Safety & Health in the Stone Crushing Industry - Occupational ...

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Eulogy
Mr. M. Nithiyananthan, the nodal investigator on the safety
components of this project, tragically passed away in
January 2009, before he could see this wonderful
publication in print.
Nithi, as he was affectionately called by his colleagues,
was unusual in many ways. His main profession, that of a
safety engineer at the Chennai Port Trust, was one that
demanded strict enforcement often to the annoyance of his
workers. He was known as a man of action during his
career. After his retirement, he engaged in safety
assessments with such a degree of compassion that it
would be hard to capture his enthusiasm in a few
paragraphs. He was very gratified that all the knowledge he
had painstakingly acquired but yet could only use for
enforcement at one organization could finally find a place in
the academic or awareness raising domains of safety
engineering. He wanted this wealth of information accrued
during routine project assessments be compiled in
systematic ways and made available freely so that the
wheel doesn’t have to be reinvented repeatedly.
The present findings in the stone quarrying sector represent one of his best such efforts. He wanted to
“show and tell” how things could be improved at little cost but huge savings for health and life. He
endured extreme temperatures, swaying temperaments of owners and workers, hazardous work place
conditions with extra-ordinary patience just so that the unsafe conditions could be showcased and
eventually done away with. He has meticulously documented the hazards and listed the accompanying
solutions through a masterly photo collection.
The project staff will remember his efforts with heartfelt gratitude not only for the scientific contributions
but also for serving as a role model for human compassion and dedication. We dedicate this manual in
his loving memory.
Kalpana Balakrishnan
Department of Environmental Health Engineering
Sri Ramachandra University
Chennai, India