Prevention Of Occupational Injuries And Illnesses Flashcards
Recognition
The process of detecting workplace hazards
First two steps in a worksite program to prevent illness or injury of workers
- Recognition/anticipation of hazards
2. Clear identification of hazards
Anticipation
The foresight to recognize and eliminate hazards in equipment and processes during the planning, process review and design stages
Identification
The process of defining, describing, and classifying hazards
Hazard
The potential for harm or damage to people, property or the environment
Classes of workplace hazards
- Physical
- Chemical
- Biologic
- Environmental/mechanical
- Psychosocial
Knowledge required to recognize and identify hazards
Knowledge of
- Workers
- Worksite
- Work practices and processes
- Industrial materials
Sources of information regarding hazards
- Knowledgable company representatives
- Health and safety professionals
- Professional publications and courses
- Direct observation of production processes and workers activities
Overall goal of a prevention program
To recognize and identify hazards, evaluate and analyze these hazards, and select and implement preventative and control measures as a continual process
Site survey or walk-through
Worksite inspection not related to any particular incident, work area or piece of equipment
Purpose of the site survey
To identify unsafe conditions and practices, including items not in compliance with local, state and federal regulations, such as OSHA standards
Examples of what to inspect during a site survey
- Atmospheric conditions
- Illumination
- First aid and emergency units
- Containers
- Supplies and materials
- Buildings and structures
- Electrical hazards
- Fire fighting equipment
- Machinery
- Material handling
- Personal protective equipment
- Work practices
Atmospheric conditions to observe during a site survey
- Dusts
- Vapors
- Odors
Illumination to observe during a site survey
- General
2. Workstations
First aid and emergency units to observe during a site survey
- Eye wash stations
2. Deluge showers
Containers to observe during a site survey
- Labeling
- Flammable liquid
- Waste
Supplies and materials to observe during a site survey
- Caustics
- Acids
- Poisons
- Compressed gases
- Cryogenics
- Oxidizers
- Flammable or spontaneously combustible materials
Buildings and structures to observe during a site survey
- Windows
- Aisles
- Floors
- Stairs
- Exit signs
Electrical hazards to observe during a site survey
- Extension cords
- Outlet usage
- Cord conditions
- Electric gear clearance
- Shock hazards
Fire fighting equipment to observe during a site survey
- Fire extinguishers
- Sprinkler systems
- Standpipes
- Accessibility
- Alarms
- Testing procedures
Machinery to observe during a site survey
- Guarding of moving parts and pinch points
- Barrier safety shields
- Proximity switches
- Automatic shutoffs
Material handling to observe during a site survey
- Lifting devices
- Conveyors
- Lift truck operations
- Crane
- Hoists
Personal protective equipment to observe during a site survey
- Clothing
- Safety glasses
- Chemical goggles
- Gloves
- Safety shoes
- Hard hats
Work practices to observe during a site survey
- Eating at the work station
- Personal hygiene
- Adherence to safe operating procedures
- Housekeeping
Types of walk-through inspections
- Informal inspection
- Formal inspection
- General inspection
Informal inspection
Focuses on routine work, such as inspecting and testing equipment at the beginning of each shift
Formal inspection
- Performed periodically by a team of occupational health and safety professionals
- Scheduled at convenient times
- Includes a written report of findings
General inspection
May be conducted to ensure compliance with legal requirements or for insurance purposes, corporate or union audits and fire code compliance
A site survey follows ——— from the beginning to end
Flow of work
A ——- is used to guide site survey inspection
Checklist
Inspection checklists should be….
Site specific
Pre-inspection activities may include the following:
- Determination of inspection time
- Meeting with managers and supervisors
- Review of previous inspection and accident reports, material safety data sheets, and other relevant records and reports
- Gathering of essential personal protective equipment needed at site
- Gathering of checklists, sampling devices, and other items needed for inspection
Inspection activities may include the following:
- Explanation of procedure to supervisors at inspection site
- Observation of employees’ work practices
- Recording of unsafe conditions and practices, including items out of compliance with OSHA standards
- Identification of problems and their causes
- Commendation of supervisor and workers when conditions are noted to be safe
- Corrective action if an immediate danger, such as a blocked exit is noted
Post inspection activities may include:
- Meeting with managers and supervisors
- Conducting a long term analysis based on data from both current and previous inspections
- Preparing appropriate reports
- Circulating reports, which should include recommendations for possible solutions and correction priorities
A ——- to periodically check for corrected and unresolved problems should be established
Audit system
Resource for example of a walk-through program
AAOHN’s Foundation Block: Worksite Safety Walkthrough Program
Focused inspections are conducted periodically for the following purposes:
- To inspect specific processes, equipment or areas
- To investigate an accident
- To evaluate a reported health or safety hazard
- To respond to complaints of such things as a strange odor or loud noise
Who should conduct the focused inspection?
Individuals or multidisciplinary teams with in-depth knowledge of the process or area
Critical parts that require more frequent inspection
- Light switches
- Safety valves
- Cables
- Belts
- Fire extinguishers
- Eyewash stations
- Exhaust hoods
Legally mandated focused inspections
- Elevators
- Autoclaves
- Boilers
Records review
Can be done alone or as a supplement to other methods of hazard identification
Purposes of record audits
- Identify work site hazards
- Better acquaint the occupational and environmental health nurse with the site
- Provide historical data for trend analysis and epidemiologic study
- Ensure compliance with OSHA standards
Focused checklist for electric forklift
- Obvious damage/leaks
- Tire condition
- Battery plug connect
- Warning lights
- Battery discharge meter
- Horn
- Steering
- Foot brake
- Parking brake
- Hydraulic controls
- Fork operation
- Battery water level
- Seat belts
- Fire extinguisher
- Repairs needed
Records that may be helpful in a records review
- Records concerning production and quality control problems
- Workers compensation claims
- Employee assistance program utilization reports
- Personnel records, including absentee records and job histories
- Written hazard control programs, training records and records concerning fit testing and distribution of PPE
- Safety surveys, inspection reports, and exposure monitoring reports
- Machine and equipment maintenance logs
- Emission and process records
- System monitoring and alarm test records
- Plans for disaster preparedness and emergency response
- Designs and reviews of new or planned facilities, processes, materials or equipment
- Written complaints from withers and minutes of the safety committee meetings
- OSHA record keeping forms
- Other site specific records that can be identified and examined if deemed appropriate
Job hazard analysis
- aka job safety analysis
- the process of studying and recording each step of a job to identify existing and potential health and safety hazards and to determine the best way to perform the job to reduce or eliminate the hazards
The conduct of a job hazard analysis requires the following steps:
- Set priorities
- Assess the general conditions under which the job is performed
- Recommend safety procedures and corrections
- Repeat and revise the job hazard/ job safety analysis periodically and after an accident or injury
Priority areas for job hazard analysis
- Jobs with the highest rates of accident and disabling injuries
- Jobs where close calls have occurred
- New jobs
- Jobs where changes have been made in processes and procedures
Steps to take after assessing general conditions under which a job is performed
- List each step of the job in order of occurrence
- Examine each step to determine the existing or potential hazards
- Repeat job observation as often as needed until all hazards have been identified
- Review each hazard with the worker to determine weather the job could be performed in a safer way or weather safety equipment and precautions are needed
- List exactly each new step or method and identify what the worker needs to know
Recommended safety procedures and corrections include:
- Developing a training program
- Redesigning equipment, changing tools, adding guards, improving ventilation or using personal protective equipment
- Reducing the necessity or frequency of performing the job
- Avoid general earnings such as “be careful”
Job hazard/ job safety analysis provides the following benefits
- Improves worker hazard awareness
- Increases worker safety training and supervisor/worker communication
- Enhances identification of root causes of incidents
- Serves as a valuable tool for ergonomic studies
- Increases the thoroughness of machine inspections
- Helps train new supervisors in unfamiliar jobs
- Determines physical and mental requirements necessary for job performance
When is determining physical and mental requirements necessary for job performance a necessity?
When evaluating job candidates with disabilities
Incident analyses
Fact finding procedures to identify the pertinent factors that allow accidents or near misses to occur so similar future incidents can be prevented
Near miss
An incident that could have resulted in injury or property damage under different circumstances
Why should near misses be evaluated?
To prevent recurrence and a more serious outcome
First step in incident analysis
Identify immediate causes
Methods of identifying immediate causes
- Interviewing workers and collecting physical evidence
- Inspecting the scene of the accident or near miss
- Interviewing witnesses in private
- Being alert to the possibility of attempts to hide injuries or facts
- Use company’s incident investigation form to avoid omitting information
- Trying to quote workers statements on their own words
- Staying objective and avoiding biased statements or questions
Examples of physical evidence to be collected post accident
- Drug screening
2. Alcohol testing
How should you record the relevant details when inspecting the scene post accident?
- Photographs
- Drawings
- Measurements
Why would workers attempt to hide injuries or facts?
Fear of:
- Reprisal
- Poor evaluations
- Ruining safety records
- Discovery of substance abuse
- Embarrassment
- Implicating others
Examples of root causes of incidents
- Lack of management support for safety
- Failure to positively reinforce or reward safe behaviors
- Lack of preventive maintenance programs
- Production output stressed over safety
- Low worker morale
- Unqualified trainers
- Lack of job safety analysis
- No assigned responsibility for a function
- Unsafe work behaviors without accident experience
- Peer values
- Poor example set by supervisors/managers
Workplace factors that often contribute to incidents
- Procedures
- Facilities
- Communication patterns
- Behaviors