Industrial Safety

Industrial safety refers to the safety management practices that apply to the industrial sector. Those processes aim to protect industrial workers, machinery, facilities, structures, and the environment. Industrial safety is overseen by state and local laws and regulations. 

Industrial facilities have unique safety challenges because hazards and incidents affect more than just the people on the factory floor. A fire in the workplace, missed days due to injury, or chemical hazards can affect your production output, which can delay shipping schedules, fulfillment, vendor relationships, and customer satisfaction. Practicing good industrial safety is the best way to ensure a smooth-running operation that has the best interests of workers, vendors, and customers at heart. Industrial safety works hard to prevent workplace hazards, including chemical exposures, poor ergonomics, and physical hazards so that business can continue as normal with no interruption to production.

The Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) is the primary regulatory body in the United States dedicated to workplace safety, including the industrial sector.

Occupational Health and Safety is a comprehensive program that strives to strengthen the safety culture by serving to protect employees and students who are at risk.  Risks are everywhere in the workplace and few jobs are without hazards. The health and safety of students and employees are of primary importance.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration - OSHA                           International Labour Organization - ILO

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is anything that is used to protect the human body from the dangers of hazards. PPE is used to protect a person’s eyes, face, ears, head, extremities, respiratory system, and other parts of his or her body. Statistics and other data show that failure to use PPE is a leading cause of accidents.

• Head Protection: ANSI Z89.1-1986
• Eye and Face Protection – OSHA 1910.133
• Hearing Protection – ANSI 53.19
• Hand and Foot Protection - OSHA 1910.138, OSHA 1910.136

OSHA - Personal Protective Equipment

ANSI Z535 Safety Alerting Standards. ANSI Z535 is comprised of six standards:

• ANSI/NEMA Z535.1-2006 (R2011), Safety colors – Establishes technical definitions, color standards, and color tolerances for the ANSI Z535 safety colors.
• ANSI Z535.2-2011, Environmental and facility safety signs – Guides the design, application, and use of safety signs in facilities and in the environment, specifying requirements to promote consistent visual layout.
• ANSI/NEMA Z535.3-2011, Criteria for safety symbols – Provides general criteria for the design, evaluation, and use of safety symbols for the purpose of identifying and providing warnings regarding personal injury risks.
• ANSI/NEMA Z535.4-2011, Product safety signs and labels – Establishes performance requirements for the design, application, use, and placement of safety signs and labels on products.
• ANSI/NEMA Z535.5-2011, Safety tags and barricade tapes (for temporary hazards) – Covers the design, application, and use of safety tags and barricade tapes for temporary hazards.
• ANSI/NEMA Z535.6-2011, Product safety information in product manuals, instructions, and other collateral materials – Outlines requirements for clear, consistent communication of safety information for a range of products, specifically addressing collateral information, such as owner’s manuals, maintenance and assembly instructions, and similar materials.

Reference Texts

• Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene. 5th Ed. Plog, Barbara and Patricia Quinlain. Chicago, IL: National Safety Council, 2001.

• Hathaway, Gloria J., Nick H. Proctor, and James P. Hughes. Proctor and Hughes' Chemical Hazards in the Workplace. 4th Ed. New York, NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1996. Provides definitive information on effects of exposure and on treatment approaches. This is the classic text on over 500 chemicals that may produce workplace exposure.

• The Occupational Environment Its Evaluation and Control. 2nd Ed. Dinardi, Salvatore. Fairfax, VA: American Industrial Hygiene Association, 2003.

• Occupational Medicine. 3rd Ed. Zenz, Carl, O. Bruce Dickerson, Edward P. Horvath. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Mosby, 1994. Provides information on occupational medicine principles and practice as well as on specific hazards and agents.

• Physical and Biological Hazards in the Workplace. Wald, Peter and Gregg M. Stave. New York, NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 2001. Focuses on physical and biological hazard in the workplace and serves as a companion to Proctor and Hughes' Chemical Hazards in the Workplace (see next listing). Available on CD-ROM.

• On the Practice of Safety. Manuele, Fred A. 3rd Ed. New York, NY: Wiley-Interscience, 2003. Discusses basic principles and aspects of safety as an evolving discipline.

• Patty's Industrial Hygiene. 5th Ed. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons Inc., 2000. Presents principles and practice of industrial hygiene and hazard evaluation and control. Four volume set.

  • Volume 1: Part I, Introduction to Industrial Hygiene

  • Volume 1: Part II, Recognition and Evaluation of Chemical Agents

  • Volume 2: Part III, Physical Agents

  • Volume 2: Part IV, Biohazards

  • Volume 3: Part V, Engineering Control and Personal Protection

  • Volume 3: Part VI, Law, Regulation, and Management

  • Volume 4: Part VII, Specialty Areas and Allied Professions

• Patty's Toxicology. 5th Ed. Bingham, Eula, Cohrssen, Barbara, and Charles H. Powell. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2001. Provides comprehensive guide to toxicological data for industrial chemicals. Coverage includes other industrial toxicology issues. Eight volume set with cumulative index. CD-ROM version available. Previous editions published with title: Patty's Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology.

• Recognition of Health Hazards in Industries: A Review of Materials and Processes. 2nd Edition. Burgess, William A. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1995. Contains work-site analyses that facilitate recognition of health problems in design and operation of industrial processes. In addition to identifying health issues, provides information on control measures.

• Rogers, Bonnie. Occupational Health Nursing--Concepts and Practice. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Co., 1994. Provides clinical nursing guidelines for common occupational health problems. Primary reference for occupational health nursing principles and practice.

• Vincoll, Jeffrey W. Basic Guide to Accident Investigation and Loss Control. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons, 1994. Provides information on safety principles, techniques, including preparation of safety system applications.