What do you people working in safety engineering do all day long?
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I have only just started working; I spend my days sitting in front of the computer reading materials, most of which are in English and deal with theoretical topics. Since I didn’t study engineering during my bachelor’s or master’s degrees, I’m not very familiar with the work site. Reading theoretical material like this every day makes me feel a bit disconnected from reality. Most accidents in the country are still caused by human factors, and it seems that most factories have not yet realized the importance of intrinsic safety and multiple layers of protection; perhaps too much theoretical consideration is unnecessary. What are you doing, someone who works in process safety?
Hehe. . . It’s rare to see a master’s degree holder from a field other than safety or engineering working in safety. It is recommended to visit the site more often and ask questions to the employees on site without any sense of shame. At the same time, I intensively studied process knowledge. Hehe. . .
In terms of safety in production, the manufacturing process is the foundation, equipment provides the necessary safeguards, and familiarity with the actual site is a prerequisite for ensuring the safety of both the process and the equipment. For those who work in this field, it is necessary to become familiar with the relevant information as well as the site itself.
Thank you for the suggestion from the friend above. The work I do might be different from yours; it involves more theoretical aspects, and experiments are also required, with many large instruments in the laboratory. It involves studying the properties of materials, reaction characteristics, and combustion/explosion properties before a new process is developed; once a project is assigned, work on the process equipment also has to be carried out, so it’s quite complex.
Part of each working day is spent on on-site inspections to check for any safety hazards, while another part of the time is used to organize existing safety regulations. At present, theoretical knowledge is being studied; regularly, process specialists are brought in to explain the general process flow, and discussions are held with these specialists regarding safety measures. This post was last edited by limingshuguang on 2007-11-28 at 11:42
Are safety and the work site closely related, or is it best to focus more on practical considerations?
Well, yes, when it comes to safety, it’s best to base things on reality. Right now, security personnel are in a somewhat awkward position; those who have studied security in college know a lot of things but aren’t proficient in any of them. A major accident occurred, and a large group of experts was brought together to discuss it. You know nothing about safety; you probably don’t even understand the technical terms. It seems that China’s approach to security is more like a formality, lacking significant technical sophistication, and there is still much room for improvement.
My supervisor is in charge of chemical engineering at the junior college level; after graduating, he spent most of his time working in safety. He obtained an MBA from Shandong University a couple of years ago, and it will probably take some time before he completes his degree. He is also in charge of safety in our company. To be honest, he was given this role not because of his MBA degree, but due to his experience in safety matters. But to be honest, what’s most important isn’t how well the people in charge of safety perform, but rather the management’s attitude toward safety. In our company, for example, the equipment, pipelines, and personnel are not yet ready for operation, yet the management is eager to start working. As a result, no one dares to say no. It wasn’t even two days after operations began that there was a serious chlorine leak; after some repairs were carried out, they plan to start operating again tomorrow. My MBA supervisor never dared to say no to this; in his view, his leadership was always correct.
Hehe, that’s exactly it. It’s like a factory hired us to conduct a safety analysis for their plant expansion and renovation project; by the time we get our results, they have already started the renovation work on a full scale. All that is needed is our form, along with shared responsibility.
The safety efforts of enterprises cannot be ignored. At present, safety is not given high priority in many companies, yet it carries great responsibility; inadequate management and inspections, insufficient safety measures, and a lack of foresight can lead to accidents or incidents, for which accountability is inevitable. That’s why those working in safety must keep learning every day*. In addition to theoretical knowledge, it’s necessary to use hands, feet, eyes, and voice; one must not be afraid to speak up, and one’s eyes must stay focused on every movement, so that any issues can be identified promptly – daily on-site inspections are essential. One should apply theory to practice to ensure the safety of work in enterprises, and also pass on what has been learned to others, communicating more with them to achieve common safety and carry out work well.
Those in charge of safety don’t have an easy time; what companies really care about is efficiency. They claim that safety comes first, but when there’s a conflict between safety and production, production always takes precedence. There’s nothing that can be done about it; unless security has sufficient authority, otherwise nothing can be accomplished
As long as the preliminary work is done properly, those in charge of safety should have the least to do. If safety personnel are busy all day long with no time to rest, then there are problems with safety in your factory. Production is the earth; safety is the sky. There is no end to safety. This is just my personal opinion for reference only. :loveliness: :loveliness: