Occupational Safety and Environmental Safety for the Food Industry PDF

Occupational Safety and Environmental Safety for the Food Industry Jennifer Campbell Lecture 1 © Innopharma  Module Overview This module aims to provide the student with comprehension of Health and Safety in the manufacturing industry, including the nature of hazards & their control, bi...

Occupational Safety and Environmental Safety for the Food Industry Jennifer Campbell Lecture 1 © Innopharma  Module Overview This module aims to provide the student with comprehension of Health and Safety in the manufacturing industry, including the nature of hazards & their control, biosafety, risk assessment, waste management, with emphasis on legal requirements. 5 ECTS Module Breakdown 70% Final Exam – 2 hours – TBC January 2025 (In-person) 30% Continuous Assessment – MCQ – Saturday 9th November (Online) Lectures 5x Evenings 1x Saturday Contact Details: [email protected] © Innopharma 2  Module Learning Outcomes LO 1: Discuss the role and responsibilities of employees, employers and regulatory agencies under national and international legal frameworks. LO 2: Explain the types of information contained in a safety statement & discuss the steps in its preparation. LO 3: List the different types of hazards, there routes of exposure, personal protection equipment, along with describe the term safety data sheet and explain the information it contains. LO 4: Discuss both the causes and categories of biohazards and contaminants, the importance of cleaning, and review the different methods of sterilisation. LO 5: Explain the waste management hierarchy, along with discuss the role and function of regulatory agencies. LO 6: Describe how waste material is classified and explain the different methods of treating/disposing of gaseous, liquid and solid waste. © Innopharma  Module Learning Outcomes LO 1: Discuss the role and responsibilities of employees, employers and regulatory agencies under national and international legal frameworks. LO 2: Explain the types of information contained in a safety statement & discuss the steps in its preparation. LO 3: List the different types of hazards, there routes of exposure, personal protection equipment, along with describe the term safety data sheet and explain the information it contains. LO 4: Discuss both the causes and categories of biohazards and contaminants, the importance of cleaning, and review the different methods of sterilisation. LO 5: Explain the waste management hierarchy, along with discuss the role and function of regulatory agencies. LO 6: Describe how waste material is classified and explain the different methods of treating/disposing of gaseous, liquid and solid waste. © Innopharma  Lecture 1 Introduction to Occupational Safety and Legal Frameworks National and International Legal Frameworks Roles and Responsibilities of : Employees Employers Regulatory Agencies – HSA Safety Statements and Emergency Planning HSA Accident and Incident reporting © Innopharma  What do you think of when you hear "Occupational Health and Safety" © Innopharma Introduction © Innopharma  Legislation © Innopharma  Introduction H&S legislation in Ireland is lead by the EU EU Directives exist which are binding on the Irish state. Requirement: o implemented by a defined date and the ratified by Irish law © Innopharma Legislation in Ireland Environmental Protection Act 1992 o Aimed at safeguarding the environment o Covers discharge to local drains, rivers etc. o Empowers the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) © Innopharma Legislation in Ireland Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Biological Agents) Regulation 1994, Amended 1998 o Covers use of biological agents o Protects workers from risks associated with exposure to biological agents in the workplace. © Innopharma Legislation in Ireland Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Chemical Agents) Regulations 2001 (Plus Code of Practice 2002) o Covers employer’s duties to prevent, avoid and control risks whilst working with chemicals o Includes awareness training & emergency procedures © Innopharma Legislation in Ireland Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Carcinogens) Regulations 2001 o Covers employer’s responsibility relating to detailing risk assessments, substitution of chemicals, and health surveillance. © Innopharma Legislation in Ireland Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Signs) Regulation 1995 o Use of signage in the workplace. o Promoting safety and health in the workplace through effective signage. o Specific signs mandated to convey information about: o Hazards o Prohibitions o Mandatory actions o Emergency procedures o Other relevant safety information © Innopharma Legislation in Ireland Waste Management Act 1996, Revised 2023 o Covers all aspects of waste management, including disposal of hazardous waste. o Designed to address the growing challenges of waste generation and disposal. o Aims at promoting o Waste prevention o Recycling o Proper disposal practices © Innopharma Legislation in Ireland Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road Act 1998, amended 2006 o Covers all aspects of road transport including loading and unloading. o Safe transport of hazardous materials in Ireland by road. © Innopharma Legislation in Ireland Control of Noise at Work Regulation 2006 o Covers all aspects of workplace noise control. o Protects workers from risks associated with exposure © Innopharma Legislation in Ireland European Communities (Protection of Workers) (Exposure to Asbestos) (Amendment) Regulations 2006 o Safeguarding workers from the health risks associated with exposure to asbestos © Innopharma  Legislation in Ireland European Communities (Control of Major Accident Hazards Involving Dangerous Substances) Regulation 2006 o Aimed at preventing and mitigating the impact of major accidents involving dangerous substances o Requirements for operators of industrial establishments handling dangerous substances to ▪ assess and manage major accident risks ▪ develop safety reports ▪ establish emergency response plans ▪ notify competent authorities of any significant changes or incidents. © Innopharma Legislation in Ireland Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 replaces the 1989 Act o Significant piece of legislation in Ireland o Covers employer’s responsibility for the safety and well being of their workforce (safety statements, training, risk assessments etc.) © Innopharma  Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 replaces the 1989 Act o One of the most important pieces of legislation governing H&S in Ireland today. o The prevention of workplace accidents, illnesses and dangerous occurrences o Provides for significantly increased fines and penalties for those who don’t comply with H&S laws o Applies to ALL places of work & sets specific duties of: ▪ The employers ▪ The self employed ▪ Employees ▪ Designers ▪ Manufacturers ▪ And those who design and construct places of work © Innopharma  Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 replaces the 1989 Act Employers Responsibility o Design, provide and maintain a safe workplace via safe access and egress (way out) o Provide safe plant/ machinery and safe systems of work. o Prevent risk from use of substance or from exposure to physical agents, noise and any form of radiation. o Provides: ▪ Information ▪ Training ▪ Supervision regarding H&S to employees in a form and language that they are likely to understand. © Innopharma  Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 replaces the 1989 Act Employers Responsibility cont. o If 3 or more individuals are employed, the employer must prepare and review a safety statement. A safety statement is a written document which specifies how health and safety is going to be managed within the business. It is central to an organisations health and safety system. o An employer with ≤3 employee’s can meet the safety statement requirements by adhering to a special code of practice developed by the HSA. © Innopharma  Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 replaces the 1989 Act Employers Responsibility Cont. o Where hazards cannot be eliminated or fully controlled in the workplace, employers must provide appropriate PPE w/out charge. o Appoint a competent person to advise on compliance with H&S law. o Prepare and revise plans and procedures to be followed in the event of an emergency. o Report accidents and dangerous occurrences to the HSA. © Innopharma  Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 replaces the 1989 Act Employees Responsibility – They must: o Comply with relevant safety and health laws. o Co-operate with their employer/designated person wrt H&S at work. o Participate in any health and safety training provided. o Make proper use of PPE/ safety equipment provided. o Report any defects or work which might endanger H&S. o Employees must not intentionally or recklessly interfere with or misuse any equipment/PPE. o They must not engage in any improper conduct that would compromise H&S. o Random alcohol and drugs testing (some pharma companies, and Gove Depts.), urine samples. © Innopharma  Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 replaces the 1989 Act Employees Responsibility cont. o Must not be under the influence of an intoxicant in the workplace ▪ May endanger their own or other peoples H&S ▪ A doctor may subject employees in particular circumstances or sectors to testing for intoxicants o Employees have an avenue of appeal against any penalty. © Innopharma  Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 replaces the 1989 Act Other People with Duties under this Act: o Designers, manufacturers and importers: ▪ Must ensure that what they design, manufacture or import is properly tested and safe ▪ That adequate information is provided to ensure safe and proper use. ▪ Those who design or construct a place of work must appoint a competent person to ensure that construction is carried out safely and without risk to health. © Innopharma  Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 replaces the 1989 Act Other People with Duties under this Act: o The Safety Representative: ▪ Assess and participate in the company’s H&S mgt programme. ▪ This representative is given several rights and powers under the Safety Health and Welfare Act when elected: Right to information from the employer in connection with the H&S of employees (e.g. results of RAs and company’s safety statement) Right to make representations to the employer on behalf of the employees wrt safety, health and welfare at work. Right to accompany a safety inspector while carrying out an inspection of the workplace Right to make representations to the HSA and receive information or advice from an inspector Right to investigate complaints/accidents as long as it does not interfere with investigations being carried out by inspectors. © Innopharma  Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 replaces the 1989 Act Other People with Duties under this Act: o The Safety Representative contd.: ▪ Can assist other company representatives in advising employees of their obligation to comply with their company’s H&S arrangements. ▪ They are entitled to time off work, without loss of renumeration to receive appropriate training ▪ They are entitled not to be placed at any disadvantage in their employment for being a safety representative © Innopharma  Environmental Discharge to local drains, Protection Act 1992 rivers Waste Management Employer and Employee Act 1996 H&S Responsibilities Safety, Health and Disposal of hazardous Welfare a Work Act waste 2005 © Innopharma  Environmental Discharge to local drains, Protection Act 1992 rivers Waste Management Employer and Employee Act 1996 H&S Responsibilities Safety, Health and Disposal of hazardous Welfare a Work Act waste 2005 © Innopharma  Safety Statements © Innopharma  Safety Statement © Innopharma  Safety Statement Reminder A safety statement is a written document which specifies how health and safety is going to be managed within the business. It is central to an organisations health and safety system. Purpose - Designed to manage H&S of employees while they work © Innopharma Safety Statement Every employer (include. self-employed) must develop and provide a safety statement. In drawing up a safety statement the employer must: o identify the hazards in the workplace, o assess the magnitude of risk pose by these hazards (risk assessment), o devise, document and implement the control measures (hierarchy of control measures) required to minimise the risks involved. © Innopharma  A Safety Statement must… Specify how the employer intends to organize and manage H&S on a daily basis. It must contain the names and job titles of the persons responsible for the performance of tasks assigned by the safety statement. These people must be competent and have the necessary means to assist them. © Innopharma  A Safety Statement must… Provide information to employees on the risks to their health List the hierarchy of control measures to be taken to avoid the risks Must provide training where appropriate It must specify the co-operation required from employees as regards safety, health and welfare. © Innopharma  A Safety Statement must… Must allow for the election of safety representatives/ officers Must specify the plans and procedures to be followed in the event of: o An emergency o An accident o Any serious risk The safety statement should be reviewed annually and updated as necessary in light of new legislation or other changes. Must be made available to: o All employees o Any H&S bodies (e.g. during inspections) © Innopharma Safety Statement: Six Steps 1 Draw up a Health & Safety Policy 2 Identify Hazards 3 Assess Risks 4 Decide Precautions 5 Record Findings 6 Review and Update © Innopharma  Safety Statement © Innopharma Safety Statement: Six Steps Draw up a Health & Safety Policy 1 © Innopharma  1. Health and Safety Policy Requirement and should form part of the Safety Statement. As a minimum, the policy should contain a commitment that H&S legislation will be complied with. Should specify those responsible for implementing the policy at all levels in the organisation. Define their H & S responsibilities. The content of the health and safety policy should be based on the hazards and risks present in the workplace © Innopharma  Company X SAMPLE © Innopharma 44 Safety Statement: Six Steps Draw up a Health & Safety Policy 1 Identify Hazards 2 © Innopharma  2. Identification of Hazards © Innopharma  2. Identification of Hazards Typical Workplace Hazards Hazard identification involves walking around the workplace and observing what could reasonably be expected to cause harm © Innopharma  Physical Hazards © Innopharma  Chemical Hazards Hazardous Chemicals Industrial Gases Cleaning Agents © Innopharma  Biological Hazards Hazardous biological agents Needlestick/ sharps hazards Latex/ glove powder allergies Food Poisoning © Innopharma  Human Factor © Innopharma Safety Statement: Six Steps Draw up a Health & Safety Policy 1 Identify Hazards 2 Assess Risks 3 © Innopharma  3. Assess the Risk It is an employer’s duty to carry out the risk assessment. A careful evaluation of what could cause harm o so that you can decide whether or not you have taken enough precautions or o whether you need to do more to prevent harm. The law does not expect the employer to eliminate all risks but to protect ‘so far as is reasonably practicable’. Where in-house expertise is not available, an external competent person must be engaged to help do the risk assessment. © Innopharma  A typical risk assessment involves… © Innopharma  Risk Assessment All new and amended equipment, procedures and processes also need to be assessed There may also be: o H&S regulations o Industry standards o Codes of practice or guidelines dealing with a specific hazard Records of accidents and ill health should also be used to help assess the risks and to decide if existing precautions are adequate © Innopharma Safety Statement: Six Steps Draw up a Health & Safety Policy 1 Identify Hazards 2 Assess Risks 3 Decide Precautions 4 © Innopharma  4. Decide on Precautions The risk assessment should tell you whether you could get rid of the hazard. If not…. o What safety precautions are required to control the risks posed by the hazard. Where possible safety measures identified in the risk assessment process must be put in place immediately. © Innopharma  4. Decide on Precautions Controlling the risk means… o You do all that is reasonable to ensure the hazard will not injure anyone. o You are required to do all that is reasonably practicable to minimize the risk of injury. The Objective: To eliminate where possible or reduce the risk using the hierarchy of control measures. © Innopharma  Hierarchy of Controls © Innopharma Safety Statement: Six Steps Draw up a Health & Safety Policy 1 Identify Hazards 2 Assess Risks 3 Decide Precautions 4 Record Findings 5 © Innopharma  5. Record Findings Having carried out the risk assessment process… o Decide the precautions required it is now possible to write the safety statement o The safety statement now records the significant findings of the risk assessment o It records the most significant hazards and control measures Safety statement may refer to other documents: o Quality manuals o Operating instructions o Safety data sheets o Permits etc. © Innopharma Safety Statement: Six Steps 1 Draw up a Health & Safety Policy 2 Identify Hazards 3 Assess Risks 4 Decide Precautions 5 Record Findings 6 Review and Update © Innopharma  6. Review and up-date Check that your safety measures are working effectively After any significant change… then add to the assessment to take account of the new hazard Good practice: Review your assessment from time to time Keep the written document for HSA inspector questions, or civil liability case It should be brought to the attention of the employees at least annually or where there is a significant change made to the safety statement © Innopharma  Permits © Innopharma  Permits to Carry Out Specific Work The risk assessment may identify that a formal permit is required to safeguard workers working in potentially dangerous situations. The permit informs workers of: o the dangers associated with the job and o the controls necessary to prevent any dangerous occurrence taking place while they work. It is: o a systematic way the work is to be done, o the hazards involved and o the precautions to be taken. Personnel must be given the necessary training required to carry out their tasks safely. © Innopharma  Types of Permits 1. Hot Work Permits A likelihood that fire or explosion could result from contact with naked flames, speak, heat or even friction 2. Radiation Permits Used where there is an ionizing or non-ionizing source of radiation © Innopharma  Types of Permits 3. Electrical Permits Required in any area where electricity is being used, so protects against electric shock 4. Entry to confined space permit Allows entry permit for personnel to enter a confined space. Confined spaces present special hazards to workers: o Risk of toxic gas accumulation o Oxygen deficiency o Fires, falls, flooding o Entrapment © Innopharma  Emergency Planning © Innopharma  Introduction Every employer must prepare an emergency plan and they must be documented in safety statement The plan will depend on: o Types of materials being used and stored o The quantities concerned It must cover: o Full range of possible emergencies o Consequences o Measures to minimise the effects on people and the environment © Innopharma  An emergency plan should include… 1. Analysis of probably events such as fire and explosion, gas emissions, chemical spills, process faults, natural and other disasters. 2. Incident containment procedures 3. Evacuation plans 4. Necessary contacts – emergency services, first aid, medical care, fire, etc. 5. Warning systems must be easily identified 6. Employees must be informed of risks and precautions taken to prevent these risks 7. Communication of emergency to employees 8. There must be provision made for frequent drills within the site to ensure emergency preparedness 9. All employees must know the procedures involved in emergency response © Innopharma  7-Step Plan for Creating an Evacuation Plan 1 Imagine various scenarios 2 Establish roles and responsibilities 3 Create a communication plan 4 Plan and map routes 5 Know your tools and inspect them 6 Rehearse fire evacuation 7 Follow up and reporting © Innopharma © Innopharma © Innopharma © Innopharma  Health and Safety Authority (HSA) © Innopharma  Health and Safety Authority National regulatory authority in Ireland Responsible for occupational safety and health at work It operates under the Safety, Health and Welfare Act 2005 Reports to the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation It monitors compliance with legislation and can take enforcement action © Innopharma Home - Health and Safety Authority (hsa.ie)  Health and Safety Authority The HSA acts to prevent accidents and injury to health at work by providing the following services to employers, employees and the general public: 1. Provides advice and information on H&S 2. Publishes information, guidance and codes of practice 3. Conducts and funds research on H&S at work 4. Develops new legislation and standards on H&S © Innopharma  Health and Safety Authority: Responsibilities Can enter and inspect places of work Can copy any documentation and take samples or perform tests to ensure compliance with H&S legislation Investigates serious/fatal accidents, causes of ill health and complaints Take enforcement action: Requires the submission of an improvement plan setting out the proposed CAs for dealing with the risk within a month © Innopharma  Health and Safety Authority: Responsibilities Can serve: Improvement Notice: Gives a period of time for the matter to be rectified Prohibition Notice: Requires immediate cessation of the activity Can apply to the high court for an order prohibiting or restricting the use of a place of work The HSA can compile and publish a list of names and addresses of those that breach H&S laws © Innopharma  HSA publishes its 2023 Annual Report highlighting key achievements and © Innopharma 81 outcomes across its broad and varied mandate - Health and Safety Authority  Notification of Accidents and Dangerous Occurrences © Innopharma Notification of Accidents and Dangerous Occurrences The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) must be notified about: A work accident causing the death of any employed person. A work accident that prevents an employed person from working for more than three days. An accident caused by a work activity, which causes death. Or injury that requires medical treatment to a person not at work: e.g. a passer-by. © Innopharma Notification of Accidents and Dangerous occurrences The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) must be notified about certain dangerous occurrences, whether or not there is injury: Any dangerous occurrence involving lifting machinery, pressure vessels or electric short-circuit. Explosion or fire. Escape of one tonne or more of flammable substances. Collapse of scaffolding, building or structure. Unintentional ignition or explosion of explosives. Failure of a freight container or an accident occurring from the transporting of dangerous substances by road. Failure of breathing apparatus. An incident involving overhead lines carrying 200 volts or more. Collapse of a building involving more than 5 tonnes of material or any wall or floor in a place of work. © Innopharma Accident and Dangerous Occurrence Reporting - Health and Safety Authority (hsa.ie) © Innopharma  Conclusions All employers, employees and specified others are required to comply with H&S legislation to protect the welfare of employees The legislation aims to: Identify workplace hazards Assess the risks posed by these hazards Put measures in place to control the risk Document the results of the risk assessments in the company Safety Statement © Innopharma