Risk assessment Flashcards
What are standardised risk assessment tools?
methods to further assess and analyse specific ‘high risk’ manual tasks. Can be chosen according to what you want to further assess
What standardised risk assessment tool measures weights?
Scales
What standardised risk assessment tool measures forces?
Force gauge
What standardised risk assessment tool measures distances?
Tape measure
What standardised risk assessment tool measures posture?
OWAS, RULA, REBA, PErforM
What standardised risk assessment tool measures manual handling?
NIOSH, ManTRA, PErforM
When are standardised risk assessment tools used?
- When identifying high risk tasks and postures
- Injuries or discomfort/pain that can be associated with a task
- When determining actions for risk control
- Observation of the task indicates there may be the presence of a risk factor of musculoskeletal injurt.
What is the OWAS?
Ovaka Working Posture Analysis System
What is the OWAS suitable for?
Work that involves a large variety of working postures combined with heavy manual handling. Suitable for the analysis of physical work with clearly observable postures of different body segments
What is the utility of the OWAS?
A simple method for quickly checking the comfort of working postures and provides and overall picture of the postural load caused by different postures in different jobs.
What does the OWAS evaluate?
Evaluates the relative discomfort of a working posture based on positioning of the back, arms, and legs as well as load requirements
True or false - The OWAS is not used to direct improvement in the working methods used in a workplace
False, it is used for this
True or false - The OWAS assigns the evaluated a score that indicates the urgency of taking corrective measures
True
What is the PErforM?
The Participative Ergonomics for Manual Task Program Risk Assessment Tool
What does the PErforM do?
Provides a risk profile for nominated body parts involved in high risk tasks and identifies the aspect of the task to which control measures should be targeted
What are the 5 risk factors the PErforM assesses?
- Exertion
- Awkward (and sustained) posture
- Vibration
- Repetition
- Duration
What is Exertion?
Body part subject to high forces, leads to fatigue and exhaustion
What causes exertion?
Lifting, carrying, holding one position for a period of time, forceful grips
What are awkward and static postures in relation to the PErforM?
Any postures where the body parts are not in a neutral or comfortable position.
What is vibration?
Whole body and hand/arm vibration
What is duration?
Time taken to perform a task once, or perform a task repeatedly without break.
When is duration a significant risk factor?
When a task is performed continuously for 30 minutes or more, or 2 hours over a whole shift
What is repetition?
Similar movements performed over and over
When is repetition a significant risk factor?
When movement is performed every 30 seconds or less
What is a risk profile?
Highlights the body parts exposed to significant risk factors and allows controls to be target to these risk factors
What is the RULA?
Rapid Upper Limb Assessment
What does the RULA do?
Evaluates the exposure of workers to the risk of upper limb disorders and assesses the risk of UL disorders based on posture, muscle use, weight/force of loads, task duration and frequency
How does the RULA assess risk factors?
It assigns the evaluated task a score that indicates the degree of intervention required to reduce the risk of an upper limb injury.
How can we identify hazards?
Self reporting surveys, simple checklists, direct measurement, observation and use standardised risk assessment tools
How can we assess and prioritise?
use a risk priority chart
How do we decide on controls?
Use the hierarchy of controls
What is the hierarchy of controls?
- Elimination - physically remove the hazard
- Substitution - Replace the hazard
- Engineering controls - isolate people from the hazard
- Administrative controls - change the way people work
- PPE - protect the worker with personal protective equipment
How can we implement control measures?
Develop work procedures, communication and provide training and instruction
How do we monitor and review?
determine if chosen control measures have been implemented as planned, check the chosen control measures are working and check if the new control measures have created any new problems.
