Health, Wellness & Safe Workplace Flashcards
Frequency Track Record
(# of Injuries x 200,000)/Total Hours Worked
Severity Track Record
(# of Days Lost to Injuries x 200,000)/Total Hours Worked
Worker’s Compensation - Premium Calculation
Premium owing = Industry Rating x Employer Experience Rating x Size of Payroll
Causes of Hazards
Human factors - includes human error, laziness, carelessness, lack of knowledge/training, things that shouldn’t happen and can be fixed
Environmental factors - the condition of the work environment like loud noises or cold temperatures and conditions that are integral to the job and can’t be fixed or changed
Situational factors - include operations, equipment or materials that contribute to accident situations
Risk Assessment
Frequency - measures how often someone is exposed to the hazard as a normal part of their job
Severity - projects the consequences of the hazard
Probability - estimates the likelihood of an accident occurring given the hazard and its frequency
Methods of Controlling Hazards
Elimination - wherever possible the best control is to eliminate the hazard
Engineering controls - the use of materials like metal guards, shields, barriers, etc.
Administrative controls - ensuring proper processes, instruction, training, rotating shifts, etc.
Personal protective equipment - wearing masks, gloves, aprons, hard hats, steel-toed boots, etc.
Noise Hazards
Employees should be assessed at the beginning of their employment to establish their hearing level baseline, and then monitored periodically to ensure no hearing loss is occurring
Equipment used to measure noise conditions:
-Sound Pressure Level Meter - measures gross noise levels in decibels
-Octave Band Analyzer - measures noise frequency range
-Dosimeter - measures employee exposure as a percentage of work time
-Audiometer - measures employee hearing sensitivity
Vibration Hazards
Types of vibration: segmental vibration, whole body vibration
Vibration is evaluated in terms of
-Intensity
-Frequency
-Duration
Vibration can cause irreversible circulation damage
Engineering controls - rubber grips, padded seating (absorbs vibration), more effective ergonomic design
Thermal Stress Hazards (exposure to extreme heat or cold)
Exposure to extreme cold can cause hypothermia, chilblains and frostbite
Exposure to extreme heat can cause swelling, heat rash, heat cramps, heat stroke and fainting
Exposure to heat can occur through:
Conduction - touching something
Convection - standing close to something
Radiation - being exposed to radiation waves
Exposure to Radiation Hazards
Ionizing radiation - x rays, gamma rays, alpha particles, beta particles, neutrons
Non-ionizing radiation (more common) - ultraviolet radiation, visible radiation, infrared radiation, microwave radiation, radio waves
Requires training, protective equipment and isolating the employee from exposure
Radiation is controlled through engineering controls, administrative controls and personal protective equipment
Engineering controls - shields, walls, locked doors and warning lights
Admin controls - regular inspections, maintenance schedules, labelling and operating procedures
PPE - lead aprons
Chemical Hazards
Chemical Reaction category includes vapours
Physical Action category includes airborne particles
Chemical Contaminants include dust, fumes, smoke, mist, vapour gas and liquid
Chemical hazard can be inhaled, ingested, absorbed through the skin, penetrated (when the skin is cut) through direct contact with a cut or injected through a needle
Control methods
-Substitute with non-hazardous products
-Isolate the hazard in an area where only employees using PPE handle it
-Improve ventilation
-Engineering controls - shields, guards, walls, locked doors, warning lights, change the engineering process (e.g. bots handle the chemicals)
-Administrative controls - regular inspections, training, maintenance schedules, labels, proper operating procedures
-Use PPE - gloves, masks, special clothing
WHMIS - 4 main categories
Product classification - all hazardous materials must be assigned to a category
Supplier labels - first alert to workers that the container they’re handling contains a hazardous product
Safety data sheets - provides info about the product hazards of a product and advice about safety precautions
Worker education and training - both types required for employees who are exposed to hazardous materials as part of their job
Cumulative Trauma Disorders (includes repetitive strain injuries)
Continuous and repetitive actions that produce muscle or skeletal strain
Any strain producing body action that involves the use of fingers, wrists, arms, elbows, shoulder, neck or the back that is repeated over a long period of time
Causes
-Unnatural joint position or posture
-Application of force to hinge joints
-Repetition
-Pre-existing conditions (e.g. arthritis or circulation disorders) can have a synergistic effect on RS conditions
Ergonomics is a good preventative measure
Workplace Violence Types
Type I: random - usually associated with a criminal act
Control
-Protective screens, barriers
-Increase visibility and “harden the target” - deters the criminal act
Type II: committed by clients or customers
Control
-Environmental strategies - surveillance cameras, effective lighting, presence of security personnel, card-controlled entrances
-Administrative strategies - policies, behavioural strategies (training), reporting procedures
Type III: committed by co-workers
Control
-Training, open environment, resolution processes, non-tolerance policy
Type IV: committed by family member
Control
-Managers should be educated about the forms of intimate violence and aware of the resources available to employees
-EFAP
-Temporary accommodation as required
