Published on July 11, 2023
Safety Interventions at the Test and Repair Centre at the Mahape Head Office
The Centre conducts repairs & testing of electronic equipment for VSAT systems and conducts pre-dispatch inspection of the equipment. A team of 10 people operate this department. An evaluation conducted by the Tata Business Excellence team as part of their safety interventions at Nelco, revealed multiple areas of potential risks to personnel and equipment:
| No. | Observation | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Personnel seating close to high voltage electrical panel | Electrical flash-over |
| 2 | Inadequate insulation on work tools | Risk of electrical shock/damage to equipment |
| 3 | Use of industrial alcohol in close proximity to the soldering workstation | Fire |
| 4 | Absence of protection to personnel from inhaling fumes during soldering activity | Health |
| 5 | Unstructured electrical cabling | Injury due to electrical shock & fire |
The safety committee at Nelco noted the risks and undertook actions for a complete revamp of this Centre, ensuring that each safety aspect was addressed.
Health-related risks:
- Installation of fume extractors: This helped in absorbing toxic soldering fumes from the air and purifying them by passing them through a multi-filtration system, including electro-static filters for micron-level particle extraction.
- Training was provided to personnel to sensitise them on health risks associated with inhalation of the fumes.
- Technicians were provided with N95 masks for additional protection.
Electrical Risks:
- Revamping of the location of the Centre to ensure adherence to safety guidelines.
Risks of damage to equipment from static electricity
- Installation of electro-static flooring and use of static protective gowns: This helped in preventing the equipment from damage due to static discharge.
Health risk:
- Installation of fume extraction and filtration system to ensure that fumes generated during the soldering of electronic equipment are safely handled, posing no risk to the health of the personnel.
Electrical risk:
- Installation of RCCB in the electrical panel to detect any residual current and tripping the electrical power to the workbenches, limiting fire risk.
