Occupational Health and Safety: Hazard Identification

• Occupational Health and Safety II, Section 1 training will cover hazard and risk differences.
• Training will cover how to identify and analyze workplace hazards and risks.
• The training will address personal risk tolerance and risk reduction methods.
• The training will cover identifying safety and health hazard types for a given job task.

Risk Assessment Definition

• Risk assessment is a systematic evaluation to identify workplace hazards.
• Risk assessment estimates the extent of the risks involved in work activities.

Risk Management Process

• Involves identifying hazards, and finding associated risks.
• Involves evaluating and controlling risks.
• Involves monitoring and reviewing the risk.

Identifying Hazards: Step One

• Involves looking for unsafe conditions and acts.
• Identify hazards before you start a task and evaluate the risks and what can hurt coworkers
• Consider how to prevent being hurt in a task

Methods of Identifying Hazards

• Health & safety audits.
• Academic journals.
• Research papers.
• Consultation with other co-workers.
• Accident reports.
• Trade organizations.
• HSE statistics.
• Similar Institutions.
• Outside Advice (manufacturers of equipment and materials).
• Internal Advice (Safety & Health Services).

Hazard Classifications

• Mechanical: Sharp points & edges, overload.
• Electrical: Insulation damaged or cover broken.
• Biological: Exposed, airborne/blood borne microorganism.
• Chemical: Exposure to carcinogens chemical
• Ergonomics: Expose to unnatural postures
• Psychological: Stress or violent at workplace

Hazard Examples

• Chemical & Dust: cleaning products, pesticides, asbestos.
• Biological: mold, insects/pests, communicable diseases.
• Work Organization: Things that cause STRESS!
• Safety: slips, trips and falls, faulty equipment.
• Ergonomic: repetition, lifting, awkward postures.
• Physical: noise, temperature extremes, radiation.

Factors to Consider in the Work Environment

• Adequate access to and from the workplace
• Uncontaminated air in the work space
• Enclosed work spaces where people do not normally work (defined in standards)
• Temperature extremes including contact with hot/cold objects, hyperthermia/hypothermia, or fire
• Adequate illumination
• Freedom from bullying, workplace violence, shift work and excessive work loads
• Adequate water supply

Forms of Energy to Consider

• Electrical: contact with exposed wires and high voltage.
• Gravity: falls, trips, and slips, working at heights, and falling objects..
• Kinetic: The body hitting objects, being hit by moving objects, explosions, and penetrating objects.
• Vibration: vibration to parts or the whole body.
• Acoustic/Noise: exposure to single, sudden, or long term noise.
• Pressure: Pressure in hydraulic and pneumatic systems

Biological Hazards

• Bacterial, fungal, viral, parasitic, or human/animal tissue/fluids blood products

Mechanical Hazards

• Vehicles: Being caught between, struck by or against vehicles, includes fork lifts.
• Mobile and Fixed Plant: Being caught between, struck by or against plant (defined in legislation)
• Powered Equipment: Includes electrical or fuel powered equipment, tools and appliances
• Non-Powered Equipment: Includes non-powered hand tools, appliances and equipment

Chemical Hazards

• Flammable: Chemicals which burn.
• Corrosive: Chemicals which will corrode tissue or metals.
• Toxic: Chemicals which will poison a worker.
• Oxidizers: Chemicals which will provide oxygen to a fire, or react readily.
• Compressed Gases: Gases which are under high pressure.

Hazard Identification

• Hazards should be looked for in advance
• Ensure workplace safety and health by identifying and addressing potential hazards.

Step Two: Identify Who or What Might Be Harmed

• Consider: Employees, Contractors, Visitors, General public, Children, People who share the workplace
• Consider vulnerable groups (people with disabilities, pregnant staff, people with little experience or training).
• Consider: who is at risk and find the risks from each hazard

Step Three: Evaluate the Risks

• Includes risk analysis and risk evaluation
• Hazards and hazardous situations are systematically identified in the risk analysis step
• The level of risk associated with each hazard or situation is estimated
• A judgement is made as to whether the level of risk is acceptable or tolerable.

Risk Assessment

• The process of evaluating the risk to safety & health from hazards at work
• Types of Risk Assessment- Qualitative, Semi-quantitative, Quantitative

How to Assess Risk

• Look for the Hazards
• Decide who might be harmed & how
• Evaluate the risk and check what is done to prevent it from happening
• Record finding
• Review assessment and revise if necessary

Types of Risk Assessment

• Should have Job Safety Analysis (JSA)
• Describe job in less than 10 steps
• List things that can go wrong. Eg; Changing a Car Wheel
• Table scales for likelihood and severity

Qualitative Risk Assessment

• Uses a Risk Matrix
• Includes table scales for likelihood and severity
• Factors of note can be Fatality, Major injuries, Minor injuries, or First aid or near misses

Qualitative Severity Categories

• First Aid
• Less than 4 days M/C
• More than 4 days M/C
• Fatality & Permanent Disability

Qualitative Likelihood Occurrence

• Yearly
• Monthly
• Weekly
• Daily

Qualitative Risk Table Considerations

• Based on Likelihood and Severtity
• Factors V / Likely, Likely, Unlikely, H/Unlikely

Quantitative Risk Assessment

• In cases where hazards are numerous and complex, including in Chemical process plants and Petro-chemical facilities

Step Four: Controlling The Risks

• Requires elimination/substitution (Most Effective) to personal protective equipment (Least Effective
• These are requires of a physical change to the workplace (Engineering Controls) and administrative controls including workplaces

Actions & Recommendations

• EL- Eliminate, SL- Substitute, IS- Isolation, EC- Engineering Control, AC - Administration Control, PPE- Personal Protection Equipment
• EL - stop work, cover hazard…, SL - use other route, other material.., IS - put up temporary barrier,…, EC - construct permanent wall,..
• AC - put up notice, job rotation,…, PPE - gloves, respirator,……

Controlling The Risks Includes

• Elimination of the hazard ("do I have to do this?").
• Substitution of less hazardous materials or equipment.
• Physical safeguards like machinery guarding and extraction systems.
• The utilization of Personal Protective Equipment.
• Following safe working procedures.
• Any combination of the above

Engineering Controls

• Aim to control the hazard at the source
• They limit the hazard but doesn’t entirely remove it.
• Proper equipment
• Re-designed Tools
• Local Exhaust
• Other Examples: Mechanic Guards, Wet Methods for Dust, Enclosures/Isolation, Dilution Ventilation

Administrative Controls

• Aimed at reducing the employee exposure to hazards but not removing them.
• Includes Changes in work procedures such as written safety policies/rules
• Includes Schedule changes such as lengthened or additional rest breaks, job rotation, Adjustable Work Pace
• Includes Training with the goal of reducing the duration, frequency and severity of the exposure to hazards

PPE Controls

• Consist of personal protective equipment
• Special Clothing, Eye Protection, Hearing Protection, Respiratory Protection
• PPE controls are the Control of LAST RESORT!
• Control is at the worker

Methods for Maintaining Safe Workplaces

• Ensuring the provision and maintenance of safe machines and systems.
• Organizing the safe use of dangerous goods and hazardous chemicals.
• Controlling hazards such as dust, noise, and fumes.
• Providing hygiene facilities such as toilets and change rooms to promote basic worker health
• Promoting hygienic work practices.
• Providing information on hazards to ensure all employees have a clear understanding.
• Providing instruction, training and supervision to employees.
• Regular monitoring and record keeping relating to employee health and work are safety
• Supporting an injured employee’s return to work.

Completing The Risk Assessment

• Writing safe working procedures or instructions
• General procedures may be in local rules while Specific procedures must be included in the risk assessment

Other Key Considerations in Evaluating Risks

• Industry standards, legal requirements, and precautions already taken
• Cost (so far as is reasonably practical)
• Different working conditions i.e. weather, Numbers of people at risk, Severity of injury, Probability
• Length of exposure/frequency

Recording a Risk Assessment

• A description of the area or task.
• The hazards that personnel may be exposed to; Details of the personnel who may be exposed to the hazards; Details of which hazards are significant and those which are acceptable (and why).
• The precautions in place, or to be put in place, to reduce the significant hazards to acceptable levels; How the precautions are to be maintained (management of systems, inspection of physical precautions etc)
• Details of additional risk assessments i.e. hazardous substances; Emergency Procedures; Details of person completing the risk assessment; Details of person countersigning the risk assessment
• Date, school or group, location details etc.

Evaluate the Risks

• Includes a Matrix on the form for both the risk before and after control measures
• Consider actions than can be taken to further lower a risk and what can cause financial loss

Risk tables

• Include Consequence, Likelihood, and ratings of Low, Medium, High based on the factors involved

Step Five: Monitoring and Review

• What was your assessment of the situation? What risks you identified? What were the identified controls? What can be shared with others? Share learnings at post outage meetings, team meetings, etc. Participate in injury prevention activities on and off the job

Injury Prevention Activities

• JSAs/Procedures, Engineering/Design, Training, Housekeeping, Inspections/Audits, Safety meetings

Legal Summary

• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 2012, every Employer shall make a suitable assessment of risks

Risk Assessment Strategy

• Identify the hazards, evaluate the risks and detail the control measures required

Summary of Key Recording Areas

• What the task is Who is responsible/supervisor Where the risk assessment applies, who is affected List of hazards; List of precautions
• Details of safe working procedures
• Emergency procedures
• Reference to other associated risk assessments i.e. Working in height, manual handling, PPE etc.
• Elimination of hazard, Reduce by substitution (materials, equipment etc), Physical safeguards (machinery guarding, extraction etc)
• Personal Protective Equipment, Safe working procedures, Combination of above

A Case Study

• The Health and Safety Executive inspected a university after a case of occupational asthma, issuing an "Improvement Notice" for risk assessments.
• A project studying poultry (approx 12 years), a staff member did not use respiratory protection, leading to "occupational asthma."
• The HSE concluded the risk assessment was not “suitable and sufficient."
• The activity’s risk assessment did not consider occupational asthma; no respiratory protection or lung function tests were carried out.
• The HSE concluded the management should have ensured appropriate precautions and a lack of an effective risk system.
• The HSE considered a prosecution
• Examples - Compensations, and loss of business

Other key factors in case studies

• Ordering from bad suppliers
• Wooden damaged pallet of sulfuric acid loosley placed
• Pallet appears damp