Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Energy. is. classiied. in. one. of. two. ways:. it. is. either. potential. or. kinetic. energy..
Potential energy
.is.deined.as.stored.energy,.such.as.a.rock.on.the.top.of.a.hill..There.
are. usually. two. components. to. potential. energy:. the. weight. of. the. object. and. its.
height..The.rock.resting.at.the.bottom.of.the.hill.has.little.potential.energy.as.com-
pared.to.the.one.at.the.top.of.the.hill.
The.other.classiication.is.kinetic.energy,.which.is.best.described.as.energy.motion..
Kinetic energy
. depends. on. the. mass. of. the. object.. Mass. is. the. amount. of. matter.
.making.up.an.object,.such.as.an.elephant.has.more.matter.than.a.mouse,.and.therefore.
more.mass..The.weight.of.an.object.is.a.factor.of.the.mass.of.an.object.and.the.pull.of.
gravity.on.that.object..Kinetic.energy.is.a.function.of.an.object's.mass.and.its.speed.of.
movement.(or.velocity)..A.bullet.thrown.at.you.has.the.same.mass.as.one.shot.at.you,.
but.the.difference.is.in.the.velocity.and.there.is.not.any.disagreement.as.to.which.has.
the.most.kinetic.energy.or.potential.to.cause.the.greatest.damage.or.harm.
Energy.comes.in.many.forms,.and.each.has.its.own.unique.potential.for.release.of.
energy.and.the.ensuing.form.of.danger.and.potential.for.an.accident.and.the.trauma.that.
it.can.cause..The.forms.of.energy.are.pressure,.biological,.chemical,.electrical,.thermal,.
light,.mechanical,.and.nuclear..Examples.of.each.form.of.energy.are.found.in.Table 4.2.
If.the.direct.cause.is.known,.then.equipment,.materials,.and.facilities.can.be.rede-
signed.to.make.them.safer;.personal.protection.can.be.provided.to.reduce.injuries;.and.
workers.can.be.trained.to.be.aware.of.hazardous.situations.so.that.they.can.protect.
themselves.against.them..The.remainder.of.this.topic.is.directed.toward.managing,.
preventing,.and.controlling.hazards.that.occur.within.the.nation's.industries.
hAzArd AnAlysIs
Hazard.analysis.is.a.technique.used.to.examine.the.workplace.for.hazards.with.the.
potential.to.cause.accidents..Hazard.identiication,.as.envisioned.in.this.section,.is.a.
worker-oriented.process..The.workers.are.trained.in.hazard.identiication.and.asked.
to.recognize.and.report.hazards.for.evaluation.and.assessment..Management.is.not.
as.close.to.the.actual.work.being.performed.as.are.those.performing.the.work..Even.
supervisors.can.use.extra.pairs.of.eyes.looking.for.areas.of.concern.
Workers.may.already.have.hazard.concerns.and.have.often.devised.ways.to.miti-
gate.the.hazards,.thus.preventing.injuries.and.accidents..This.type.of.information.is.
invaluable.when.removing.and.reducing.workplace.hazards.
This. approach. to. hazard. identiication. does. not. require. that. someone. with. spe-
cial.training.conduct.it..It.can.usually.be.accomplished.using.a.short.ill-in-the-blank.
questionnaire..This.hazard.identiication.technique.works.well.where.management.is.
open.and.genuinely.concerned.about.the.safety.and.health.of.its.workforce..The.most.
time-consuming. portion. of. this. process. is. analyzing. the. assessment. and. response.
regarding.potential.hazards.identiied..Empowering.workers.to.identify.hazards,.make.
recommendations. on. abatement. of. the. hazards,. and. then. suggest. how. management.
can.respond.to.these.potential.hazards.is.essential..Only.three.responses.are.required:
.
1.. Identify.the.hazard(s).
.
2.. Explain.how.the.hazard(s).could.be.abated.
.
3.. Suggest.what.the.company.could.do..Use.a.form.similar.to.the.one.found.in.
Table 4.3.
