Workplace Hazards and Safety Quiz

Hazard Types

• Concealed: Not immediately obvious (e.g., electricity, toxic vapors).
• Developing: Becomes apparent over time (e.g., worn tires, cables).
• Transient: Intermittent or temporary (e.g., machinery overload, expired permits).
• Behavioral: Human actions creating hazards (e.g., horseplay, leaving objects in pathways).

Incident Causation

• Unsafe Behaviors: Operating without authority, failing to warn, working at unsafe speeds, making safety devices inoperative, using unsafe equipment, using unsafe postures, working on moving/energized equipment, horseplay, failure to use PPE.
• Unsafe Conditions: Improper guarding, defective equipment, inadequate warning devices, hazardous arrangement or storage, improper illumination, improper ventilation.

Health Hazards

• Physical: Noise, heat, radiation, vibration, pressure, machinery, electricity.
• Chemical: Gases, vapors, acids, alkali, poisons, aerosols, irritants.
• Biological: Pathogens, fungi, micro-organisms.
• Psychosocial: Stress, social problems, accidents, fear of failure, retrenchment.
• Ergonomic: Workplace design, workstation layout, excessive manual handling, tool design.

Safety Hazards

• Mechanical: Cuts, entanglement.
• Heights: Falling objects.
• Electrical: Shock, burns.
• Fire/Explosion: Burns, injury, death.
• Confined Space: Poisoning.

HIRAC

• Hazard Identification: Process to identify hazards (e.g., risk analysis, workplace inspection, safety audits, job safety analysis, feedback from workers, observations, specialist advice, accident records, MSDS/CSDS).
• Risk Analysis: Assessment of the possibility of injury or harm from a hazard.

Risk Definition

• Risk: The chance of being harmed or experiencing an adverse health effect when exposed to a hazard.
• Severity: The adverse effect of a hazard on a worker.
• Likelihood: The chances of a hazard occurring.

Risk Rating Matrix

• Low Risk: Existing controls sufficient; no additional action needed unless risk increases.
• Moderate Risk: Further action required to minimize risk.
• High Risk: Immediate action is necessary to minimize risk. Continuously review and manage the risk.

Risk Assessment

• Prioritizing hazards into groups.
• Selecting groups for risk elimination, reduction, and control.

Risk Control

• Measures to eliminate or reduce the risk of exposure to a hazard.

Control Measures

• Elimination or Inactivation: Stopping the hazard at the source (engineering controls), along the path to the worker (administrative controls), or at the worker level (PPE, least desirable).
• Risk Elimination: Best solution, however, not always practical (e.g., substituting lead-based paint with water-based paint).
• Risk Minimization: Reducing the number of people exposed or the intensity of exposure to the hazard.
• Substitution: Changing hazardous materials with safer alternatives.

Engineering Controls

• Redesign: Modifying equipment or processes to eliminate or reduce hazards.
• Barriers: Physical barriers to separate workers from hazards.
• Isolation: Enclosing or separating hazardous areas or equipment.
• Absorption: Using materials to absorb hazardous energy.
• Automation: Using machines to replace manual tasks that pose risks.
• Dilution: Reducing the concentration of hazards in the air.

Monitoring Controls

• Ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of control measures.

HIRAC Sample

• Example Process: Alkali Preparation (ER)
• Potential Hazard: Heavy lifting of materials exceeding 25 kg.
• Identified Hazard: Disc bulged, muscle strain.
• Risk Level: Low (Likelihood 2, Severity 1).
• Control Measures: Proper lifting techniques training, maximum weight limit of 25 kg for bags.

Review and Check

• Reviewing the effectiveness of the safety risk management process and evaluating new hazards or technology.

Principles of Risk Management

• Accept and consider all risks.
• Prioritize risks based on their level (high, moderate, low).
• Manage risks effectively.
• Integrate risk management into all planning activities.

Benefits of JSA/HIRAC

• Improve quality, maintain a healthy workforce, reduce injury and illness rates, increase acceptance of high-turnover jobs, boost employee morale, reduce worker’s compensation costs, and assist with regulatory compliance.

Your Role in Safety

• Participate in safety training.
• Report hazards, incidents, and near misses.
• Maintain a safety attitude.
• Ask for help.

General Safety Rules

• Obey all warning signs.
• Follow all safety procedures.
• Do not take shortcuts.
• Do not engage in horseplay.
• Use common sense.

Identifying Safety Hazards

• Be observant for safety hazards.
• Fix what you can.
• Report what you can’t fix.
• Offer suggestions for safety improvements.

Good Housekeeping

• Keep work areas well-maintained.
• Encourage a safe environment.
• Practice 5S compliance (sort, set in order, shine, standardize, sustain).

Fire Response

• Know the location of fire extinguishers.
• Use the right extinguisher for the job.
• Know how to use an extinguisher (pull the pin, aim at the base of the fire, squeeze the trigger, sweep back and forth).

Accident Response

• Summon professional help (or inform supervisor).
• Contact the in-house emergency contact.
• Provide emergency first aid.
• Report the incident.
• Maintain proper records.
• Cooperate with the investigation.

Electrical Hazards

• DO: Use plugs that fit the outlet, check wire and cord insulation, ensure electrical connections are tight, keep flammables away from outlets, keep clear access to electrical boxes.
• DON’T: Overload outlets, fasten chords with staples or nails, run cords through water, touch cords with wet hands, use damaged cords, use ungrounded cords or remove the grounding prong from a three-pronged plug.

Key Points

• Play your role in safety and security.
• Look for and report hazards.
• Use common sense.
• Respond safely to emergencies.
• Follow workplace safety procedures.