Lecture 11: Occupational Safety

Question 1

2 broad categories of occupational and environmental hazards

Answer 1

safety hazards (electrical, fire, injury/fall, interpersonal/violence)

health hazards (chemical, physical, ergonomic/biomechanical, biological, psychological)

Question 2

Definition of safety hazard

Answer 2

uncontrolled transfer of energy from source to recipients (loaded firearms, unprotected electrical sources)

Question 3

Definition and trends in occupational injuries

Answer 3

caused by acute exposure to physical agents in the workplace or from sudden lack of oxygen or heat

more than 5k workers died in 2008, 3.5 non fatal injuries, although the total number of worker fatalities is decreasing there are confounders (the great recession) and the breakdown looks very similar between years.

the data on fatal injuries is pretty good - much less certain for non-fatal injuries (based on reporting error, latency period)

Question 4

Occupational Safety

Answer 4

preventing fatal and disabling injuries, but more than just that

Hierarchy

1. Eliminate hazard
2. apply safeguard technology
3. use warning signs
4. train and instruct
5. use PPE

Question 5

Safety Control Systems

Answer 5

broadly defined as Engineering Controls, Admin controls, and PPE

Question 6

definition of engineering controls

Answer 6

eliminate hazards through equipment or system design

prevent exposure using safeguards

must be designed so as to not interfere with productivity

Question 7

definition of administrative controls

Answer 7

management directed work practices, signs, devices, programs, training, record keeping,

Question 8

what is one strategy for controlling hazardous energy

Answer 8

lockout tagout, affix the lockout or tagout to the device so that someone doesn’t use them accidentally

Question 9

confined spaces

Answer 9

working area not designed for continuous human occupancy, large enough to perform work in, limited entry and exit, no adequate ventilation, exposure to contaminants (40% of fatal confined space accidents), explosions

OSHA guidance on this matter is mostly administrative , made a permit requirement if a space has a potential to contain hazardous atmosphere, material that could engulf occupant, high risk of asphyxiation,

Question 10

What are the key elements of atmospheric monitoring in confined spaces?

Answer 10

O2 deficiency (or enrichment, which could lead to explosion), flammability (LEL, upper EL), toxicity

Question 11

PPE that can be used in occupational safety

Answer 11

fall resistant devices,

hard hats, earwear, face shields, steel toed boots, flotation devices

lot of oversight management required

Question 12

talk about training and occ safety

Answer 12

there is no data on what training does to prevent injury, but good companies have training programs

effective training: increase awareness, safe working practices, can initiate other safety improvements. Workers must use training for it to be effective

elements of effective training programs: commitment (management and workers), assessing training needs specific to work task, setting clear goals, evaluating effectiveness of training, periodic reinforcement