Chapter 6 Recognizing, Evaluating, and Controlling Workplace Hazards
6.1 Introduction
Health and safety hazards exist in every workplace. History has shown that workers are injured in every workplace, regardless of the business type and types of activities being performed. Some hazards in the workplace are easily identified and corrected, while others are difficult to identify and control, creating extremely dangerous con- ditions that could be a threat to life or long-term health. The best way to protect against the hazards that are inherently present in the workplace is to know how to recognize and control them to protect workers from being negatively impacted in the workplace.
The industrial hygienist is one of the primary professionals involved with the work- force in the identification and recognition of hazards in the workplace. Traditional industrial hygiene training focuses on chemical and biological hazards; however, depending on the size of the company or institution by which the industrial hygien- ist is employed, the recognition of workplace hazards may go beyond the traditional industrial hygiene field because the job may also include functioning as a safety manager or engineer, environmental manager, or operations specialist. Recognizing or identifying hazards is one of three steps used to protect the worker from hazards in the workplace. Along with identifying the hazards, the industrial hygienist must analyze them to determine their health risk to an employee, along with understand- ing how to control the hazards.
Some hazards may exhibit more than one risk factor. For example, exposure to noise may not only cause hearing damage, but also interrupt or completely impact and stop communication between workers, and may be distracting, which can lead to an accident and potentially an injury. Another example to consider is the use of metal uranium; not only is it linked to cancer, but also the chemical is a health risk to the kidneys. Without understanding the health or workplace risks associated with the work to be performed, methods used to analyze and control the hazard, and essentially risk to the workers, may not be effective. Figure 6.1 shows the relation- ship between the hazard identification process and the overall work control process.
Physical hazards are the most commonly encountered hazards in the workplace and refer to material or equipment that, if left unmitigated, has the potential to harm a person depending on the work task or environmental conditions. Common exam- ples include slick floors, uneven walking surfaces, a fall from heights, motorized
vehicle accidents, and exposure to a blade or sharp object (unguarded). Physical haz- ards also include energized material and equipment.
Chemical hazards refer to the ability of chemicals or agents to cause physical harm to people, such as burns or cancer. Chemical hazards may include organic, inorganic, or metal compounds, and harm may be caused by either dermal con- tact or ingesting or inhaling the chemical. Common examples of chemical hazards in the workplace includes asbestos, lead, beryllium, ammonia, nitrates, and carbon tetrachloride.
Biological hazards refer to the ability of biological pathogens to be transmitted through dermal contact or inhalation. Common examples of biological hazards include viruses, bacteria, fungi, blood, and human feces. Biological hazards are gaining increasing importance in today’s workplace because of a heightened aware- ness among the general public and employees of the long-term health risks posed by biological hazards.
Radiological hazards may include both ionizing and nonionizing radiation, which can be harmful to humans through general exposure, inhalation, and ingestion.
Common examples of radiological hazards include microwaves, diagnostic x-rays, and work processes that use or generate radiological contaminants or nondestructive magnetic examination techniques that use radiation.
An effective hazard identification and control process is based on thoroughly understanding the inner relationship between the three process elements of the haz- ard identification, analysis, and control process. In conjunction with the worker, the industrial hygienist will identify the hazard and then determine methods by which to analyze and control the hazard. When the hazard is controlled and/or removed, the industrial hygienist must understand how the risk posed by the hazard was reduced and what level of risk remains to the exposed worker from other hazards. At each step of the process, information is gathered and continuously used to improve con- trolling the hazard and reduce the level of risk posed to the worker. In order for the process to be effective, the workers must also understand how they are being pro- tected, and the reduction of health risk should be effectively communicated. Since it is recognized that hazards exist in every work location, below are some tools the industrial hygienist can use to improvement the hazard recognition process. Figure 6.2 depicts a summary of common tools used for recognizing workplace hazards.
Depending on the work function performed, workplace hazards may include haz- ards that are stationary in the work environment, or are introduced by the work being performed. The practice of hazard recognition is a fundamental work process that
Hazard analysis Hazard
identification Hazard
control Work control
process
FIGURE 6.1 Hazard identification and work control process relationship.
must be performed on a daily basis, and depending on the work function performed, the workplace hazards will vary. An underlying premise for all the hazard recogni- tion mechanisms is worker feedback.
Employers have the responsibility to ensure that workers are protected against workplace hazards. In addition, workers have the right to be informed of the poten- tial hazards in the workplace and can refuse to perform work as a result of the haz- ards involved. If an employee refuses to perform a task because performing the work is believed to be hazardous, employers have no legal recourse and are not legally sup- ported if retaliation occurs. Employers that provide safe working conditions for their employees are on the road to having a successful and prosperous business. Workers are very supportive of employers that are concerned about their well-being.
Many employers provide hazard recognition training to workers at various stages of their employment. Hazard recognition training should be considered when
• An employee is onboarded with the company. New employees are generally receptive and eager to learn about the company and its value, as well as the workplace culture.
• An employee is reassigned to a new job within the company.
• An employee is asked to complete a new task.
• An employee is asked to perform a task that is of high risk and consequence that has not been performed in recent times.
Recognizing that not all hazards in the workplace will cause injuries, it is incum- bent upon the employer to make every effort to mitigate hazards and ensure that workers are protected when performing work. An integral part of ensuring worker safety is to have a process in place that is effective in identifying and mitigating hazards before work begins. The hazard identification and mitigation process is not a one-person task or responsibility. It requires support and input from supervision, workers, and subject matter experts.
Chemical inventory Historical known
hazards and program/process
assessments
Hazard recognition
Worker feedback and
regulatory incidents Injury/illness
logs and trending
FIGURE 6.2 Hazard identification tools.