What is a Hazard?

When we refer to hazards in relation to

occupational safety and health the most commonly
used definition is ‘A Hazard is a potential
source of harm or adverse health effect on a
person or persons’.
The terms Hazard and Risk are often used
interchangeably but this simple example explains
the difference between the two.
If there was a spill of water in a room
then that water would present a slipping hazard
to persons passing through it. If access to that
area was prevented by a physical barrier then the
hazard would remain though the risk would be
minimized.
A hazard is a source or a situation with
the potential for harm in terms of human injury
or ill-health, damage to property, damage to the
environment, or a combination of these.
Hazards at work may include noisy
machinery, a moving forklift, chemicals,
electricity, working at heights, a repetitive
job, or inappropriate behavior that adversely
affects a worker’s safety and health.
An unwanted event is a situation or
condition where there is a loss of control of the
hazard that leads to harm.

What is Risk?
 When we refer to risk in
relation to occupational
safety and health the most
commonly used definition is
‘risk is the likelihood that
a person may be harmed or
suffers adverse health effects
if exposed to a hazard.
A risk is the chance of
something happening that will
have a negative effect. The
level of risk reflects:
• The likelihood of the
unwanted event
• The potential consequences
of the unwanted event.

Categorizing Risk
The level of risk is often categorized upon the potential harm
or adverse health effect that the hazard may cause, the number of times
persons are exposed and the number of persons exposed. For example exposure
to airborne asbestos fibres will always be classified as high because a
single exposure may cause potentially fatal lung disease, whereas the risk
associated with using a display screen for a short period could be
considered to be very low as the potential harm or adverse health effects
are minimal.

What are Control Measures?

Control measures include actions that can be taken to reduce the
potential of exposure to the hazard, or the control measure could be to
remove the hazard or to reduce the likelihood of the risk of the exposure
to that hazard being realized. A simple control measure would be the secure
guarding of moving parts of machinery eliminating the potential for
contact. When we look at control measures we often refer to the hierarchy
of control measures.
 Elimination of the hazard is not always achievable
1. Eliminate the though it does totally remove the hazard and thereby
eliminates the risk of exposure. An example of this
hazard would be that petrol station attendants in Ireland are
no longer exposed to the risk of chronic lead poisoning
following the removal of lead from petrol products sold
at forecourts.

Substituting the hazard may not remove all of the

2. Substitute the hazards associated with the process or activity and may
introduce different hazards but the overall harm or
hazard with a health effects will be lessened. In laboratory research,
toluene is now often used as a substitute for benzene.
lesser risk The solvent-properties of the two are similar but
toluene is less toxic and is not categorised as a
carcinogen although toluene can cause severe
neurological harm.

Isolating the hazard is achieved by restricting access

3. Isolate the to plant and equipment or in the case of substances
locking them away under strict controls. When using
hazard certain chemicals then a fume cupboard can isolate the
hazard from the person, similarly placing noisy
equipment in a non-accessible enclosure or room
isolates the hazard from the person(s).

Engineering Controls involve redesigning a process to

4. Use place a barrier between the person and the hazard or
remove the hazard from the person, such as machinery
engineering guarding, proximity guarding, extraction systems or
controls removing the operator to a remote location away from
the hazard.

Administrative controls include adopting standard

5. Use operating procedures or safe work practices or
providing appropriate training, instruction or
administrative information to reduce the potential for harm and/or
controls adverse health effects to person(s). Isolation and
permit to work procedures are examples of
administrative controls.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) include gloves, glasses,

6. Use personal earmuffs, aprons, safety footwear, dust masks which are designed to
reduce exposure to the hazard. PPE is usually seen as the last line
protective of defence and is usually used in conjunction with one or more of
the other control measures. An example of the weakness of this
equipment control measure is that it is widely recognised that single-use
dust masks cannot consistently achieve and maintain an effective
facepiece-to-face seal, and cannot be adequately fit-tested and do
not offer much, if any real protection against small particulates
and may lead to a false sense of security and increase risk. In
such instances an extraction system with fitted respirators may be
preferable where the hazard may have significant health effects
from low levels of exposure such as using isocyante containing
chemicals.

Use of Personal Protective Equipment

 
Personal protective equipment, also
known as PPE, is item worn by you to protect
you from exposure to hazards during work.  A
work area assessment will help you determine
the potential hazards and select the
appropriate PPE for adequate protection.
Common PPE used in home for health care
includes glove, apron, and mask.
Why is PPE important?
Making the workplace safe includes
providing instructions, procedures, training
and supervision to encourage people to work
safely and responsibly.
Even where engineering controls and safe
systems of work have been applied, some
hazards might remain. These include injuries
to:
 the lungs, eg from breathing in
contaminated air
 the head and feet, eg from falling
materials
 the eyes, eg from flying particles or
splashes of corrosive liquids
 the skin, eg from contact with corrosive
materials
 the body, eg from extremes of heat or cold
PPE is needed in these cases to reduce the
risk.
 Post test
Direction: Write True if the statement is correct and
False if the statement is wrong.

1. Twisting the body when doing a task is important to

avoid ergonomic hazard.
2. Proper hand washing is the first line of defense against
the spread of illness to other people.
3. A wet gown is considered contaminated.
4. The best method of control measure is through
substitution.
5. Providing improved tools and equipment to workers to
prevent hazard is an example of engineering control.
6-10. What are the types of Hazard and Explain it briefly.

Key Answer
1. False
2. True
3. True
4. False
5. True
6. Physical- the most normal occurrences in
workplace.
7. Biological- comes from working with animals,
people or infectious materials.
8. Ergonomic- occur when a care givers nature
of work, body position and working conditions
put pressure on his/her body.
9. Chemical- are present when a worker is
exposed to any chemical preparation in the
workplace in any form (solid, liquid or gas).
10. Psychological- take place when a care
givers work environment becomes stressful or
demanding.

Activity
1. Repetitive and forceful movements.
R O G I M C E N O

2. Spillages of toxic materials.

H A L E C M C I

3. Bacteria and viruses.

L O B G I I O C L A

4. Twisted extension cords.

H I Y S C A P L

5. Stress from night shifts.

P C O S Y H O L A G I C L

Pre- test