Practice Occupational Health and Safety Procedures

Introduction

LEARNING OUTCOME 1

                                                              Identify hazards and risks

PERFORMANCE STANDARD

  • Workplace hazards and risks are identified and clearly explained.
  • Hazards/risks and their corresponding indicators are identified in with the company procedures.
  • Contingency measures are recognized and established in accordance with organizational procedures.

Materials/ Resources

https://youtu.be/y3dQj1mYlOw

What Do You Already Know?

Let us determine how much you already know about identifying hazards and risks. Take this test.

https://www.flexiquiz.com/SC/N/fd1c9938-027b-438d-bb4f-5cbc8d49ba79

Now check your answers using the Answer Key. If you got 90-100% of the items correctly, proceed to the next Learning Outcome. If not, do the next activity/ies again to gain knowledge and skills required for mastery.

 

Task

At the end of this lesson, you are expected to identify hazards and risks;

Process

Read the Information Sheet 1.1 very well then find out how much you can remember and how much you learned by doing Self-check 1.1.

Information Sheet 1.1

                                                                                     HAZARDS AND RISKS

What is the difference between 'hazard' and 'risk'?

A hazard is something that can cause harm, eg electricity, chemicals, working up a ladder, noise, a keyboard, a bully at work, stress.

Risk is the chance or probability that a person will be harmed or experience an adverse health effect once to a hazard. It may also apply to situations with property or equipment loss.

 A risk is a chance, high or low, that any hazard will actually cause somebody harm.

What is the difference between a 'hazard' and a 'risk'? | WorkSmart: The career coach that works for everyone

For example, working alone away from your office can be a hazard. The risk of personal danger may be high. Electrical repair is a hazard. If someone accidentally turned-on the power the worker’s life will be in a 'high-risk' category.

Five Basic Workplace Hazards

There are five major types of hazards that can put both your health and your safety at risk. 

  1. Chemical hazards
  2. Physical hazards
  3. Biological hazards
  4. Ergonomic hazards or job-related hazards
  5. Psychological hazards or stress

CHEMICAL HAZARDS 

If you are working with cleaning products, bleaches, paints, and other chemical agents, you need to understand what a chemical hazard is as well as how to protect yourself.

Chemical hazards include:

  • liquids such as cleansers, 
  • acids, and paints
  • vapors and fumes such as 
  • welding fumes
  • gases such as carbon monoxide
  • products that can catch fire or explode

PHYSICAL HAZARDS

  • Physical hazards include:
  • Machinery
  • Electrical power
  • Noise
  • Power and hand tools
  • Working and walking surfaces
  • Trip and fall hazards
  • Ladders and scaffolds
  • Heat and cold
  • ventilation

BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS

 

Why be careful around ticks, mouse droppings, bird poop and wild animals?

Because you might get sick from working around certain animals, including people. Biological hazards include bacteria, viruses, insects, plants, birds, animals, and humans. The risks run from skin irritation and allergies to infections. 

Dangers can come from:

  • unclean restrooms
  • mold and fungus
  • bacteria
  • insect stings
  • animal bites
  • poorly stored medical waste

ERGONOMIC HAZARDS

If your job is poorly designed, you can develop long-term health problems. These problems can arise from simple things, like working for long periods in an awkward position of having to make the same motions over and over again.

Problems can come from:

  • lighting
  • chairs
  • lifting
  • repeated movements
  • computer screens

PSYCHOLOGICAL HAZARDS 

Those that are basically causing stress to a worker. This kind of hazard troubles an individual very much to an extent that his general well-being is affected.

Stress can lead to long-term health problems. Headaches, anxiety, and impatience are early signs of stress. 

Workplace causes of stress include:

  • heavy workloads
  • lack of control over the pace of work
  • shift work
  • noise
  • working by yourself
  • fear of job-loss
  • conflict with the employer

What are examples of a hazard?

 

Workplace Hazard

Example of Hazard

Example of Harm Caused

 

thing

knife

cut

 

substance

benzene

leukemia

 

material

asbestos

mesothelioma

 

source of energy

electricity

shock, electrocution

 

condition

wet floor

slips, falls

 

  process

welding

 metal fume fever

 

 practice

hard rock mining

 silicosis

 

THRESHOLD LIMIT VALUE

One of the most critical among the hazards that one may encounter is the chemical hazard. Chemical may produce reactions that may endanger ones health and life. This is the reason why the American Conference of Governmental Hygienist (ACGIH) established a threshold limit value (tlv).

TLV is the term used by the American Conference of Governmental Hygienists (ACGIH*) to express the airborne concentration of a material to which nearly all persons can be exposed day after day, without adverse health effects

Evaluation