Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
I.have.a.two-year-old.child..My.neighbor.owns.a.swimming.pool.
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Is.this.a.recipe.for.an.accident?
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How.can.my.neighbor.and.I.prevent.it?
Most.likely,.our.list.will.include.some.of.the.following:
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1.. Teach.the.child.to.swim.
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2.. Put.a.fence.around.the.pool.
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3.. Put.a.leash.on.the.child.
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4.. Punish.the.child.for.going.near.the.pool.
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5.. Supervise.the.child.closely.
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6.. Move.
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7.. Fill.in.the.pool.
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8.. Cover.the.pool.
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9.. Drain.the.pool.
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10.. Make.the.salt.concentration.of.the.water.so.high.the.child.would.loat.
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11.. Put.a.life.preserver.on.the.child.
As.can.be.seen.from.this.swimming.pool.analogy,.solutions.on.the.list.fall.into.
two.general.types:.either.make.a.physical.change.(as.suggested.in.2,.3,.5,.6,.7,.8,.9,.
10,.and 11).or.making.a.change.in.the.child.(as.suggested.in.1.and.4)..Accidents.at.
an.industrial.operation.can.be.prevented.in.the.same.two.general.ways:.change.the.
physical.environment.or.change.the.person..Physical.environments.can.be.changed.
by.bolting,.cutting,.welding,.etc..People.can.be.changed.by.altering.factors.that.shape.
their.behavior,.their.knowledge,.skill,.understanding,.etc.
Most. safety. professionals. concur. that. a. well-engineered. industrial. operation. is.
the. foundation. for. a. safe. operation.. This. means. that. the. appropriate. physical. bar-
riers.should.be.in.place.and.functional..PBA.takes.a.quick.look.at.the.potential.for.
improved.engineering.at.an.industrial.operation..It.is.reasonable.to.assume.that.some.
operations.make.better.use.of.barriers.than.others.to.prevent.accidents..A.PBA's.pri-
mary.purpose.is.to.determine.the.extent.to.which.these.barriers,.preventive.measures,.
lack.of.utilization.can.be.attributed.to.the.cause.of.an.accident.
Barriers.prevent.the.release.of.unwanted.energy,.reduce.its.forcefulness,.or.prevent.
energy. from. contacting. the. individual.. Unwanted. energy. is. whatever. iguratively. or.
literally.“draws.blood.”.If.the.barrier.is.adequate,.individuals.should.not.be.injured.and.
thus.no.accident.will.occur..There.are.four.classes.of.barriers.that.can.be.used.singly.
or.in.combination.to.prevent.workers.from.becoming.injured.by.unwanted.energy.
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1..
Barriers on the energy source:
The.primary.purpose.is.to.prevent.the.release.of.unwanted.energy.
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2..
Barriers between the person and the energy source:
The. primary. purpose. is. to. prevent. unwanted. energy. from. contacting. the.
person.
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3..
Barriers on the person:
The.primary.purpose.is.to.reduce.the.forcefulness.of.the.unwanted.energy.
