#7 Identifying Hazards and Risks in the workplace

hazard

hazard

any object, situation, or behavior that has the potential to cause injury, ill health, or damage to property or the environment

risk

the possibility that somebody could be harmed by these and other hazards. it is the indication of how serious the harm may be

physical hazards

most common hazards, includes extremes of temperature, excessive noise, electrical exposure, working from height, and unguarded machinery

chemical hazards

appear when worker is exposed to chemicals in a workplace

biological hazards

include viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, and any living organism that can infect or transmit diseases to human beings

ergonomic hazards

includes considerations of physiological demands of the job upon worker

psychosocial hazards

may arise from a variety of psychosocial factors that workers may find to be unsatisfactory, frustrating, or demoralizing

S - spot the hazard (hazard identification) A - assess the risk (risk assessment) M - make changes (risk control)

the steps to manage health and safety at work

; elimination ; substitution ; engineering controls ; administrative controls ; PPE - Personal Protective Equipment

risk control measures

elimination

most effective method. physically removing or eliminating the haza

substitution

acts as the second defense. replaces the hazard with something that's less or non-hazardous

engineering controls

rearranging the work environment to isolate people from the hazard.

administrative controls

less effective than the ones above. keeps people safe by directing people to safer work procedures. uses of rules and policies, warning signs and labels, and training

PPE - Personal Protective Equipment

designed to equip people with the right equipment to combat hazards