Safety at the Workplace

[Audio] Workplace safety is of upmost importance in AEM. Everyone has a part to play in creating a safe work culture and environment. One of the first steps to creating a safer workplace is to ensure employees are aware of the company's basic rules and policies on safety. This video provides an overview of the safety practices in AEM. It covers what you can do to reduce the risk to health and safety when working. This video covers these following topics: AEM's and your responsibilities in ensuring a safe workplace. Basic safety and health practices in AEM. Hazards in AEM and mitigation actions..

[Audio] Let's begin the module with an understanding of the responsibilities of both AEM and employees in ensuring a safe workplace..

[Audio] In Singapore, the Workplace Safety and Health Act is a legislation that covers the safety, health and welfare of people at the workplace. In this legislation, both the employer and employees are responsible for safety. As an employer, AEM must protect the safety and health of our employees as well as other stakeholders who are affected by our work. Such responsibilities include: Conducting risk assessments to identify hazards and implement effective risk control measures. Making sure the work environment is safe. Making sure adequate safety measures are taken for any machinery, equipment, plant, article or process used at the workplace. Developing and implementing systems for dealing with emergencies. Ensuring workers are provided with sufficient instruction, training and supervision so that they can work safely. As an employee, you must: Follow the workplace safety and health system, safe work procedures or safety rules implemented at the workplace. Not engage in any unsafe or negligent act that may endanger yourself or others working around you. Use personal protective equipment provided to you to ensure your safety while working. You must not tamper with or misuse the equipment. Follow all the safety procedure and site regulations as per site requirement when visiting customer site. not bring prohibited device into customer production floor such as camera/ recording device, USB drive/portable hard drive, tobacco/ cigarette lighters and any other items that may listed under site prohibited items. Under the WSH legislation, for both employer and employee, the failure to comply with the regulations may lead to fine, imprisonment or both..

[Audio] Next, lets look at the AEM's basic safety and health practices..

[Audio] Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE in short, has an essential role in protecting you from workplace hazard such as falling objects, flying particles and extreme heat. All staffs will be issued a pair of safety glasses and steel-toed cap safety shoe. The safety glasses will provide you with optimal eye coverage and it can withstand the impact of flying particles and objects. If you wear spectacles, you will need to put the safety glasses over your spectacles. The steel-toed cap safety shoes can withstand the impact of falling objects to protect your toes, and the soles are designed with anti-skid features to prevent you from slipping. Some staffs will be issued additional protective gear depending on the nature of their work..

[Audio] It is compulsory for you to put on the right PPE before entering the manufacturing floor. This requirement applies to everyone, including visitors, regardless of the purpose or duration of the visit. Before entering the manufacturing floors, you will see signs such as these on the doors indicating the type of protective gear you are required to put on before entering the rooms. It is a requirement for you to put on the listed protective gear before you step into the room, even if it is for a short visit. Here are some other signs you might come across in AEM. As an employee of AEM, you are responsible for properly wearing the PPE as required and to follow all PPE rules. Disciplinary action for violating the company PPE policy ranges from verbal warning to termination of employment..

[Audio] Besides PPE signages, you will also come across many other safety signages in AEM. The purpose of safety signages is to warn and remind you of the type of hazards you may be exposed to. As such, it is essential that you observe and obey the signages..

[Audio] Safe Work Procedures are documented sequence of steps on how to perform a task safely. The purpose of safe work procedures is to reduce the risk to health and safety and reduce the likelihood of an injury, by ensuring that you know how to work safely when carrying out the tasks involved in your jobs. You will learn about the safe work procedures that are associated with your work during the job training or job orientation, and it is your duty to follow the procedures as they are written. In situations where you are unable to follow the procedure, you should stop work and highlight your concerns to your supervisor. You should not deviate from the procedure without approval..

[Audio] Machine-related accidents are a leading cause of major workplace injuries. When working with machines, be mindful of mechanical hazards created by moving parts such as rotating gears, belts and cylinders, as they will expose you to body injuries such as cut, abrasions and bruises. Mechanical injuries may also result in severe injuries that could lead to amputations. Entanglement is one of the more common caused of mechanical injuries, where loose clothing or gloves are caught by the moving parts of the machine. To reduce the risk of entanglement, be appropriately attired and not wear loose clothing when you are operating machines. Do not wear gloves when operating machines with rotating parts, especially drilling machines, as the likelihood of the gloves getting caught by the rotating drill bit is high..

[Audio] Here are some additional guidelines on preventing machine hazards: When working with machines, you should not tamper with or misuse the safety devices, such as machine guarding and safety sensors. Such devices are meant to protect the users. Use only machines and equipment that you are trained on. Do not operate machines if you are not feeling well, as it may affect your movement and concentration. Do not leave machines that are in operations unattended. Turn off the machine if you need to leave the worksite. When you need to inspect the machine, ensure that is has come to a COMPELTE STOP before attending to it..

[Audio] Another safety measure on working with machines is the Lock-Out, Tag Out or LOTO for short, safety procedure. The LOTO system is a lock and tag process to prevent accidental activation of power to a machine or equipment. This procedure is mandated by law to ensure work such as inspection, servicing, repair, trouble shooting, or cleaning can be safely performed. The LOTO procedure can only be carried-out by trained and authorized personnel and certain groups of employees will receive separate training on the system. If you see a lock-out tagged on a switch, do not attempt to turn on the switch or remove the tag..

[Audio] As an employee of AEM, you are responsible for your own safety and the safety of others. This means that you should not engage in any unsafe acts. Unsafe acts are performed any time an employee fails to abide by safety rules and protocols. These actions include fighting, horseplay, or performing a job without the necessary safety equipment. By law, you are obligated to not undertake any unsafe act which may endanger the safety and health of yourself and others. You should also report any unsafe act or conditions and tools to your supervisors, as they may result in serious workplace injuries..

[Audio] Personal hygiene is another aspect of workplace health and safety. You should wash your hands thoroughly before meals and leaving work, especially if you work with chemical or other hazardous materials. Practice the proper steps of hand washing to reduce the likelihood of cross contamination. You should also eat only at designated areas, such as the pantry, to keep your work area clean..

[Audio] Effective housekeeping can eliminate many workplace hazards, such as falling tools and loose cables, and help get work done safely and properly. Housekeeping is not just cleanliness. It includes keeping work areas neat and orderly, maintaining halls and floors free of slip and trip hazards, and removing of waste materials and other fire hazards from work areas. Good housekeeping is also a basic part of incident and fire prevention, and this includes ensuring the passageway are free of obstruction and have at least an access distance of 1.2-meter for people to escape safely during emergencies. As such, you should not put or store any things along the passageway.

[Audio] All near misses, injuries, incidents and accidents, no matter how small, need to be reported to the supervisor or safety representative immediately. This is to protect everyone from the hazard and prevent future accident from happening. You may feel that there is no need to report near misses or minor injuries, or that the accident is a result of your carelessness, and it would not happen to anyone else. But you never know when something that seems minor will develop into something more serious. There are also always lessons that can be learned, even from just minor injuries, to prevent others from occurring in the future..

[Audio] First aid in the workplace is of the utmost importance as ensure an injured person receives proper medical care until the full medical treatment arrives. Here in A E M, we have a group of colleagues who are first aid trained, and you should contact them first when you encounter any accident that requires immediate medical attention. The contact details of the first aider can be found next to the first aid box at every level. It is important for you to know where the list is as every second counts when responding to emergencies..

[Audio] Fire represents one of the biggest workplace safety threats which can results in extensive property damage and serious injuries. Here is what you need to know about AEM's fire emergencies procedures. Fire drills are conducted annually to familiarize employees on the response procedures. To reduce the likelihood of fire caused by cigarettes and other smoking-related items, smoking is not permitted at the work premises. When you encounter a fire, one of the first things you need to do is to activate the fire alarm point to alert others in the area. To extinguish a small fire, look for such signages to locate the fire fighting equipment. However, if you are not familiar in using the equipment, you should not attempt to use them as you may injure yourself, others or make the fire worse. If you encounter a big fire, you should evacuate the premises immediately and leave the fire fighting to the fire department. If the main exit out of the area is blocked, look out of the Escape Route signs which will tell you where the location of the nearest emergency exit..

[Audio] While we have been able to maintain a high level of safety in AEM, it does not mean that we should let our guard down and take safety for granted. When we are not conscientious about safety and lack the discipline in applying safe practices, it will lead to an unsafe workplace culture and risky work environment. Next up, you will see some examples of actual hazards that are observed in AEM. They remind us that safety cannot be assumed..

[Audio] The exposed wires in these two examples are tripping hazard. The hazard mitigation for such hazard is to tape the wires to the floor or hide them under floor wire covers..

[Audio] This opened panel doors may expose users of the equipment or passer by to electrical hazards. The doors should be close and properly lock..

[Audio] Flammable substances should not be kept in the open as they will easily ignite fire. The chemical in these substances are also harmful to health. To mitigate the risk of using these substances, segregate them from other materials and stored them in fire resistant cabinet that can contain spillages..

[Audio] The areas around the electrical boxes should be kept clear and not use for storage, as spark from exposed wires or short circuit may land on the items and start a fire. Equipment and material should be kept at designated storage area..

[Audio] This is an example of poor housekeeping, which could result in tripping, falling-object and fire hazards. The mitigation action is to establish a proper housekeeping process to manage the storage and movement of material, which will help in maintaining an orderly, tidy, and safe working environment..

[Audio] If you are working at height, you will need to put on fall arrest protective equipment that restrict your fall and prevent you from colliding with the ground..

[Audio] Unsafe use of ladder could lead to fall risk. Before using a ladder, inspect it for loose parts or damages. Do not climb or sit on the top two steps as it can easily cause you to lose balance..

[Audio] Fire-Fighting Equipment and Access need to be clear of obstruction in order to not hinder fire fighting effort. Equipment and material should be kept at designated storage area..

[Audio] We have come to the end of this video, and we hope that you now have a better understanding of the essential information surrounding workplace safety in the company. We like to leave you with this message that safety is everyone's responsibility, and a safe workplace must be the goal of all employees in AEM..