Element 1: Workplace Hazards and Risk Control

Question 1

What are the minimum welfare standards?

Answer 1

• Drinking Water
• Sanitary Conveniences
• Washing facilities
• Changing rooms
• Accommodation for clothing i.e. lockers
• Resting and eating facilities

Question 2

What are work environment requirements?

Answer 2

• Space
• Heating
• Lighting
• Ventilation
• Seating

Question 3

What are the health and safety effects of working in a hot environment?

Answer 3

• Dehydration - water is lost as a result of sweating.
• Muscle cramps - a result of salt loss through sweating.
• Heat stress - where core temperature (37°C) cannot be controlled and starts to increase; causes discomfort, lethargy and fainting.
• Heat exhaustion - a precursor to heat stroke.
• Heat stroke - where core temperature increases rapidly; causes hallucinations, coma and death.
• Other effects associated with the source of the heat, such as skin burns or cancer from exposure to sunlight, or burns from radiant heat (see Element 8) and contact with hot surfaces.

Question 4

What are the health and safety effects of working in a cold environment?

Answer 4

• Hypothermia - core temperature drops below 35°C; causes shivering, mood swings, irrational behaviour, lethargy, drowsiness, coma and death.
• Frostbite - body tissues are frozen causing tissue damage and, in extreme cases, necrosis, gangrene and amputation.
• Slip hazards - in particular, floors will become slippery with ice.
• Freeze burn injuries - from skin contact with very cold surfaces.

Question 5

What are preventive measures that can be taken for working in a hot environment?

Answer 5

• Eliminate the need for workers to enter a hot environment! If this is not possible then:

• Provide good workplace ventilation - moving air has a cooling effect.
  • Insulate heat sources - by lagging hot pipes.
  • Shield heat sources - to control radiant heat and prevent contact burns.
  • Provide cool refuges - where workers can escape the heat.
  • Provide easy access to drinking water or isotonic drinks (which replace salts lost through sweating).
  • Provide frequent breaks and job rotation.
  • Provide appropriate clothing for use in the hot work environment but consideration must be given to other workplace hazards.

Question 6

What are preventive measures that can be taken for working in a cold environment?

Answer 6

Eliminate the need for workers to enter a cold environment! If this is not possible then:
• Prevent or protect workers from draughts.
• Shield/lag extremely cold surfaces.
• Provide warm refuges - where workers can warm up.
• Provide PPE - such as insulated jackets, trousers, boots, balaclavas, etc.
• Provide frequent breaks and job rotation.
• Provide easy access to hot food and drinks.
• Scrape, salt or grit icy floors.

Question 7

What is work related violence?

Answer 7

• Work-related violence is any incident where a worker is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work. Various factors influence the risk of work-related violence and many occupations are at risk.

Question 8

Which factors are common to occupations which are at increased risk of violence?

Answer 8

• Cash handling - any work that involves the handling of quantities of cash or valuables puts workers at risk of violence associated with robbery.
• Lone working - any lone working that takes the worker into urban areas or puts them in contact with members of the public at remote or private locations.
• Representing authority - any work where the worker represents authority, such as police, traffic wardens, etc.
• Wearing a uniform - uniforms are often seen as a symbol of authority, but even where they are not, workers may still be singled out for abuse.
• Dealing with people under stress - when people are under stress they are less capable of handling their emotions and can lose control.
• Dealing with people under the influence - of drugs and alcohol, or with mental health problems, when normal inhibitions on behaviour have been affected.
• Censuring or saying no - workers who have to give warnings, penalties, fines, or who have to refuse a service or say no, (e.g. bar staff).

Question 9

Give examples of occupations which are at risk of violence.

Answer 9

• Hospital accident and emergency staff.
• Police.
• Social workers.
• Bus and taxi drivers.
• Fire-fighters and paramedics.
• Traffic wardens.
• Railway staff.
• Teachers.

Question 10

What is the first step in managing the risk of work-related violence?

Answer 10

The first step in managing the risk of work-related violence is to find out the exact nature of the problem. Anecdotal evidence may suggest a problem, but its scale and nature may not be clear.
The extent of the problem can be investigated by:
• Collecting and analysing incident reports.
• Interviewing staff formally or informally.
• Staff surveys.

Question 11

How can violence in a central office be prevented?

Answer 11

•	Zero-tolerance policy and prosecution of offenders.
•	Security staff.
•	CCTV cameras.
•	Security doors between public areas and staff areas.
•	Minimising queues and waiting times.
•	Clear announcements about waiting times.
•	Training for staff, such as:
o	Providing a good quality service.
o	Diffusing aggression.
•	Screens between staff and public.
•	Panic alarms.
•	Pleasant environment.

Question 12

How can violence to workers conducting home visits be prevented?

Answer 12

•	No lone working or no lone working in certain high-risk areas.
•	Keeping records of past incidents.
•	Vetting customers.
•	Visit-logging with supervisor.
•	Pre- and post-visit telephone calls.
•	Training for staff, such as:
o	Lone working procedures.
o	Tension diffusion and conflict avoidance.
o	Break-away techniques (self-defence).
•	Always having a means of communication, (e.g. mobile phone, GPS tracking devices on personnel).
•	No visits after dark.
•	Parking in secure areas.
•	Not carrying cash or valuables.

Question 13

What types of substances can be misused at work?

Answer 13

• Alcohol - sometimes, alcoholic drinks are taken at work or during lunchtime drinks in a local bar. Employees returning to work can then be under the influence of the drinks. Often, the effects of alcohol taken the night before can linger into the next day with detrimental effects, especially to vehicle drivers and machinery operators.
• Legal or illegal drugs - drugs can be in the form of over-the-counter, non-prescription drugs, such as common painkillers, or stronger medicinal treatments prescribed by a doctor. Illegal (controlled) drugs, such as cannabis, heroin, cocaine, etc. may be taken by people both in the workplace and away from it. In all cases, use of such drugs can have detrimental effects on a person - not only leading to higher risks if driving vehicles or operating machinery, but also on their personality, responses, decision making, attitude, etc., putting others at risk as well.
• Solvents - sometimes, hazardous substances, such as cleaning solvents, are deliberately misused, (e.g. ‘glue-sniffing’). These substances can be highly addictive, have serious effects on a person’s performance and will damage their health.

Question 14

What general symptoms of alcohol and drug misuse can be observed?

Answer 14

• Late attendance.
• Increased absenteeism.
• Reduction in quality of work.
• Reduction in work rate.
• Dishonesty.
• Theft, potentially to fund a habit.
• Irritability and mood swings.
• Deterioration in working relationships.

Question 15

What control measures can be put in place to reduce risk from substance misuse at work?

Answer 15

The employer should establish a clear drugs and alcohol policy. This policy might contain:
• Rules restricting access to alcohol in the workplace or during working hours.
• Statutory legal requirements prohibiting workers from being under the influence of drugs and alcohol, e.g. drink drive laws.
• Non-statutory requirements prohibiting workers from being under the influence that have been set by the employer.
• Arrangements for any random drugs and alcohol testing that workers will be subject to. In some cases, there will be a legal requirement on the employer to carry out random drug and alcohol testing.
• Arrangements for workers to have access to rehabilitation and treatment programmes if they admit to having a problem.
• Disciplinary procedures for workers who refuse assistance, refuse to be tested or who fail a test.
• Provision of information, instruction and training to workers, supervisors and managers.
Drug and alcohol awareness campaigns should also be considered.
Any drug and alcohol testing policy must be justified and clearly explained to workers. There are legal and ethical issues associated with testing regimes that must be carefully considered.

Question 16

What are the types of accident that pedestrians can have in a workplace?

Answer 16

slips, trips and falls;
falls from height;
collisions with moving vehicles;
striking by moving, flying or falling objects;
striking against fixed or stationary objects.

Question 17

What are some typical slip hazards?

Answer 17

Typical slip hazards include floor surface that are:
• Smooth and inherently slippery, e.g. polished marble.
• Wet because of rain, spills or cleaning operations.
• Contaminated with a slippery contaminant, e.g. fat or leaves.
• Covered with frost or ice, e.g. outside pavements in winter or the floor in a freezer.

Question 18

What are some typical trip hazards?

Answer 18

Typical trip hazards include:
• Uneven or loose floor surfaces, e.g. broken paving slab or a poorly laid floor mat.
• Trailing cables, e.g. the flex of a vacuum cleaner.
• Objects on the floor, e.g. a bag left on the floor.

Question 19

What are some typical hazards leading to falls from height?

Answer 19

• Working next to an unprotected edge, e.g. on a flat roof, on the deck of a partly built scaffold, by the open doors of a lift shaft when the lift is at another floor or by an excavation.
• Working on a fragile material above a drop, e.g. on a fragile roof or on a skylight.
• Using access equipment, e.g. a mobile elevating work platform or cherry picker (see later).
• Using ladders, e.g. a stepladder, extension ladder or fixed vertical access ladder.
• Standing on objects to reach high levels, e.g. using a chair to reach the top shelf of a storage rack.

Question 20

What are some typical hazards that can result in collision with vehicles?

Answer 20

• Pedestrian walkways that require pedestrians to walk in vehicle traffic routes, e.g. in a warehouse or car park.
• Pedestrian crossing points.
• Exits that open onto vehicle traffic routes.
• Areas where people have to work adjacent to moving vehicles e.g. road works or loading bays.

Question 21

What are some typical moving object hazards ?

Answer 21

Typical moving object hazards include:
• Automated machinery, such as a spot-welding robot.
• Unsecured objects, such as a container on the deck of a moving ship.

Question 22

What are some typical flying object hazards ?

Answer 22

Typical flying object hazards include:
• Ejected parts, such as swarf (sharp metal waste) ejected during metal drilling.
• Thrown objects, such as scaffold clamp.

Question 23

What are some typical falling object hazards ?

Answer 23

Typical falling object hazards include:
• Loads falling from height during lifting and handling operations, e.g. boxes falling from a pallet when being lifted by a forklift truck.
• Objects being dislodged during work at height, e.g. slates dislodged from a roof during roof work.
• Objects falling from height because of adverse weather conditions or wear and tear, e.g. scaffold boards blown off a scaffold in a gale, or duct work falling from a ceiling due to deterioration of fixings.
• Toppling of unstable objects, e.g. an unsecured ladder or a poorly stacked load on racking.

Question 24

What are some typical hazards that can result in striking against fixed or stationary objects?

Answer 24

Typical hazards include:
• Objects that project into a pedestrian area or route, e.g. stored stock metal sheets that partly project into a walkway.
• Narrow doorways in a pedestrian route.
• Low overheads, e.g. pipework at head height above a gantry walkway.

Question 25

What would a risk assessment covering the safe movement of pedestrians in a workplace cover?

Answer 25

• Identify the various hazards that present risk to pedestrians (as indicated above).
• Identify the groups at risk (workers, members of the public, etc.) and those who might be especially vulnerable (young children, the elderly, people with certain disabilities such as visual impairment, etc.).
• Evaluate the risk by considering the existing controls, the adequacy of those controls and any further controls required to reduce the risks to an acceptable level.
• Be recorded and implemented.
• Be subject to review as the workplace changes, in response to incidents, and perhaps periodically.

Question 26

What would be important considerations while carrying out a safe movement of pedestrians risk assessment?

Answer 26

• Predictable abnormal movements (such as taking shortcuts and fire evacuations).
• Accident history of the workplace that might indicate problem areas.
• Impact of adverse weather conditions (such as wind and rain).
• Maintenance requirements of the various controls, (e.g. floor surface cleaning and repair needs).

Question 27

What factors would affect the kind of slip resistance required on a floor?

Answer 27

• The number of people who walk on the floor.
• The footwear those people might be wearing.
• The wear and tear that the surface will be subject to, (e.g. vehicle traffic).
• Foreseeable spills and contamination on the floor, (e.g. chemicals).
• Environmental conditions, such as weather, temperature or sunlight.

Question 28

What control measures are required for the safe movement of pedestrians in a work place?

Answer 28

• Risk assessment
• Slip resistant surfaces
• Spillage control and drainage
• Designated walkways
• Fencing and guarding
• Use of signs and PPE
• Information, instruction, training and supervision

Question 29

Some examples of working at height?

Answer 29

• Steel workers erecting the steel framework of a building.
• Scaffolders erecting or striking (taking down) a scaffold.
• Roofers cladding the roof of a steel-framed building.
• Demolition workers using machinery in a multi-storey building.
• Welders working at the side of a deep excavation.
• Pipe fitters fixing pipework to the ceiling of a factory workshop.
• Painters working on the external walls of a building.

Question 30

What are the main risks associated with Working at Height?

Answer 30

• The worker falling from height.

* An object falling onto people below.

Question 31

Falls from height can result in what?

Answer 31

• Death.
• Neck or spinal injury leading to permanent paralysis.
• Brain damage.
• Multiple broken bones.

Question 32

What are the risk factors of working at height?

Answer 32

• vertical distance
• roofs
• deterioration of materials
• unprotected edges
• unstable or poorly maintained access equipment
• weather
• falling materials

Question 33

What types of roof are particularly dangerous?

Answer 33

• Fragile Roofs
Any roofing structure that is not specifically designed to carry loads and only has sufficient strength to withstand the forces produced by the weather should be considered a fragile roof. Roofing materials, such as cement, asbestos, glass, reinforced plastics and light tongue, and groove wood covered with roofing felt, are all liable to collapse under the weight of a worker.
Fragile roofs should be clearly signed. The safe working method for fragile roofs is usually by the use of roof ladders or crawling boards. These are laid across the roof surface, supported by the underlying load-bearing roof members, and distribute the load of the worker over a wide area, enabling the roof structure to sustain the load safely.
• Sloping (Pitched) Roofs
These are roofs with a pitch greater than 10 degrees. Falls from the edges of sloping roofs generally cause serious injury even when the eaves are low, as on a single-storey building. If the person has slipped down the roof from the ridge, considerable acceleration can be built up which tends to project the person from the eaves, adding to the force of impact with the ground and so to the seriousness of the injuries sustained.

Question 34

What circumstances can contribute to the likelihood of falling materials?

Answer 34

• Deterioration of structures, causing crumbling brickwork or loose tiles.
• Bad storage of materials, e.g. at the edges of scaffold platforms, or in unstable stacks.
• Poor housekeeping, leading to accumulations of waste and loose materials.
• Gaps in platform surfaces or between access platforms and walls.
• Open, unprotected edges.
• Incorrect methods of getting materials from ground level to the working area.
• Incorrect methods of getting materials down to ground level, e.g. throwing.

Question 35

Which regulation regulates working at height?

Answer 35

Work at Height Regulations 2005.

Question 36

What does the Work at Height Regs 2005 state?

Answer 36

• avoid working at height
• use work equipment or other measures to prevent falls where WAH cannot be avoided
• use work equipment or other measures to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall where the risk of a fall cannot be eliminated

Question 37

What are the methods for avoiding working at height?

Answer 37

The best way of managing the risks inherent in work at height is to eliminate the need to work at height entirely.
Avoiding the need for work at height can be achieved by:
• Good design, e.g. erecting guardrails or steelwork at ground level and then craning the steel and guardrails into place.
• Modifying the work process, e.g. cleaning windows from the ground by pole cleaning rather than off ladders.

Question 38

How can falls be prevented?

Answer 38

enough to prevent a fall.
• Where this is not possible or reasonable, provide properly installed personal equipment, such as rope access or boatswain’s chairs (see later).
• If this is not possible, and a worker can approach an unprotected edge, provide equipment which will arrest falls, such as a safety harness or safety net.