The Importance of Job Safety Analysis (JSA) in Accident Prevention and Improved Production

On the morning of December 3, 1984, over 40 tons of methyl isocyanate (MIC) and other lethal gases, including hydrogen cyanide, leaked into the northern end of Bhopal, killing more than 3,000 people in its aftermath. After the accident, it was discovered that the protective equipment that could have halted the impending disaster was not in full working order. The refrigeration system that should have cooled the storage tank was shut down, the scrubbing system that should have absorbed the vapor was not immediately available, and the flare system that would have burned any vapor that got past the scrubbing system was out of order.

The International Medical Commission visited Bhopal to assess the situation and found that as many as 50,000 other people had been exposed to the poisonous gas and may still suffer disability as a result. This disaster shocked the world. Union Carbide Corporation, the owner of the chemical plant in Bhopal, India, where the incident occurred, was accused of many things, including the following:

• Criminal negligence
• Corporate prejudice.Choosing poverty-stricken Bhopal, India, as the location for a hazardous chemical plant on the assumption that few would care if something went wrong.
• Putting its chemical plant in Bhopal, India, to avoid the stricter safety and health standards of the United States and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in particular.

In February 1989, India’s Supreme Court ordered Union Carbide India Ltd. to pay $470 million in compensatory damages. The funds were paid to the Indian government to be used to compensate the victims.

Based on the above incident, top management commitment to safety and safety culture as well as safety leadership were clearly not in place at Union Carbide India.

Sub-questions:

• Define safety culture and discuss each of the main elements of safety culture (20 marks).
• Discuss the typical roadmap (approach, strategies & action plans) for an organization to achieve and sustain a positive HSE culture (20 marks).
• Using your own organization or any other organization you are familiar with, discuss how your leaders demonstrate their safety leadership characteristics – provide adequate specific examples (20 marks).

Job Safety Analysis (JSA) is an analytical tool that can improve a company’s overall performance by identifying and correcting undesirable events that could result in accidents, illnesses, injuries, and reduced quality and production. It is an employer/employee participation program in which job activities are observed; divided into individual steps; discussed; and recorded with the intent to identify, eliminate, or control undesirable events.

Considered as the “heart” of a safety management system, a well-organized and maintained JSA program can have a very beneficial effect on accident prevention, improved production, and product quality. Responsibility for this program, as with any other program, must start at the top and be conveyed to all employees.

Task:

You are to perform a job safety analysis (JSA) and subsequently prepare a detailed “hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control” (HIRARC) matrix table for major process activities in the following businesses/industries: (All company based in Malaysia) personal opinion too.

• Food-based manufacturing – Nestlé (Malaysia) Berhad
• Waste management and disposal - Geocycle Malaysia
• Facility management at a general hospital -Pantai Medivest Sdn. Bhd or pick any
• Foundry workshop – Pick any company from malaysia

Assignment format:

• Introduction (you outline the problem, question, or issue you are discussing)
• Related literature (you cite the experts in addressing the question you pose)
• Your answers (you tie all ideas together and integrate with your findings)