Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
job. into. a. step-by-step. sequence. and. identifying. potential. hazards. associated. with.
each.step..Consider.the.following:
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1.. Is. there. a. danger. of. striking. against,. being. struck. by,. or. otherwise. mak-
ing.injurious.contact.with.an.object?.(Example:.Can.tools.or.materials.be.
dropped.from.overhead,.striking.workers.below?)
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2.. Can. the. employee. be. caught. in,. on,. or. between. objects?. (Example:. an.
unguarded.V-belt,.gears,.or.reciprocating.machinery.)
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3.. Can.the.employee.slip,.trip,.or.fall.on.the.same.level,.or.to.another.level?.
(Example:.slipping.in.an.oil-changing.area.of.a.garage,.tripping.on.material.
left.on.stairways,.or.falling.from.a.scaffold.)
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4.. Can. the. employee. strain. him-. or. herself. by. pushing,. pulling,. or. lifting?.
(Example:.pushing.a.load.into.place.or.pulling.a.load.on.a.hand.truck.)
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5.. Does.the.environment.have.hazardous.toxic.gas,.vapors,.mist,.fumes,.dust,.
heat,.or.ionizing.or.nonionizing.radiation?.(Example:.Arc.welding.on.gal-
vanized.sheet.metal.produces.toxic.fumes.and.nonionizing.radiation.)
During.training,.practice.identifying.all.hazards.or.potential.hazards..With.iden-
tiication.of.the.hazards,.take.steps.to.prevent.the.accidents.or.incidents.from.occur-
ring..If.the.hazards.are.known,.it.is.easier.to.develop.interventions.that.mitigate.the.
risk.potential..These.interventions.may.be.in.the.form.of.safe.operating.procedures..
Training. workers. to. identify. potential. or. real. hazards. as. quickly. as. possible. dei-
nitely.will.reduce.the.number.of.accidents/incidents.that.could.occur..Once.hazards.
are. identiied,. the. company. must. have. a. system. of. reporting. these. hazards. that. is.
accompanied.by.real-time.response.by.supervision.and.management.
WorksIte hAzArd IdentIFIcAtIon
Employers. must. identify. the. workplace. hazards. before. they. can. determine. how. to.
protect. their. employees.. In. performing. worksite. hazard. identiication,. employers.
must.consider.not.only.hazards.that.currently.exist.in.the.workplace,.but.also.those.
hazards.that.could.occur.because.of.changes.in.operations.or.procedures,.or.because.
of.other.factors.such.as.concurrent.work.activities..For.this.element,.employers.should
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1.. Perform.hazard.identiication.of.all.worksites.prior.to.the.start.of.work.
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2.. Perform.regular.safety.and.health.inspections.
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3.. Require.supervisors.and.employees.to.inspect.their.workspace.prior.to.the.
start.of.each.work.shift.or.new.activity.
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4.. Investigate.accidents.and.near-misses.
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5.. Analyze.trends.in.accident.and.injury.data.
So.that.all.hazards.are.identiied,.conduct.comprehensive.baseline.worksite.sur-
veys. for. safety. and. health,. and. perform. periodic. comprehensive. updated. surveys..
Analyze.planned.and.new.facilities,.processes,.materials,.and.equipment..Perform.
routine.job.hazard.analyses.
Provide. for. regular. site. safety. and. health. inspections. to. identify. new. or. previ-
ously.missed.hazards.and.failures.in.hazard.controls..So.that.employee.insight.and.
