General Measures for Preventing Accidents

Workmen are frequently injured because of stumbling, stepping on, or bumping into tools, material and other objects left lying around, or through objects falling from above. Such incidents can be prevented through observing the following measures:

1 walks, staircases, fire escapes and all other passages should be remain free of all obstructions;

2 tools and materials should not be placed while they might cause tripping or stumbling hazards or where they might fall and strike anyone below;

3 puddles of oil and water create slipping hazards and should be cleaned up promptly;

4 nails in boards (such as those removed from scaffolds, forms and packing boxes) constitute hazards. These should be erased and the boards should be carefully stacked or stored; and

5 dirty and oily waste rags should be deposited in approved containers and disposed off as soon as practicable to avoid fire hazard.

Other common housekeeping measures that need to be taken are as follows:

1. Broken light bulbs, glass metal and scrap and other sharp objects should be disposed off properly in containers given specially for them;

2. Discarded fluorescent and other gas filled tubes should be disposed off safely;

3. Places whereas persons work or pass in emergencies, should be given during time of use along with adequate lighting (natural/artificial/or both) for operations or special type of work performed;

4. Common lighting should be of a uniform level hugely distributed;

5. Emergency lighting should be given in big installations/offices; and

6. Adequate ventilation should be given in work places through natural/artificial means.