorial Committee:Ong Pak Shoon [email protected] Sarkar Kent ChaiDennis TayJason Tee

SAFETY MATTERS is a quarterly publication of the Singapore Institution of Safety Officers and copyright of the materials contained in this publication belongs to SISO. Nothing in here shall be reproduced in whole or in part without prior written permission from the Editor. Views expressed here are not necessarily those of SISO and no liabilities shall be attached thereto. All rights reserved.

SISO’s Mobile Work-at-Heights Safety Clinic Volunteers Recognised at the PROBE+ Forum

On 19 April 2017, seventeen of SISO’s Professional Members proudly went on stage to receive their Certificates of Participation from Mr Sam Tan, Minister of State, Ministry of Manpower. The certificate presentation ceremony was held during the PROBE+ Forum organised by the Workplace Safety and Health Council, in the presence of hundreds of the volunteers’ peers in the Workplace Safety and Health community.

The presentation was to thank the volunteers for their active participation in the six-month pilot programme called the Mobile Work-at-Height Safety Clinic programme that was conducted since September 2016.

At the presentation ceremony, the audience were informed that during this programme, these professional members from SISO had been visiting construction worksites to conduct safety clinics to raise awareness of work-at-heights safety among workers. Altogether, about 100 worksites were covered in the programme.

Mr Sam Ng, Honorary Assistant Secretary of SISO, commented, “These members have stepped up to do their part in spreading the safety message and we sincerely thank them for volunteering their time and efforts.

We hope their work will inspire more members to step forward to contribute towards workplace safety and health.”

Following the presentation ceremony, Mr Gerald Tan, who was one of the two mentors for the volunteers, was interviewed and featured on Channel 8 television, where he shared his experience working on this programme.

The volunteers in general felt that while they volunteered with no thought of any appreciation in return, they were very humbled that their efforts were well-recognised through the presentation ceremony.

Once again, we would like to thank the following volunteers, for their dedication and hard work, at the Mobile Work-at-Height Safety Clinic:

1. Desmond Ho Wee Shoong2. Melvin Tan Cher Tong3. Kenneth Seah Wei Zhong4. Derick Tan Yoke Seck5. Mohd Ridzwan Bin Mohammad6. Vijayen S/O Ramachandra7. Sukiman Abdul Hamid8. Goh Chee Keong9. Suzaini Bin Husen10. Ang Kim Leng11. Lee Mun Ching Daniel12. Desmond Khaw Ghim Teck13. Ray Ng Swee Ann14. Thomas Fong Wai Hoong15. Anthony Poh Thiam Beng16. Gerald Tan Puay Seng – Mentor 17. James Tay Buck Hwan – Mentor

Quek chin tuan Executive Manager, SISO

[email protected]

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collaborative robotSThese are robots that work in collaboration with and in close proximity to workers.

Working Safely With Industrial Robots

conventional robotSThese are robots that work independently and have limited interaction with workers.

Safety Matters 03

ediSon j lohPrincipal Manager, WSH Practices, WSH Council Edison_joseph_loh@

wshc.gov.sg

(Continued on page 04)

Fig 1: Example of a conventional industrial robot. (Photo courtesy of Pilz South East Asia Pte. Ltd.)

Fig 2: Example of collaborative robots that can operate without causing injury to workers in the vicinity. (Photo courtesy of Rethink Robotics Inc.)

Regardless of robot type, the introduction of new technology at the workplace inevitably brings new safety risks. This article highlights the hazards associated with robot operations in general and provides companies with an overview of the possible control measures that can be put in place to provide a safe work environment and mitigate the risks to workers.

robot hazardSRobots are essentially machines and the mechanical hazards typically experienced when working with a machine apply also to industrial operations involving robots. Mechanical hazards arising from robot operation are usually caused by moving parts which can exert sufficient force to cause injury to workers.

The use of industrial robots in manufacturing is becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide. This is an emerging trend driven primarily by the push for greater efficiency and higher productivity as well as falling robot prices, shortage of manpower and increasing labour costs. The reliance on automation is especially relevant for Singapore where the use of robots is a practical solution that can help address the national concern on ageing population and shrinking citizen labour force.

In general, there are two types of robots used in the manufacturing sector:

Common mechanical hazards when using machines include entanglement hazards, cutting hazards, crushing hazards, impact hazards, shearing hazards and draw-in hazards. More details on each of these mechanical hazards can be found in the WSH Guidelines on Safe Use of Machinery. In robot operations, these hazards may come about due to unsafe robot design, improper installation, control error, mechanical part failure, power system/ subsystem malfunction, environmental influence (e.g. electromagnetic or radio-frequency interference) or human error.

Accidents involving robots tend to fall into the following types:

1. impact or collision Occurs when a worker is hit by a robot, for example, due to unexpected robot arm

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Safety Matters04

Location Safe guard How this works

zone 1Perimeter of work zone

Adequate clearance This is the minimum safety distance from all moving parts of the robot. The floor should be marked clearly to indicate the robot work zone. This defines the perimeter of the work zone. The work zone must be designed to be free of obstructions that can interfere with robot operations or cause worker entrapment.

Fence This refers to physical fencing (or barrier) installed to deter access to the work zone. Every gate in the fencing should be interlocked to the control system such that the robot will either slow down or come to a stop once any gate is opened.

Light curtain This entails the use of photoelectric transmitters and receivers that work together to protect a hazardous work zone. The robot should be designed to either slow down or come to a stop once any light beam emitted by the transmitter is “broken” (e.g., blocked by any part of a person’s body).

The gates in physical fencing may be replaced by light curtains if unobstructed access into the robot work zone is required.

zone 2Inside the work zone

Safety mat This refers to the placement of pressure-sensitive mats on the floor inside the robot work zone. Safety mats contain a normally-open switch which closes the moment a person steps on the mat. A signal will be sent to stop robot movement once the switch is closed.

Presence sensor These are motion-sensing detectors (based on 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional camera or laser scanning technology) that can detect human presence. Once a person is detected inside the work zone, a signal is sent to either reduce the speed at which the robot is operating or stop it completely.

zone 3On the robot(particularly important for collaborative robots)

Limiting device These are devices that help to define the robot operating envelope and restrict (either mechanically or through programming) the maximum distance and speed at which the robot arm can move during operations. These restrictions may be designed to be active at all times or to kick in once human presence is detected.

Collision sensor These are pressure-sensitive sensors on the robot arm or surface that will send an emergency signal to stop robot movement and limit its power or force once unintended contact (collision) is detected. Upon contact, any force exerted by the robot on a person’s body must be controlled to be low enough not to cause significant injury.

Zone 1: Perimeter of work zone

Zone 2: Inside the work zone

Zone 3: On the robot

Working Safely WithIndustrial Robots (Continued from page 03)

Fig 3: Locations where safe guarding measures can be implemented to facilitate safer working with robots.

Implement the following safe guards (in combination) to protect workers from robot hazards:

"3

1

2

See Fig 3 for a visual summary of locations where the above safe guarding measures can be put in place to protect workers from robot hazards.

movement, robot component malfunction or a change in robot programming.

2. crushing and entrapment Occurs when a worker’s limb or body part is trapped between a robot arm and other peripheral equipment, or when the worker is physically driven into and crushed by peripheral equipment.

3. Struck by flying object Occurs when there is a breakdown of a robot component, tooling or end-effector, or power source resulting in failure of the gripping mechanism or failure of the end-effector tool (e.g. grinding wheel, power screwdriver) resulting in the release of parts or objects, causing worker injury.

PoSSible control MeaSureSWhile the use of robots offer multiple benefits to industrial operations, they typically move fast and are strong enough to cause injury should a worker enter the robot work zone at the wrong time.

For both conventional and collaborative robots, it is important to realize that robot accidents can occur outside of normal operating conditions, e.g. during robot commissioning, programming/ teaching, program refinement, troubleshooting, maintenance, repair, testing, setup or adjustment. It is during such operations that the robot operator, programmer or maintenance worker may need to be stationed temporarily inside the robot work zone where unintended robot movement could result in an accident.

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Safety Matters 05

floor markings are clearly visible and workers are able to read written instructions and see the robot controls.

4. Worker training Provide workers* with training on the specific robot being used. The training should include familiarization with the full range of robot movement, on-site hazard identification, permit-to-work system, safe work procedures, understanding the safeguarding measures in place, and knowing when LOTO should be applied. * This includes the robot operator, programmer and maintainer.

5. authorized access Allow only competent and authorized personnel to enter a robot work zone. All persons unfamiliar with robot hazards (this includes visitors as well as untrained staff) must be supervised while on the premises and kept away from the vicinity of a robot in operation at all times.

further information:• SS ISO 10218: 2016 Robots and Robotic Devices – Safety

Requirements for Industrial Robots – Part 1: Robots; Part 2: Robot

Systems and Integration

• ISO TS 15066: 2016 Robots and Robotic Devices – Collaborative

Robots

• ANSI RIA R15.06: 2012 Industrial Robots and Robot Systems – Safety

Requirements

• ISO 13849–1: 2015 Safety of Machinery – Safety-Related Parts of

Control Systems – Part 1: General Principles for Design

• IEC 62061 – Amd 1&2 CSV ed 1.2: 2005 Safety of Machinery –

Functional Safety of Safety-Related Electrical, Electronic and

Programmable Electronic Control Systems

• SS 537–1: 2008 Code of Practice for the Safe Use of Machinery –

General Requirements

• SS 571: 2011 Code of Practice for Energy Lockout

and Tagout

• Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Guidelines on

Safe Use of Machinery

gloSSary

Industrial robot A reprogrammable multi-functional multi-axis manipulating machine designed for use in manufacturing and industrial automation applications to move materials, parts or tools to perform a variety of programmed tasks.

End-effector An accessory device or tool (e.g., gripper, weld gun, spray paint gun) specifically designed for attachment to the robot wrist or tool mounting plate to enable the robot to perform its intended task.

Interlocked An arrangement where the operation of one control or mechanism brings about or prevents the operation of another.

Operating envelope

The volume of space used by the robot (including the end-effector, work piece, and any attachments) while carrying out the tasks it was programmed to accomplish.

Risk assessment is absolutely necessary and each and every hazard (e.g. due to robot design, control error, part failure, human error, etc.) must be carefully considered. As part of risk assessment, a job safety analysis is recommended for each task (including routine and non-routine tasks) that requires a worker to interface with the robot. This is followed by communicating the risk assessment to all affected workers (e.g. robot operator, programmer or maintenance worker) so that there will be strong awareness of the risks associated with the job and how these risks can be minimized.

The following are risk control measures companies may consider implementing to reduce the risk of worker injury when working with robots:

1. lockout tagout Implement a lockout tagout (LOTO) system, wherever possible, to avoid injuries due to unexpected startup or release of stored energy (e.g. instrument air or a spring under tension) especially during robot maintenance. LOTO is, unfortunately, not able to address all safety concerns when working with a robot as the robot may need to be in the powered-up state for programming, teaching or problem diagnosis. It is therefore critical that workers know when LOTO can and should be applied.

2. Safe guarding In general, safe guarding refers to engineering control measures taken to design out any residual risks associated with on-site robot operation. It is important to ensure that safeguards are carefully designed such that workers can get their task done safely, quickly and without having to defeat the safeguarding. In particular, to facilitate robot programming, teaching or maintenance, the introduction of a safe operating mode may be achieved through the implementation of a manually activated enabling switch. A safe mode would disable selected safe guards (e.g. light curtain, safety mat and presence sensor) and enable the robot to operate at far reduced speeds, thereby allowing a worker to safely enter the work zone whilst the robot remains in a low-powered but energized state. Over and above the use of safeguards, warning devices (e.g., audiovisual alarms) and emergency stop buttons are typically installed within the robot work zone to indicate a hazardous condition and provide a means for workers to manually stop the robot should a safeguard fail to activate automatically.

3. Safety Signage Install warning signs to indicate areas where robots are in operation and the presence of hazards. Robot work zones must be adequately illuminated so that signs and

feature

Working Safely Handin Hand, Side by Side – Human-Robot Collaboration

the future of cobotSThe future trend of robot applications will see an increase in the use of “Cobots” or human-robot collaboration (HRC). Cobot is a combination of the words “collaboration” and “robot”. These light-weight, user-friendly collaborative robots are designed to share the same workspace as humans, working on tasks simultaneously. Cobots can move loads of about 10 kg, with a sensory and tactile capability. Pick-and-place, follow-the-line applications and handling operations in production, are some of the typical uses of this robot.

The great advantages of collaboration between man and robot is, productivity and efficiency increases. It utilizes the strengths both machine and man the reliability, endurance, repeat accuracy of the robot and man’s dexterity, flexibility and ability to make decisions. The benefits of collaborative robots can applied in various sectors and aids Small and Medium Enterprises in effectively gaining productivity in their workplace.

Safe hrc aPPlication Compared to the classic enclosed robot application, where the robot operates in the cell, the HRC application manages without the use of guards. This results in the possibility of collisions between machine and human. Therefore, safety poses a challenge in HRC application. It is important to bear in mind that robots do not provide safety on their own. Instead, measures can be taken to ensure safe robot applications.

Risk assessment on HRC application can commence when the task performed by the robot and the foreseeable interaction required between robot and human, has been well-defined. Risk assessment

ensures the selection of suitable robot with safety function matches the application need. Furthermore, it applies risk reduction by an inherent safe design or additional safety components, in the early stage. The iterative risk assessment process is being conducted throughout the design, implementation and validation of complete HRC application, under the guidelines of robot safety standards.

iSo robot Safety StandardS Robots are considered partly completed machinery under the Machinery Directive. Therefore, for robot applications to be safe, they have to comply with standards under the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC.

Two international standards that ensures safety requirements are met for industrial robots application, are the ISO 10218-1 standard for the robot and the ISO 10218-2 standard for the robot systems and integration. Both of which were published effective July 2011. ISO 10218-1 is applicable for the robot manufacturers. ISO 10218-2, on the other hand, is applicable to the system integrator. Robot selection is critical for the system integrator. In recent developments of implementing safety in HRC application, the ISO/TS 15066: Robots and Robotic Devices – Collaborative industrial robots was published by the international standards committee. As a member of the committee, Pilz worked with robot manufacturers, integrators, notified bodies and automation companies to formulate this specification. The Technical Specification (TS) makes it possible to implement safe human-robot collaborations following normative specifications and limit as validation guidance. ISO/TS 15066 describes four methods to safeguard interaction between human and robot:

deniS tanManaging Director, Pilz South East Asia Pte Ltd

[email protected]

According to the World Robotics Report 2016 by International Federation of Robotics (IFR) (International Federation of Robotics), the number of industrial robots deployed globally will increase to 2.6 million units in 2019. An estimate of 70 percent of robots are currently working in three main industries; Automotive, Electrical/Electronics, Metal and Machinery.

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Safety Matters 07

Roof Top Walkway

Kee Walk

Kee Walk roof top walkway provides an anti-slip,level, walking surface for anyone requiring access to a roof as well as a demarcation route which protects the roof surface from unnecessary foot traffic and potential damage.

• Flexible, modular system adaptable to changing roof levels

• Designed for use on composite, trapezoidal metal profile and standing seam roofs

• Supplied in 3m and 1.5m standard modules

• Step and traverse options allow to create access for any configuration from 0° to 35°

• Compliant with the test requirements of EN 516 Class 1-C

Kee Safety Singapore Pte. Ltd.38 Ang Mo Kio Industrial Part 2, #01-05 • Singapore 569511T (+65) 6385 4166 • F (+65) 6385 4159 • E [email protected] • www.keesafety.sg

Site surveys

CAD drawings

Installation service

Technical support

when it comes to working at heightSafety is Kee

Full range of guardrails & safety equipment available from our warehouse in Singapore

Kee Safety Singapore Pte. Ltd.38 Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2, #01-05 • Singapore 569511T (+65) 6385 4166 • F (+65) 6385 4159 • E [email protected] • www.keesafety.sg

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Safety Matters 09

For risk reduction in method 4, passive; mechanical measures and active; Robot Safety Functions, measures can be taken.

The Technical Specification ISO/TS 15066 is the first publish detailing information on pain thresholds for various parts of the body and the respective collision limit values. Therefore, if the application remains between these limits when a human encounters a robot, it is considered standard-compliant. These pain threshold values are used to validate a safe HRC.

The ultimate safe robot or safe sensor technology covering all safety scenarios has yet to be achieved in practice. It is important to understand that every application will require its own safety assessment.

As a collaborative effort, the field professionals will work together to make the vision of a safe robot workmate materialize, on a step-by-step and application-by-application basis.

references: International Federation of Robotics,. World

Robotics Report 2016. 2016. Print.

Roof Top Walkway

Kee Walk

Kee Walk roof top walkway provides an anti-slip,level, walking surface for anyone requiring access to a roof as well as a demarcation route which protects the roof surface from unnecessary foot traffic and potential damage.

• Flexible, modular system adaptable to changing roof levels

• Designed for use on composite, trapezoidal metal profile and standing seam roofs

• Supplied in 3m and 1.5m standard modules

• Step and traverse options allow to create access for any configuration from 0° to 35°

• Compliant with the test requirements of EN 516 Class 1-C

Kee Safety Singapore Pte. Ltd.38 Ang Mo Kio Industrial Part 2, #01-05 • Singapore 569511T (+65) 6385 4166 • F (+65) 6385 4159 • E [email protected] • www.keesafety.sg

Site surveys

CAD drawings

Installation service

Technical support

when it comes to working at heightSafety is Kee

Full range of guardrails & safety equipment available from our warehouse in Singapore

Safety Matters 09

Method 1: Safety-rated Monitored Stop Before a person enters the collaborative workspace, the robot must have stopped safely. The robot will automatically restart once the person has left the collaborative workspace. No collision between robot and human is possible in this method.

Method 2: hand guiding Before a person enters the collaborative workspace, the robot must have stopped safely. Hand guiding (person guiding the robot with hand), is activated by a three-position enabling device close to Tool Center Point (TCP); point which robot positioning and orientation is defined. The human controls the robot manually and no collision is possible in this method.

Method 3: Speed and Separation Monitoring Robot and human move simultaneously in the collaborative workspace. The distance between the human and robot is monitored by safety technology e.g. safe camera system monitoring 2D or 3D zone. The speed of the robot varies depending on the distance between human and robot. Collision between human and robot can be avoided; close proximity of the operator triggers the robot to come to a safe stop.

Method 4: Power and force limiting Physical contact between human and robot is possible in the collaborative workspace; intentional or unintentional. Risks can be reduced through inherently safe design of the robot and it’s safety functions. There possibilities for collision between robot and operator/fixed structure in this method under certain conditions; due to work task, misuse or application error.

Working Safely Hand in Hand, Side by Side – Human-Robot Collaboration(Continued from page 07)

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“”

there is a far higher chance that they will be respected by other stakeholders and recognized as a valuable contributor to the growth of a business.

2. Overcome the compliance mentality: Compliance is relatively black and white and ticking an activity as being compliant or otherwise may be an easy way out. On the other hand, a “Risk Based Thinking” (also as required by recent versions of ISO 9001) requires a better understanding of not just the situational risks but the overall risks to a business. There may very well be special situations (such as the hypothetical example in this experiment) where one could be non-compliant but still well in control of the risks. Under such circumstances, I would argue that Safety professionals should be open to taking risks in the overall interest of the business. This may however not be possible without a broad understanding of peripheral issues in addition to the central issue.

A sensible advice that I would pay heed to is what a wise friend and former President of a Safety NGO in Singapore told me while discussing this topic:

everyone takes some degree of risk with what they do. However, it is important to know the difference between taking risk and being reckless

My take: It takes a knowledgeable Safety Professional to know that difference. Keep learning!

Safety Matters 11

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The Chasm Between Business Leaders and Safety Professionals

jc SekarCEO & Co-Founder,

AcuiZen Technologies Singapore Pte Ltd [email protected]

We often hear about how difficult it is for Safety professionals to convince management and sensitize them on the need to drive safety from the “top”. There is also no dearth of advice that Safety professionals get on the need to “talk the language of the business” and improve their communication skills to make the business case and “sell” safety to the top management. On the other hand, we also hear Production / Operations personnel lamenting how Safety professionals are so distant from reality and have no clue how to get things done.

a Social exPeriMentOver the past 6 months or so, I have been asking my friends and business associates to participate in a social experiment. I asked them to provide their most likely response to a simple hypothetical scenario – with an up-front clarification that there are no right / wrong answers.

It is late in the night and you are driving back home and in a bit of a rush to attend to a medical emergency at home. You just reach a cross roads and blame your luck as the signal just turns Red. You know that it will take at least 3-4 minutes before the signal turns in your favour. You have clear visibility of all roads and are absolutely certain that there is no vehicle anywhere in sight. You are also aware that there are no traffic cameras keeping an eye on you. What would you do:

1. Wait for the signal to turn in your favour and then proceed.

2. Take a chance, break the signal, and proceed.

the reSPonSeS:There were some clear patterns with the responses.

1. About 60% of the responses were in favour of following the rules. (Option 1).

2. However, amongst Safety professionals, the percentage of responses that were in favour of Option 1 was closer to 90%.

3. At the same time, amongst non-safety professionals, there was a higher likelihood of opting for Option 2 (around 80%).

By no means was this a systematic or scientific study. However, the experiment, in my opinion, points to a fundamental chasm that divides business managers and safety professionals: Safety Managers have a “Compliance mentality” and Business Managers seem to be more “Risk Oriented”. This is somewhat ironic because in theory, it is Safety professionals who are primarily responsible for managing “Risks” and putting in place necessary controls.

My hypothesis is that in most cases, safety managers tend to take a safe approach (pun intended) and opt to really stay away from taking any risks. This approach of course irks the business or operations professional who sees the safety professional as anti-business.

do We have a Solution?Clearly, an article like this is not aimed at providing a solution to what is an existential challenge in industry but here are my quick thoughts on what we could possibly do differently:

1. It is all about deep Knowledge. In particular, Safety professionals need to develop a far deeper and practical understanding of consequences of various activities / actions in the workplace. This knowledge should extend beyond theory to specific practical examples that may have occurred elsewhere to illustrate these consequences. If Safety professionals can move beyond the “what” and articulate the “why” behind proposed risk controls,

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Safety Matters12

Shouldn’t You Be Building Intelligence?

Yet often that is exactly what we expect our emergency responders to do! All too often, responders are asked to respond to an incident involving a potentially high-risk scenario at a facility that they may have never before entered or studied. Knowing which built-in system to turn on, or off and where the controls are can keep a minor emergency from turning into a major incident.

A key element of Process Safety Management (PSM) is Emergency Planning and Response. Although EHS is charged with doing everything possible to prevent emergencies from occurring, we know that despite our best efforts, emergencies still occur. We need to be ready to clearly understand

how to respond effectively when those emergencies occur.

Unfortunately, the “building intelligence”/facility data that is critical to have on hand when those emergencies occur is often not immediately available to key decision-makers, or is out of date. This can result in less-effective actions and/or actions that risk the safety of response personnel and facility occupants. The concepts of protection and safety are typically incorporated into the design of the facility. However, those concepts, and their intent, are often not memorialized through the life cycle of the operation of a facility. Moreover, turnover occurs within facilities management functions, further exacerbating the lack of familiarity with the concepts for the protection designed into the building.

To combat all of these realities, a system must be in place to document protection and safety features for

greg jakuboWSki, Pe, cSP, fSfPe

Principal and Chief EngineerFire Planning

Associates, Inc. [email protected]

Safety officers are very familiar with conducting risk assessments, and Job Safety Analyses (JSA’s). Most employers would not have their employees perform hazardous work without conducting a risk assessment/JSA.

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Safety Matters 13

suites that conduct operations that can last for hours create specific challenges for emergency responders. Research facilities or zoos/exotic pet stores where animals are housed present a different set of challenges, as do buildings with unusual security arrangements. Significant quantities of particularly hazardous materials may require specific responses to keep an incident from involving these materials from becoming a situation that can last hours, or even days, causing evacuations and plant shutdowns, not to mention pollution hazards due to runoff to waterways. Documentation of pre-incident information in an effective management system can greatly ease the stress generated by an incident at these locations.

Quality pre-emergency information about the facilities involved in the emergency provides a key piece to strong management of an incident. Sample ERPs indicate that the SIC be able to provide floor plans and other key site information to the SCDF at TACT HQ during a major incident. If you have this pre-incident information, is it current? Is it accessible to all of your personnel who need it in an incident? Is it kept in a binder securely located inside the facility (which you may or may not be able to access during a disaster), or in a file in an administrative office somewhere? Or is it readily accessible to the SMC/SIC and other incident personnel in the field? Are all copies of the document kept updated so that all response personnel are working from a common operating platform?

Time-proven best practices include: gathering pre-incident information while a facility is being designed/constructed, and doing the same on an ongoing basis; and sharing preplan data with those who will need to know it in the future. In many cases, however, the pre-incident planning effort is completed simply by memory, and the “unofficial” passing of stories between emergency responders. One shift may take a

operations personnel so that they have current and accurate site and building information at their fingertips to effectively and safely respond to facility emergencies.

Complex facilities can develop a life of their own during a disaster. The larger and more complex the facility, the more likely this is to happen. While “automatic” shutdowns and other safety features that may be built into a facility are good, they often require some form of human intervention either to activate or shut down. Knowing how these shutdowns and safety features work is critical for emergency response personnel on all shifts to fully understand and be able to properly use if needed during an incident.

Preplanning applications that are “in the cloud” can allow web-based cameras, hazardous materials information, plume modeling programs, and other site resources to be integrated and immediately available to SIC/SMC personnel during an event. Emergency responders need to know what they can and can’t do during an incident, and much of this can be planned out and documented at fixed facilities (building intelligence) before the incident occurs.

Even relatively small buildings can have complex issues, with critical building components performing critical site functions. If response personnel understand the building and systems, including these critical building components, the facility may be able to quickly overcome the emergency, or implement a backup plan that can result in little or no disruption to the operation of a facility. Equipment valued at millions of dollars may require particular shutdown sequences or special means of protection during an emergency situation, which can be identified during preplanning sessions. Facilities patients that are non-ambulatory and even sedated at times, and surgery

tour to understand the facility, but there can be several other shifts of responders that don’t get the same opportunity. How the facility is constructed may play a vital role in managing an emergency in the building or facility. How to shut down hazardous operations, and control power and fuel to a facility is crucial – as is shutting down fire protection systems properly to minimize collateral damage once the incident is controlled. But this information can only best be utilized when it is accessible to responders and incident managers in a time of crisis.

We see that integration between emergency services and business can facilitate reducing losses from an incident. Good preplans can improve overall incident mitigation by good preparation, and by using these preplans during tabletop drills and full-scale exercises. Preplans can be developed not only for buildings, but for ships, aircraft and other complex facilities. High-quality pre-incident planning will give you a strong basis for achieving success under even the worst conditions, and providing emergency responders a good risk analysis for what they may be facing.

Greg Jakubowski is a fire protection

engineer and certified safety

professional with 38 years of

experience. He has been a fire chief,

teaches for the US National Fire

Academy, and has worked on fire

protection/EHS on $3BB USD of

projects including a biotech project

in Tuas. Greg is the chair of the

NFPA 1620 Pre-Incident Planning

Committee and is a principal in Fire

Planning Associates, a company

dedicated to helping businesses and

emergency response agencies with

pre-emergency planning using their

proprietary BLAZEMARKTM software.

www.getblazemark.com

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“ ”

Building Engagement in Safety? What You Need to Know Before Launching Any Programs

If you have used or heard these phrases in the daily conversation of your organization, it can only mean one thing: Employees are not engaged in their work, and in this case, workplace safety.

Being engaged means that employees have a high level of emotional commitment to the organization and its goals, so much so that they use discretionary effort in their work. Engaged employees go the extra mile. They raise their hands during safety meetings and begin, “I was just thinking.…” They volunteer to stay back after work to do housekeeping. If there is a problem, they actively follow up on issues until they are resolved. They don’t ignore these issues or pass them down the line. In short, they do whatever it takes to help the organization succeed.

Engaged employees are what makes Vision Zero a reality. In fact, numerous research studies, such as the Gallup Survey, reveal that employee engagement affects not only the incident rate but other business outcomes such as quality, productivity, and profits. Safety leaders then begin to ponder other questions, such as, “What programs should be implemented to motivate the workers to take more ownership?” or “What training is recommended to increase the engagement level of the employees?” Subsequently, they introduce activities such as

safety suggestion schemes, team-building sessions, and employee-led projects. These activities are effective in some companies, but they become passing fancies in others.

What cauSeS the difference? The insight that safety leaders need to understand is this: Building engagement begins with a positive relationship between the leader and his employees. I used to think that leader/employee relationship was a touchy-feely topic best left for the HR folks, and that Safety folks should focus on the technical aspects of safety. But no. Whether from research or personal observation, the relationship factor remains important. If an employee has a bad relationship with his or her supervisor, you can forget about all other efforts to get him engaged. To many employees, their direct supervisor is the management and is the company. As the saying goes, “People join companies but leave bosses.”

I worked with one SME for several years headed by a very dynamic person. He is in his 50s and started the company from scratch. He is diligent, smart, and resourceful. But

he is also very hard and cold towards his staff. His favourite mantra is, “I don’t need people to like me. I just need them to get the work done.” It comes as no surprise to me that many of his staff members dislike him and do their best to avoid him. I can still remember clearly what his Assistant Operation Manager, Lee, said to me: “Just because he founded the company, he thinks he can lord over everyone. He sends emails to me over the weekends and expects me to reply on the same day. And it doesn’t even have to be an urgent task. When I am at my desk, he walks deliberately behind me occasionally. I’ve caught him glancing at my screen several times. He probably wants to be sure that I’m not skiving. He only cares about himself and his business. I am just a tool to him. The economy is bad now. Once I find a better job, I will leave.” As you can imagine, Lee’s attitude bears itself out in his performance. Work moves painfully slowly in this company. Employees conveniently forget to carry out safety inspections. The proposed safety statistic board took three months to be procured. Unsurprisingly, the

Soon boon cheWPrincipal Consultant,

CultureLab [email protected]

more commitment. take ownership. Be proactive.

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Safety Matters 17Safety Matters 17


“”

accident rates remain high, despite the efforts put in. The employees are simply not emotionally committed to the company.

Emotional commitment is different from rational commitment. Rational commitment is grounded in basics, such as salary and bonuses. A paycheck or an incentive gets the hands and feet of the employees to move. I use the term “hands and feet” because the heart is not involved. Basically, the employees in such a situation do a cost benefit analysis and put in the minimal effort required to obtain the rewards. There is no sense of pride and meaning in the work. The late Stephen Covey nailed it perfectly: “Hands and feet can be bought, but hearts must be won.” If you want your employees to go the extra mile and put their heart into their work, you have to be the first to go the extra mile and win their hearts. This is based on the concept of social reciprocity: If you take care of your employees, they will help you meet your goals.

Some years back, I was part of a team starting up a chemical plant. The project director was a tall and lanky German in his late forties. I had the privilege of observing the way in which he brought out the energy and enthusiasm in his employees. Every morning, he would walk from his room at one end of the office to the pantry at the other end of the office, to top up his mug. It would take him ten minutes, even though the distance should have taken less than half a minute. He would stop at the desks of his employees and talk to them, sometimes about work, but more often simply a casual chit-chat. He would ask them about their weekends, or discuss how their families were doing, or share some laughs about politics or soccer. It was a deliberate effort: I noticed that in a week, he managed to talk to almost every member of his staff. Twenty of them. As a result, his staff adores him. Some of the feedback I heard were:

and a little more time showing why. This entails communicating a purpose, walking the talk, demonstrating that efforts make a difference, and appreciating people.

The third layer consists of the activities that foster engagement by inviting collaboration, encouraging involvement, and building team spirit. The stability of this third layer depends on the strength of the layers below. This explains why engagement programs often fail, even though they are meticulously planned and proven to work in other organizations. When you neglect the first two layers, and focus just on the third layer, the house of engagement might look tall and nice in the short term, but it will not stand the test of time.

hoW to build a PoSitive relationShiP baSed on truStWe all know what a 3D movie lens is. It changes images that look blurry to the naked eye into three-dimensional ones. A trust lens is a metaphor that describe how we view the actions of others, based on the level of trust we have in them.

When I wear a lens of high trust towards you, I see your actions in a positive light. I believe that what you do or say can be trusted and that you have my best interests at heart. In turn, I share my ideas and thoughts freely and take more initiative at work.

Inversely, a lens of low trust makes me assume the worst. I wonder,

“What are you up to?” I focus on protecting my interests first. It does not matter what your intention truly is; your action is filtered through my trust lens.

When the employees wear lenses of low trust towards their leaders, any engagement efforts are bound to fail. Employees see such efforts as manipulative or self-serving. They reciprocate by resisting and criticizing these initiatives. Before employees can trust your message, they must trust you as the messenger.

Programs(Involves how and what of safety)

Purpose and value(Involves why of safety)

trust and caring (Involves relationship)

Steps in Building Safety Engagement

He cares about me as a person. He treats everyone fairly and with due respect.

He has my back. He supports me professionally and personally.

It was a joy for me to work with his staff. They smile often and are always ready to help. They get things done. I had the best support I could ever wish for. The project was delivered within budget, on time, and without any safety accidents.

A positive relationship lays the foundation for building engagement. With that said, it is not the sole component. Imagine building a house called “safety engagement.” The first layer involves the relationship. The core of a positive relationship between employees and their leaders is the trust and caring demonstrated by the leaders.

The second layer involves the purpose and value of embracing safety. When we think about safety, we tend to obsess over the “what” and “how”— as in, “This is what you need to do,” or “This is how you do this.” Yet we rarely focus on the “why”— as in, “Here’s why we’re doing it.” It is often difficult to go the extra mile if we don’t know the purpose and value of doing it in the first place. A powerful way to teach employees about that purpose and value is to spend a little less time telling how

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Safety Matters18

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Safety Matters 19

There is a tremendous amount of information on the Internet about trust in the workplace. All in all, building trust requires adherence to five standards:

• behave With integrity admit mistakes, keep promises

• be transparent talk straight, do not sugarcoat bad news, do not withhold information

• no Second guessing increase decision-making authority, trust what an employee has told you instead of double-checking with others

• be fair distribute work fairly, apply the same rule to everyone

• be Professional make sound decisions consistently, produce quality work, do not throw tantrums

If trust is lacking in the workplace, the leaders have probably missed one or more of the standards above. And they need to seriously think about how to regain the trust of their employees. When employees are wearing lenses of low trust, getting things done demands much more effort and time than it might if they were wearing lenses of high trust.

hoW to build a PoSitive relationShiP baSed on caringBelow are the two most important ways to demonstrate caring:

know the person behind the titleGone are the days when people expect leaders to sit behind a closed office door and dictate from above. In the modern workplace, the best leaders get to know their employees on a personal level. Spend some time each day chatting with your employees. Ask them about their families, hobbies, or vacation plans. The more you know about a

person, the more chances you will have to care about him or her.

go the extra mile for themIn February of this year, there was a TV series on Channel 8 called “What Makes a Boss.” It recapped how entrepreneurs started their companies, and highlighted their relationships with their employees. There were a handful of touching scenes about bosses going above and beyond:

1. A technician from China arrived in Singapore to work. Realizing that he did not understand English at all, the boss specially hired a tutor to teach him and a few others in the company. The company fully sponsored the training. The technician gradually picked up the language and has been with the company for seven years.

2. An assistant marketing manager who had worked over 20 years in a company had the shock of her life. She was diagnosed with cancer. Having to take time off regularly for chemotherapy sessions, she soon used up her sick leave. In addition, her work was adversely affected. When she tendered her resignation, her boss was very understanding. She made arrangements so that the marketing manager could complete her treatment and continue working.

3. As an employee of a video production company, one introverted young chap brought up to his boss that he intended to propose to his fiancée. His plan was simple. He would just buy a ring and propose at home. Nothing fancy. The boss convinced the young chap to do more, even volunteering to help. The boss even called up other colleagues to give him support. On the day of the proposal, some colleagues played the guitar, some played the piano, and others set up the scene.

What was supposed to be an unromantic moment became the memory of a lifetime.

The employees mentioned above all expressed heartfelt gratitude to their bosses. No prizes for guessing whether these employees will go the extra mile at work. Quoting John Maxwell, “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care!”

before Safety can coMe firSt, PeoPle MuSt coMe firStIt starts with building a trusting and caring relationship. And that relationship starts with you, the leader. If you want employees to care more about safety, you must care more about them. If you want people to trust your programs, you must be trustworthy. Building such a relationship takes time. But when you’ve got that foundation, it sets you up for success, not only in safety, but in all aspects of business.

references• Coffman, C., and Gonzalez-Molina, G.

Follow This Path: How the World’s Greatest

Organizations Drive Growth by Unleashing

Human Potential. New York: Warner

Books, 2002.

• Covey, S. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective

People. New York: Free Press, 1990.

• Harter, J. K. etc. Q12 Meta-Analysis.

Omaha: The Gallup Organization, 2015.

• Krause, T. and Bell, K. 7 Insights into Safety

Leadership. The Safety Leadership Institute,

2015.

• Macey, W.H. and Schneider, B. The

Meaning of Employee Engagement.

Industrial and Organizational Psychology,

1: 3–30, 2008.

• Marciano, Paul. Carrots and Sticks Don’t

Work: Build a Culture of Employee

Engagement with the Principles of

RESPECT. New York: McGraw-Hill

Education, 2010.

• Pink, D. Drive: The Surprising Truth About

What Motivates Us. New York: Riverhead

Books, 2011.

Building Engagement in Safety? What YouNeed to Know Before Launching Any Programs (Continued from page 17)

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Safety Matters20

alan kooQuality System Assistant

Manager and Safety Advisor, SatComS

koo.teckchye@ stee.stengg.com

Beyond LegalCompliance – WhatInnovative Ways areSingapore Companies Doing?

What are PerMit-to-Work (PtW) SySteMS?PTW System is an integral part of a safe system of work and can assist in the management of work activities, including non-routine work. PTW is an important element of an effective safety and health management system. It is a formal authorization system used in an organization to control selected work activities to ensure safe execution of work on-site.*

Everyone would agree that the role of a PTW reviewer and approval has never been easy. One of the challenges faced by our role is the increasing fatigue in meeting the need for speed of approval from our requestor vs legal compliance.One company in Singapore, ST Electronics (Satcom & Sensor Systems) Pte Ltd [STEE-SatComS], a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Technologies Electronics Limited has succeeded in harnessing technology to develop an in house E- Permit to Work System, and achieved a balance between reducing the approval duration and archiving all the legal documentation required in the entire PTW approval process.

the PtW SySteM the Problems facedUnder the Workplace Safety and Health Act 2011, PTW system is widely used in various industries, including the Oil, Petrochemical, Energy and Chemical (OPEC) Cluster. This system allows Occupiers, PTW Authority and PTW Users to communicate hazards involved in the work activities to enable safe execution of on-site.

Essentially PTW is a formal authorisation system used in any organisation to control selected work activities, so as to ensure safe execution on-site and is an effective way of communication between the plant occupier, PTW Authority and the user.

In STEE-SatComS, there are numerous Permit to Work that needs to be applied, reviewed and approved by the relevant parties before work can proceed. A critical process in the PTW is to ensure that all important supporting documents (Risk Assessment, Safe Work procedures, Fall Prevention Plan, Lifting Plan, and License etc.) are in place during review by WSHO. The problem constantly faced by the reviewer are:

1. Not all supporting documents for PTW approval are submitted together via email, resulting in the reviewer wasting time in retrieving supporting documents.

2. If any documents are wrong or needs to be amended, the reviewer needs to send an email to and fro to the applicants,

resulting in time wasted, fatigue and lack of traceability.

3. Documents may be submitted late and work may needs to start urgently, insufficient time and fatigue (psychological stress) in reviewing all supporting documents.

The whole process of submission of documents, requesting for additional information and approval is too manual, ineffective and time consuming.

The QEHS team brainstormed ideas to improve the whole process and came out an idea to automate the whole PTW process.

the ProPoSed Solution The QEHS Team have worked with their IT Team to propose an effective communication platform (E-Permit to work) to improve productivity. All applications for Permit to Work will require their requester to upload the relevant documents into the e portal, such that it will be visible to the reviewer on what has been submitted and the date of submission. Upon application of PTW and uploading of documents, an E ticket will be generated and upon email notification, the reviewer can download the documents to review and decide whether to approve or reject it with “comments”.

All documentations will be uploaded in phases (in the order of importance), which is shown in the documents Matrix, thus allowing the reviewer sufficient time to approval/reject these documents in phases, and the requestors sufficient time to prepare the rest of the documents. Only when Phase 1 documents are approved,

*Source - http://www.mom.gov.sg/workplace-safety-and-health/safety-and-health-management-systems/permit-to-work-systems

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Safety Matters 21

Boast stakeholder confidence when they are being informed the progress status of project on time.

legal coMPliance Missing documents can have costly Legal implication, whether it is by Internal Audit or External Regulator’s Audit. A robust Archival System using the E-PTW will reduce uncertainty or violations of law due all the necessary documents are being submitted and kept in the database. We could easily retrieve any documents by the date, department, requestor, types of work done etc. The E-PTW Platform is versatile and can be readily exportable to other Business Unit.With this introduction of E-PTW, the time taken to review documents has dropped to 50% of what it used to. Requestor are able to be informed of their status of their Approval.

life cycle of a document

can the requestor proceed to the next phase of document submission.

The result of this e-submission, instead of emailing directly to the WSHO, has brought about a substantial Tangible & Intangible benefits to all stakeholders.

Substantial Time saving is achieved for recurring job by contractor or internal of the same scope of work, same locations and same working crews.

The amount of Time saved due to “no more searching” thru emails to retrieve documentations submitted by the contractors. Easy export of documentation via this e-PTW platform when implementation come live. Less Fatigue for Applicants, Reviewers and Approvers.

Applicants and reviewer have a common communications platform and improve Trust.

document Matrix

Quick Start GuideDocument Life CycleRequest Life Cycle

Approvers Administration Logout

Documents Matrix

The following matrix illustrates the required documents for each phase of the Workflow.

Permit to Work Document Matrix

Risk Assessment

Safe Work Procedure

Fall Prevention Plan

Lifting Plan

Load Chart

License

Bizsafe level 2 cert (for RA leader)

Bizsafe Level 3 & above Cert

Emergency Response Plan

Maintenance records of MEWP

EAM Briefing (For Contractors or Employees)

Email Notification to HR for Personnel access

PTW Form

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

xx

xx

x

x

x

xx

xx

x

x

xx

xxxxxx

x

x

xxx

xx

xxx

x

xxx

xx

x

xxx

xxx

xx

x

xxx

Hot Work Renovation Lifting WAH Rooftop Confined SpaceTypes of Work

Phas

e 1

Phas

e 2

Phas

e 3

Doc

umen

ts R

equi

red

What next?STEE-SatComS team is working on the next software upgrade as part of their Continual Improvement activity.

We can expect to see a Dashboard showing visibility on the Status of PTW Approval like - number of permit approved, outstanding, the types of permits issued, type of requestor and reason for rejection. These data are captured and analyzed, so that Management can view these statistic in the form of Histogram and pie chart.

The E-PTW System will also send an email trigger alert to requestors asking them to submit their documents according to a preset duration for each phase, so there will not be any delay in submission. All these email will be feed backed to their boss so as to ensure speedy response and open communication.

Requestor for PTW will be also asked to close their request on time or delete their request as any delinquent in closing the PTW can be compliance issues during audit.

2017 is a very challenging year for the SatComS team as they looks forward to enhancing the E-PTW, making it more robust and flexible enough to accommodate future changes in Regulations.We wish them best of luck in their Continual Safety Innovation!

cuMulative breakdoWn of e-PtW StatuS for 2016

Months

Completed Pending Phase 1

Qua

ntity

Sep-16 Oct-16 Nov-16 Dec-16

25

20

15

10

5

0

3

5

24

52

34

52

4

5

5

8 Alan Koo, BEng(NUS), MBA(Murdoch) is a

WSHO, ECO, FSM working with SatComS

as a Quality System Asst Manager and

Safety Advisor. He is an enthusiast

on Safety and love to conduct Safety

Training to his internal staffs.

Pending Approval

Draft

Approved Rejected

Requestor fill in PTW form with PO#, Scope of work etc &

attach supporting documents to upload to E-PTW. E Ticket

will be generated

Email send to Requestor to proceed to work, PTW will be printed out prior to commencement of work

Requestor send signed PTW to authorised Approver

Upon Approval, contractor will be notified to commence work

Approved PTW will be uploaded to E-PTW system

for archival

Requestor print out PTW and sign

WSHO review the supporting documents

Flow ownership

Requestor

WSHO

WSHO

WSHO

IT

Yes

No

Project Manager

Project Manager

Contractor,ProjectManager

Approval

life cycle of a request

Do

cument Req

uirements o

f Co

ncern

Completed

Pending WSHO Phase 3



Pending REQ Phase 3

Pending REQ Phase 2

Pending REQ Phase 1Draft

Phas

e 1

Phas

e 2

Phas

e 3

Requestor to resubmit and upload

correct documents

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Safety Matters22

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Safety Matters 23

Collective fall protection Fall restraint Fall arrest Self-rescue

The Complete Height Safety Solution

MSA sets the standard for product design, performance and support. Working closely with roofing manufacturers, MSA helps ensure that only rigorously tested and legally compliant Latchways® fall protection systems are installed on their roof systems.

The MSA Latchways team can help guide you through the hierarchy of fall protection so you can

design and provide the appropriate height safety solution for your project.Eliminate the risk Guard the hazard Protect the worker

321

Go to http://sg.msasafety.com/applications/working-at-heights to find out more about our fall protection solutions.

Collective fall protection Fall restraint Fall arrest Self-rescue

The Complete Height Safety Solution

MSA sets the standard for product design, performance and support. Working closely with roofing manufacturers, MSA helps ensure that only rigorously tested and legally compliant Latchways® fall protection systems are installed on their roof systems.

The MSA Latchways team can help guide you through the hierarchy of fall protection so you can

design and provide the appropriate height safety solution for your project.Eliminate the risk Guard the hazard Protect the worker

321

Go to http://sg.msasafety.com/applications/working-at-heights to find out more about our fall protection solutions.

What are the fundamentals of best practice in fall protection?

We have all seen images from the 1920’s and 30’s showing workers sitting on beams with the city far below. Fortunately, there has been a significant shift in workplace safety since then, so when we think of fall protection today the ultimate goal is to ensure people who work at height are doing it in the safest way possible. Great products and solutions are obviously important, but there is much more to making sure people go home safely at the end of their working day.

A true engineering approach

Engineering prowess is of great importance. To develop the best fall protection solutions a true understanding of the engineering behind them is crucial. Then how and where a system is used is an important consideration, especially when combined with how the user will interact with the system. Of course, aesthetics also plays a role; an anchor device may be small, but it sits on top of a structure and is always visible.

Industry standards and guidance

There are multiple references when considering the requirements of a fall protection system. EN 795 governs the testing of anchor devices, and should be considered as an absolute minimum in the design and manufacture of engineered systems. EN 795 came into play in 1996, then updated in EN 795:2012. With the support of the technical standard CEN/TS 16415, it sets out more robust

requirements and introduced testing for multiple users. The requirements set in EN 795:2012 has since been embraced across Europe and internationally as a benchmark reference.

All fall protection equipment should be tested to at least meet, if not exceed, the very latest testing requirements and guidance. There are a number of considerations to bear in mind when it comes to ensuring the highest standards of manufacture, from the purpose and use of any given product, to ensuring standardised test methods and demonstrating repeatability. It is all about achieving the most efficient and safest outcomes.

Representative testing

So let us bring it all to life. How does a fall protection system actually perform on the structure for which it is intended? Once you have designed the product, it needs to be tested in real world situations to guarantee performance. For us at MSA Latchways, that comprises of:

• Intended purpose: Understanding the intended purpose and the structure a device will be tested on is the first step to determine the test methods required

• Representative roof test: Extensive testing on complete and representative roofing systems (the actual structure on which it will be used) gives a full picture of how systems operate in real life. This should take into account the supporting roof structure.

• Dynamic drop test: Conducting a drop test again gives insight into real life scenarios. We recommend using a 300kg mass through a distance of 1.5m – typically there is more than one user on any given roof, and so the drop test should

ensure systems would cope with this weight

• Multi-‐directional testing: It is impossible to predict the direction of a fall, and so testing needs to encompass all possibilities – in line with, across and at 45 degrees to the seam, profile or deck.

• Re-‐testing: Once a system has passed its initial testing, repeat testing is also important to ensure compatibility with the latest roofing manufacturer developments.

We have been encouraging representative testing across the industry since 2001 when we launched our top fix cable system using Constant Force technology. Even back then, our design exceeded the 2012 version of EN 795, 11 years before it was released. Our ethos has always been to put testing at the core of everything we do and to keep ahead of the game – it gives our customers great peace of mind.

A final message

MSA Latchways urges those responsible for specifying fall protection solutions to be specific in their choices. As an industry we must put engineering at the heart of how we do business, we must embrace the very best of standards and we must employ more specific test methods. As an industry, we can then ensure the best possible outcomes.

Innovate your safety when working at heights

Learn More Now: http://sg.msasafety.com/applications/working-‐at-‐heights

RepoRts

Safety Matters26

at a maximum of $250 per year, under the Union Training Assistance Programme supported by the NETF.

It was a very meaningful way to celebrate May Day, and the 1,500 who were present at Our Tampines Hub, as well as the tens of thousands of the workforce in Singapore, would each be able to find their personal reasons from this Rally to be hopeful for the future, and feel encouraged, motivated and energised to work harder for one and all in Singapore.

SISO Joins NTUC Brothers and Sisters at May Day Rally 2017

On 1 May 2017, over 1,500 U Associate partners, workers, management, union leaders, and Members of Parliament gathered at Our Tampines Hub for the annual National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) May Day Rally. SISO, as one of the 58 U Associate partners was represented at the Rally by Mr. John Lim, Executive, SISO, as the flag carrier. Mr. Bernard Soh, President, SISO, and Mr. Quek Chin Tuan, Executive Manager, SISO, were also present to celebrate May Day together with the NTUC brothers and sisters.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong led the Rally as the Guest-of-Honour. In his speech at the Rally, PM Lee said that even though the unemployment rate has increased and is expected to creep up further in the future, he is still “cautiously optimistic” about the economy. He emphasised that unions and companies must maintain the competitive drive and work closely

with each other to stay ahead of the competition. Moving forward, PM Lee said that Singapore must adopt a multi-pronged approach and focus on doing three things well: Help businesses create new jobs, place displaced workers in alternative jobs and train workers to grow in their current jobs.

Mr. Chan Chun Sing, Secretary-General, NTUC, also shared at the Rally that 70 donors had contributed $25 million for the NTUC Education and Training Fund (NETF). With matching funds from the Government, the NETF has reached $100 million, achieving the halfway mark of its target of $200 million. Mr Bernard Soh, who is a member of the NETF Fund-Raising Committee, said that it was very heartening to see these 70 organisations stepping forward unhesitatingly to contribute to this worthwhile cause, and he hopes they will inspire even more organisations to contribute as well.

Investment income from the NETF trust fund will be used to fund courses through course fee subsidies. Union members can tap on more than 3,200 training courses to enjoy course fee subsidy, capped

National Workplace Safety and Health Campaign 2017SISO supported and participated in the National Workplace Safety and Health Campaign 2017, which was held at the OCBC Square at SportsHub on 22 April 2017.

Co-organised by the Workplace Safety and Health Council, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), and supported by Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Workplace Safety and Health Institute (WSHI) and many other industry partners, the annual National Workplace Safety

and Health (WSH) Campaign sets the stage for the WSH Council’s WSH outreach efforts for the year. Aimed at reaching out to more than 100,000 employers and employees across all industries, the Campaign announced the WSH message of “Target Zero Falls” and highlighted the WSH Council’s plans for the year ahead. Taking the form of a family carnival, participants were able to learn about the importance of workplace safety and health through fun and interactive activities.

SISO’s table-top display attracted a steady stream of visitors who participated in a quiz game conducted by volunteer SISO members and staff.

Quek chin tuan Executive Manager, SISO

[email protected]

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, looking relaxed and happy, as he delivers his Speech at the May Day Rally 2017

May Day Rally 2017 “Group” Picture

Mr Bernard Soh, President, SISO, networking with fellow U Associate Partners before the start of the May Day Rally 2017

NAme DeSiGNAtioN ComPANY

Fu ChuanBao Safety Executive SIA Engineering Company

Abdull Halim Bin Hashim

Senior EHS Coordinator

Jebsen & Jebsen Offshore Pte Ltd

Islam Md Golam Shariful

Lead Coordinator HSSE

PEC Ltd

Tan Thiam Guan Robert

Safety Consultant

Wee Chwee Huat Scaffolding & Construction Pte Ltd

Logeswaran Anpalagan

Site Manager Ryobi Geotechnique International Pte Ltd

Krishnasamy Ranganathan Saravanan

Director SJV Construction Pte Ltd

Kan Young Loong EHS / Facility Manager

Zodiac Aerospace Services Asia Pte Ltd

Chang Hiang Peng WSHO Or Kim Peow Contractors (Pte) Ltd

Cedric Francis Sahetapy

Senior HSSE Officer

Sembcorp Design and Construction Pte Ltd

Wong Cheng Wee Coordinator Oang Construction

Ou Aik Chye Senior HSE Manager

TOA Corporation

Lee Choon Leng Melvin

Construction / Transport (Railway) Executive

SMRT

Kyaw Myo Htat Safety Officer Kim Heng Marine & Oilfield Pte Ltd

Kumarandy Alaguraj Manager Strait Focus Solutions Pte Ltd

Koo Teck Chye QA Assistant Manager

ST Electronics (SATCOMS)

Pushparajah Philip Samson Gnanasekar

Auditor AJA Registers


Kalyana Sundaram Palanivelu

Utility Engineer Novartis Singapore Pharmacemtical Manufacturing Pte Ltd

Ng Zhongliang WSHO Digo Corporation Pte Ltd

Quek Ming Hui EHS Specialist Mead Johnson Nutrition (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd

U Chee Wei Ivan HSE Manager Yinson Production Pte Ltd

Md Faroque Hossain Sikder

WSH Trainer AKC Consultant Pte Ltd

Kuan Tuck Meng WSHO Paw Leck Engineering Pte Ltd

aSSociate MeMberS


Shen Nan QHSE Manager Tananger Offshore AS

Choo Mui Seok Trainer Freelance

Hwa Teik Hing Centre Manager ST John Singapore

Subramanyan Raveendran

HSE Manager Bumi Armada Singapore Pte Ltd

Abdul Ghani Bin Mattar Sahib

Safety Officer Sapura Kencana Drilling

Lee Cher Ghee HSE Manager Ferh International Pte Ltd

corPorate MeMberS

ComPANY

PerkinElmer Singapore Pte Ltd

HSL Constructor Pte Ltd

Singapore First Aid Training Centre Pte Ltd

uPgrade of MeMberShiP


Seow Foo Meng Deputy Director Raffles Quay Asset Management Pte Ltd

Soh Xiao Fen WSHO Sembcorp Industries

aPril / May

Welcome new Members

advertiSing in Safety MatterS

We welcome advertisements to promote WSH products, services or events. Complimentary copies of SAFETY MATTERS will be provided to advertisers upon request.

our advertisement rate (inclusive GST)

Single Advertisement Package of Four Advertisements

One-page flyer insert (up to A5 size)

SISO Corporate Members

SGD 1,284 per advertisement

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Non-SISO Corporate Members

SGD 1,498 per advertisement

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XXI World Congress on Safety & Health at Work 2017 A Global Vision of Prevention Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Singapore from 3 – 6 September 2017! The World Congress on Safety and Health at Work opens its doors every three years. Each time, a different country is the host. World Congress offers a platform for the exchange of information and views to experts in occupational safety and health, representatives of enterprises and workers (the social partners), decision-‐makers in governments and public authorities, and anyone else active in occupational safety and health.

XXI World Congress will focus on 3 main topics: Vision Zero – From Vision to Reality, Healthy work – Healthy life, and People-‐centred Prevention.

SISO Members will be able to attend the event at a special rate of SGD $600 and awarded 29 SDU points. Please kindly email SISO at [email protected] for the promotional code.

For more information, please visit https://www.safety2017singapore.com

Asia Pacific Occupational Safety & Health Organisation 32 At the Forefront of OSH Progression Novotel Clarke Quay, Singapore from 7 – 9 September 2017! APOSHO is an international body comprising non-‐profit professional organisations from 19 countries and districts devoted to the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases. We are expecting about 300 delegates from more than 20 countries including APOSHO members, Singapore WSH Officers, OSH Professional from Asia-‐Pacific, representatives from Government agencies and bodies and representatives from Institute from Higher Learning. APOSHO 32 will continue to build upon the discussion from XXI World Congress 2017. APOSHO conference will focus mainly on 3 main topics: Risk Management, Safety Culture and Research with top renowned speakers from overseas such as Korea and Hong Kong Occupational Safety and Health Agency, Board of Certified Safety Professional from United States and many others! SISO members are entitled to a special member rate and awarded 7 SDU points. For registration fees, kindly visit http://siso.org.sg/event-‐registration/1-‐events/1-‐aposho-‐32-‐event For more information, please visit https://www.siso.org.sg/conferences/upcoming-‐conferences