Guard Against Personal Safety

A research chemist must ensure that he/she is not subjected to any sort of risk or danger against his/her personal safety, at any cost, while working in a chemical laboratory. 

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Exposure to strong radiofrequency or microwave fields can cook tissue and produce deep internal bums. Exposure to X rays and to the radiation from radioactive materials must be carefully guarded against in experiments dealing with them. Any such experiments should be done under the direct supervision of an experienced research worker, who will assume personal responsibility for all required safety measures, and under an appropriate license if radioactive materials are involved. 

On-the-job safety requires, in addition to the preparation of a well-conceived and tested safety plan, the application of continuous monitoring. Apathy and indifference of the workmen to personal safety has to be carefully guarded against. 

Security is a profession that is geared to protect people and assets against intentional loss. They are in fact similar to an internal police force, except that their powers are less and they operate within the limits of a corporation. Many mines and industries have large, full-time security staff to control the flow of raw materials and finished products in and out of the premises. They also patrol the premises after hours to deter would-be intruders, etc. These security guards are sometimes armed, and have authority to prevent persons from entering the factory or mine or certain sections thereof. They focus on the security of the premises and assets. They are not occupational safety practitioners and should not be confused with safety staff and their roles. 

Elecric shock as a result of direct contact, means that a person makes contact with part of the circuit which is intended to be live. The only form of protection against direct contact is to prevent such contact in the first place. This can be achieved by following the same principles of risk assessment and machinery safeguarding discussed earlier, namely to provide fixed guards, enclosures or insulation. However, if access is foreseeable, then permit-to-work systems should be operated. It should be remembered that intrinsic safety is an absolute priority in removing the risk of shock injury. This can be achieved by reducing the system voltage in areas of likely contact to such an extent that it cannot result in an electric shock. 

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