Safety Engineering

SAFETY ENGINEERING, a technical discipline; having as its task the struggle with industrial injuries (see). Safety engineering in Soviet conditions sharply differs from safety engineering in capitalist countries in that 1) it is with us a technical prevention being introduced into production itself, and not a protective technique dealing only with weakening the dangers inherent in production, which are considered basically as if not eliminable; 2) it is directed toward participating in the general work of creating conditions ensuring maximum labor productivity, whereas in the West it falls into the category of abstract 'social technique,' i.e., technique that does not produce real values. The introduction of safety engineering principles into production itself requires thorough study of technological processes, in connection with which in the USSR a network of scientific research institutes for labor health improvement has been created, which also includes questions of safety engineering. These institutes have carried out a series of works combining questions of productivity with labor safety. Thus, for example, the Central Institute of Labor Health Improvement (together with the Institute of Agricultural Machinery) carried out work on changing the design of the combine, as a result of which the dangers and harmfulness inherent in the ordinary combine were sharply reduced. At the same time, tests in operation also showed its increased productivity. The development of measures for safety engineering requires preliminary study of materials on injuries in order to identify all factors causing or contributing to the occurrence of accidents. Safety engineering in this part, on one hand, relies on statistics, and on the other hand on a number of technical methods for studying the causes of injuries. Basically, these causes can be divided into three groups: 1) the external (material) working conditions, 2) the organization of work, and 3) the actions and condition of workers. Along all three of these lines, measures for safety engineering are carried out. In the area of external working conditions, the influence on injuries of sanitary-hygienic conditions should be noted (insufficient lighting, increased or decreased temperature and humidity, harmful vapors and gases, dust, sharp industrial noises). Defects of this kind, being harmfulness, at the same time increase danger, adversely affecting the condition of workers. Thus, in this area safety engineering merges with industrial sanitation and industrial-sanitary technique. In contrast to this, technical defects directly cause accidents, and measures directed at these defects completely fall within the sphere of safety engineering. Here the objects of safety engineering's influence are the entire production process as a whole and the equipment, starting from the enterprise territory to hand tools. Organizational-technical measures include: technical supervision, mechanization of dangerous labor processes, transfer of these processes from a dangerous zone to a safe one, struggle with counter-movements (flow production), devices for work safety, organization of the workplace, etc. Finally, influence on the workers themselves includes: individual protective devices (see Protective devices in production), instruction and training, signaling, propaganda of safety engineering, etc. In the last two points, as well as in professional selection, safety engineering comes into contact with psychotechnology and with medicine, since a number of physical defects can in themselves be a source of increased danger under certain conditions (see Professional selection). Main problems of safety engineering. Power economy. Steam boilers are typical representatives of the group of production units giving explosion danger. Over a series of years, the design of boilers has changed in the direction of maximum safety. At the same time, requirements for the quality of material (boiler steel) have been raised, for which certain technical specifications have been developed. When calculating a boiler, a very high safety factor is always taken. The quality of the material is checked in laboratories by means of a series of experiments on it. The experiment is constantly repeated and during boiler operation in case of doubt about the condition of the material (samples are cut out and examined in the laboratory). Periodic testing of boilers with hydraulic pressure is also an experiment. Along with this, observation of the condition of the boiler is carried out in the form of periodic internal and external inspections, performed by technical supervision. The replacement of riveting of boilers with electric welding has changed the methods of studying the quality of seams, and into production itself is introduced a radiological laboratory, determining the quality of the seam by means of fluoroscopy. Along with all this, the boiler is equipped with a number of safety devices (pressure gauge, safety valves, water level gauges), ensuring the safety of its operation. To ensure proper care for the boiler, on which its safety depends, the law has established mandatory training for firemen. As a result of the comprehensive implementation of all these measures, the danger of boiler explosion has now been reduced to a minimum. Similar measures are carried out with respect to other devices operating under pressure of steam or gases (steam receivers, autoclaves, cylinders with compressed gases, etc.). As for engines, their danger has also been reduced to a minimum due to improvement of design, isolation from the general mass of workers by installation in a special room, preparation of qualified personnel, and installation of guards for dangerous parts. Otherwise the matter stands with the transmission of energy by means of mechanical drive (transmissions), in all parts representing danger to workers. Measures directed here to achieve safety are as follows: isolation of the drive from the general mass of workers by installing it at a corresponding height from the floor, guarding of belts, guarding of protruding parts on the drive, supply of operating personnel with special clothing (coveralls) and special ladders for climbing onto the drive, training of personnel. The most radical measure ensuring safety is the replacement of the transmission with electric transmission of energy, in which at the same time the sanitary conditions are improved (lighting, air cleanliness, etc.).-In the area of lifting devices, the same methods of safety engineering are applied as for steam boilers: safe design, calculation with increased safety factor, periodic testing with increased load, technical supervision and safety devices (for elevators-automatic catchers in case of rope breakage, and for cranes-automatic height limiter for load lifting). For the simplest lifting devices, such as a winch, a change in design of the ordinary handle to a safe one is also required. In the group of executive mechanisms, safety engineering strives to achieve maximum safety by constructive means (replacement of dangerous transmission parts with individual electric motors, placement of dangerous parts inside the machine frame, etc.). At the same time, a number of design requirements are imposed on the working parts of machines, for example on starting devices. With respect to those dangerous parts that cannot be redesigned, guards are applied, i.e., such details that do not perform production functions, but serve only to prevent accidents. An important condition for the effectiveness of guards is their constructiveness, i.e., their connection with the general design of the machine (lathe). Otherwise the guard will be an ugly appendage which will soon be removed by the worker. A second condition is the automatic action of the guard, for which it is connected with the moving parts of the machine in such a way that it is impossible to start it without putting the guard in place. The second condition cannot always be fulfilled. Finally, a third condition is the connection of the guard with the technological and labor process, otherwise it will be an obstacle in work.- A special group of executive mechanisms are those in which there is flying of particles threatening damage to the eyes (grinding machines with artificial wheels, woodworking machines, etc.). Safety engineering in these cases uses local exhaust ventilation, which completely removes flying particles in woodworking machines, and in grinding machines changes their trajectory of flight. In the latter case, protective screens of glass still have to be installed or workers supplied with protective glasses. It should be noted that with respect to tool grinding machines, an organizational-technical measure plays a large role for safety-centralization of tool grinding, concentrating dangers and thereby making it possible to take more effective measures against them. In the area of manual work, measures for safety engineering are least developed, although here too, besides mechanization, there is the possibility by means of various devices to make work safer.

The most manual tool can be rationalized for safety purposes with a simultaneous increase in productivity. - With respect to explosives and easily flammable substances, a number of specific measures are applied in safety engineering, such as: storage of easily flammable liquids under a layer of inert gas; reduction of O₂ content in the air contained in the apparatus; special safe storage for explosives; safety devices limiting the spread of explosion or flash; hermetic fittings for electrical devices, etc. All of the above devices can provide proper effectiveness under two conditions: 1) proper supervision and 2) mastery of safety engineering by workers. For the latter purpose, extensive training and instruction of workers in the field of safety engineering must be carried out. - Specific safety engineering measures in mining and oil extraction - see the relevant industries.