24 occupational health III Flashcards
what is the outline of this lecture?
-principle of hazard control: the hierarchy of controls
-intro to OHS regulations
what is industrial hygiene?
-“that science and art devoted to anticipation, recognition, evaluation and control of environmental factors or stresses arising from the workplace”
what are the hierarchy of controls (principles of hazard control)?
- eliminate or substitute one hazardous agent with a non-hazardous or less hazardous one
- engineering controls (enclosures, pipes, soundproofing, ventilation, etc)
- administrative controls (rotate workers)
- personal protective equipment (last line of defense)
what are some examples of substitution?
-substituting an organic solvent like turpentine with a water based solvent (lower toxicity)
-historical examples-substituting lead based paints with lead free, or asbestos insulation with other types (asbestos free)
what are engineering controls?
engineering controls remove the hazard from the worker or the worker from the hazard through engineering design, for example isolating a worker in a sound-proof cab, or ventilating a space to remove contaminants, etc
(note that some people consider substitution a form of engineering control)
what are examples of engineering controls?
-isolation
-ventilation (general and local)
what are administrative controls?
-work schedules/exposure times/job rotation
-personal hygiene (e.g. hand washing)
-housekeeping
e.g. repetitive motion jobs (meat packing plant), workers rotate stations frequently
what is PPE?
personal protective equipment
-skin: gloves, sleeves, coveralls, etc
-eye/face protection
-respiratory: masks
-hearing: plugs, muffs
-should be considered a “last line of defence’
-if other controls fail to reduce exposure to levels below occupational exposure limits, then use PPE
what is occupational health and safety regulations?
-health and safety law is a provincial responsibility (for the most part)
-in saskatchewan, the ministry of labour relations and workplace safety is responsible for enforcing the rules and regulations
-in 1972, saskatchewan pioneered occupational health and safety legislation in canada. no other province has implemented this yet
what was saskatchewan the first to do?
SK was the firs jurisdiction in canada to legislate a system that:
-made health and safety the joint responsibility of management and workers
-required joint worker; management committees to actively identify and resolve health and safety issues
-enshrined and protected workers fundamental rights
what are the fundamental rights of workers?
-to know about hazards in the workplace, how to identify them and protect themselves
-to participate in health and safety decisions
-to refuse unusually dangerous work
what is the jurisdiction?
-saskatchewan workplaces may fall under provincial or federal jurisdiction (most are provincial)
-workplaces under provincial jurisdiction are governed by the saskatchewan employment act and the occupational health and safety regulations
what are the differences between acts and regulations?
what are statutes?
what do the OHS act and regulations apply to?
-employers
-supervisors
-workers
-self-employed persons
-contractor
-suppliers
-owners
what are general duty clauses?
why have general duty clauses?
-they are critical, since they set the stage for the overall responsibilities of the employer, worker, etc.
-since every possible hazardous scenario can’t be regulated or legislated, general duty clauses are necessary to make sure overall responsibilities and accountability are clear
-reading some examples of general duty clauses might help clarify (see file in canvas module)
how are the act and regulations enforced?
-anyone can call with an OHS concern (confidential)
