Table of Contents

1. Introduction 3
1.1. Subject of the report 3
1.2. Background of the report 3
1.3. Objectives of Report 3
1.4. Limitation and Scope of the investigation 3
1.5. Plan of Development 4
2. Methodology 4
2.1. Interview with the shift supervisor 4
2.2. Factory site visit 4
3. Unsafe conditions 4
3.1. Easy access to conveyor belts 4
3.2. Guard rails around moving machinery 4
3.3. Emergency stop buttons 5
4. Unsafe behaviours 5
4.1. Employee’s attitude towards safety 5
4.2. Method and time of payment 5
4.3. Safety precautions and standards in the factory 5
5. Conclusions 6
5.1. Easy access to the conveyor belts and moving machinery 6
5.2. Emergency stop buttons 6
5.3. Employee’s attitude towards safety 6
5.4. Methods and time of payment 6
5.5. Safety signs and standards 6
6. Recommendations 7
6.1. Adequate guard rails 7
6.2. Safety courses 7
6.3. Alternative payment method 7
6.4. Safety precautions and standards 7

1. Introduction
1.1. Subject of the report
This report describes conditions which affect safety in the steel factory and ways in which such conditions can be corrected. The report will be addressed to NOSA which is deeply concerned about the rising accidents in the work-place.
1.2. Background of the report
The National Occupational Safety Association (NOSA) is deeply concerned about the rising number of accidents in the work-places. It has requested all of its members to write reports about these accidents, causes and future preventative measures. For the purpose of this report, the incident that occurred at the steel factory was taken into consideration. The shift supervisor who witnessed this incident was interviewed to gain more incite on the matter.
1.3. Objectives of Report
The objectives of this report are to:
• To outline unsafe conditions in the factories
• Outline unsafe behaviours in the work-place
• To draw conclusions from the findings of the investigation
• Make recommendations on remedial actions to be taken to make conditions safer in the work place
1.4. Limitation and Scope of the investigation
Even though other things arose during the shift supervisor’s interview, the report will only address issues of unsafe conditions and behaviours in the factories as required by NOSA.

1.5. Plan of Development
This report begins with the brief method of how the investigation was carried-out. It then details unsafe conditions in the factories as obtained from the investigation before dealing with employee’s attitude towards safety. The conclusions are then drawn from the findings noted. Finally, recommendations are made based on the conclusions.
2. Methodology
2.1. Interview with the shift supervisor
A brief interview was conducted with Mr Jacobs, the shift supervisor who witnessed a near accident during his shift work. The safety incident involved a young steel worker who nearly lost his life in order to save his pay packet. Mr Jacobs’ eyewitness account was recorded onto tape for reference and proof.
2.2. Factory site visit
A short site visit was done in order to observe if there were any unsafe conditions or behaviours in the work place.
3. Unsafe conditions
3.1. Easy access to conveyor belts
During the site visit it was observed that there was easy access to the moving conveyor belt. It is well known that conveyor belts cause many fatalities in different factories and firms. The citing by the shift supervisor also confirmed that the employee was able to climb the conveyor belt without difficulty during the safety incident.
3.2. Guard rails around moving machinery
The guard rails around moving machinery were low (1.5m) to prevent human access to these machines. There were also no screens at the chute of the conveyor belts and the storage tank. These guards would normally prevent human from falling into the storage tank if on top of the conveyor belt. According to health and safety act (act NO.29 of 1996) the employer must take reasonably practicable measures to prevent persons from being injured as a result of any equipment being held by them coming into contact with or being drawn into any moving part of any machine. That means the employer must take necessary steps to make the employees safer around moving machinery.
3.3. Emergency stop buttons
There were no emergency stop buttons and trip wires available for moving machineries. The shift supervisor stated that he did not have panic buttons available to him to stop machinery in case of emergencies.
4. Unsafe behaviours
4.1. Employee’s attitude towards safety
The interviewed shift supervisor raised a concern that employees might not be taking safety seriously. The employee involved in the accident had five years experience and knew about the dangers of moving machinery. However, he still decided to climb the moving conveyor belt which could have got him killed.
4.2. Method and time of payment
The staff payments are done in a form of pay packets. These packets are issued in the morning of payday of the month. This makes workers to think too hard during working hours about what they are going to with money. This fact is supported by the shift supervisor who noted that the worker involved in an incident was placing some attention to his pay check rather than to his work.
4.3. Safety precautions and standards in the factory
It was realized that there was a lack of safety precautions in the work place. Workers do not perform safety risk assessments before commencing with their work. Safety standards are also not available to employees in order for them to read and understand them. A lack of safety signs was also noted.

5. Conclusions
The following conclusions have been drawn based on the information above.
5.1. Easy access to the conveyor belts and moving machinery
There are either no guards or low guard rails (less than 1.5m) around moving machinery and conveyor belts. Therefore there is no adequate restriction of human contact to these equipments during operation. These poses potential harm to individual working in the vicinity of this machines.
5.2. Emergency stop buttons
Since there are no emergency stop buttons for the moving machineries and trip wires for the conveyor belts, it can be concluded that the factory is not fully prepared in case of a crisis. The conveyor sometimes needs to be stopped suddenly, therefore all controls and pull cords need to be available, visible and accessible to anyone working in the area.
5.3. Employee’s attitude towards safety
The near accident noted in this report showed that some employees do not think about safety before acting. Climbing on top of the moving conveyor belt can be regarded as ignorance to ones well being or life.
5.4. Methods and time of payment
Method and time of payment were seen to be inappropriate since they result in a loss of focus to some employees. A complete concentration is required when working around dangerous moving machineries. Anything lowering the operators’ concentration is considered as a hazard and should be mitigated.
5.5. Safety signs and standards
There are no safety signs around moving machinery in order to remind staff of the potential hazards around those equipments. The employees also have no safety standards in place to guide their behaviour towards safety. Consequently, the employees are not safety conscious and are not aware of the seriousness of safety in the work place.

6. Recommendations
Based on the conclusions above, the following recommendations are made:
6.1. Adequate guard rails
All areas around moving machinery should be adequately guarded to prevent human contact. Pinch points and moving parts should also be properly guarded to prevent someone from accidentally placing a hand or loose piece of clothing in those dangerous spots.
6.2. Safety courses
Workers should be educated about safety; they should attend safety causes more regularly in order to make safety their habit. Workers should also be taught to report unsafe conditions or behaviour immediately to management in order to avoid accidents from happening.
6.3. Alternative payment method
Alternative method of payment should be implemented. Workers should receive their money electronically in order to ensure that they are not distracted during pay day.
6.4. Safety precautions and standards
Safety signs should be erected in the work place. For instance, the sign written “Do not climb, sit, stand, walk, ride, or touch the conveyor at any time” should be put in place in order remind employees to be safe. The employees should be made aware of the NOSA safety standards as well as safety regulations guiding the factories in order to guide their behaviour towards safety.