There ya have it folks...
When your laser focused on any particular hazard, you may be opening the door for to be floored by others.
Not all of us work in roles that are considered dangerous.
But just because you don’t have a “dangerous job” doesn’t mean that you or your employees can’t suffer a workplace accident.
Every single job has its own hazards.
If you don’t take those hazards seriously, every job becomes a dangerous job. Recognizing, assessing, controlling, and evaluating hazards is integral to the safe operation of an organization.
Three Steps to Hazard Identification
Step 1: Process Identification
In order to identify hazards, you first have to take a close look at all of the processes at your place of work. Examples of processes include:
*cleaning
*maintenance
*office work
*painting
*welding
*lift truck operation
*production facilities
*packaging
*security
*shipping & receiving
Step 2: Task Identification
The second step is to list every task performed for each process. For example, here are some of the tasks that are typically carried out by maintenance personnel:
*electrical installations and repair
*mechanical repairs and preventative maintenance
groundskeeping & snow removal
*building maintenance
*H.V.A.C. upkeep
Step 3: Recognize Hazards within the Task
The third step is to recognize the hazards of each task. We call this “P.E.M.E.P.” because every hazard will fall into one of these five categories:
*People
*Equipment
*Materials
*Environment
*Process
Once you have identified and assessed all hazards, the next step is to determine the effectiveness of existing controls and identify necessary improvements. Controls may be applied in a number of ways and in three different locations:
1. At the Source: The best way to control a hazard is to apply the control at the source of the hazard. Keep in mind that the best solution is always to remove the hazard from the workplace. However, you may discover that is not possible.
2. Along the Path: Controls along the path do not remove the hazard. Rather, they provide methods to alert employees that a hazard exists. The goal is to minimize employee exposure.
3. At the Employee: Controls at the employee include personal protective equipment (PPE), safety training, administrative procedures, and disciplinary actions. Controls at the employee level are subject to human error and should be considered the last alternative in control hazards. This is especially true in the case of P.P.E. Simply put, sometimes employees don’t wear their P.P.E. correctly or at all so this can be difficult to monitor and evaluate.
Transportation Router, safety manager, smith system driver at Ace Endico Company for 15 years RETIRED since 2016
1wBeen able to paint with your fingers like that very talented