HAZARD AWARENESS

WHAT IS
HAZARD The consciousness of the potential or existing dangers that may be
present in any situation.
AWARENESS
?
HAZARD
vs.
RISK
 A hazard is something that can cause harm, e.g. electricity, chemicals,
working up a ladder, noise, a keyboard, a bully at work, stress, etc.
 A risk is the chance, high or low, that any hazard will actually cause
somebody harm.
 “All individuals should be aware of any potential risks or hazards.”

Why is  Being aware is the first step in eliminating hazards and reducing the odds

Hazard of injuries occurring

 It helps identify the potential sources of danger

Awareness  The main purpose of hazard awareness is to:

important?  To identify health and safety hazards and evaluate the risks presented
within the workplace
 To evaluate the effectiveness and suitability of existing control
measures
 To ensure additional controls (including procedural) are
implemented wherever the remaining risk is considered to be
anything other than low.
HAZARD AWARENESS
PROGRAMS
• Identification
• Evaluation
• Control
 Before we can control hazards, we must first be able to
recognize and identify their potential risk.
Program #1

HAZARD
Most hazards can be grouped into three categories:
IDENTIFICATION
1. Physical Hazards
2. Environmental Hazards
3. Behavioral Hazards

PHYSICAL
HAZARD
encompasses a wide variety of
conditions found in our
buildings, parks and roadways.
Examples:
 Fire hazards such as improperly stored combustible materials,
flammable liquids or open flames
 Shock hazards from poorly maintained or overloaded electrical
equipment
 Collision hazards with vehicles and heavy equipment
 pinch, crush and cuts created by machinery, tools and equipment
 ergonomic hazards from working from working in an improperly
designed workstation
 Examples:
 Not following established safety rules or procedures

ENVIRONMEN  Improperly lifting of heavy objects and straining your back

 Working under the influence of drugs or alcohol while working
TAL  Working even when feeling tired after taking prescription medication
HAZARDS that makes you drowsy
 An active violence by angry citizen or combated persons resisting
arrest.
 Examples:
 Exposure to toxic chemicals like chlorine gas or pesticides
 Dangerous working conditions such as high noise, inadequate lighting,
Behavioral extreme hot or cold temperature,

Hazards  Exposure to inclement weather such as ice and snow, high winds or
lightning
 Exposure to biological hazards that can include contact to infectious
diseases like HIV, hepatitis, etc.

The at-risk behaviors of

individuals or the general public
 Behavioral Hazards

Reason why  No proper training

 Adequate tools are not available
some performs  Wanting more comfortable or convenient ways to do the job more
quickly
at-risk behaviors
 The type and frequency of safety inspection may vary on what is being
To identify inspected:
hazards as either
physical,
environmental, or  Example:
behavioral,
 Dept. of Transportation requires daily inspections to buses
perform periodic
safety inspections  Playground equipment should be inspected monthly and more
often during peak seasons of use
 Sanitary sewer lines – every 18 - 36 months
Program #2

Hazard  The assessment of the potential danger of a hazard

Evaluation
  Biological – bacteria, viruses, insects, plants, birds, animals, and humans,
etc.,

 Chemical – depends on the physical, chemical and toxic properties of the

chemical,
A common  Ergonomic – repetitive movements, improper set up of workstation, poor
way to design of equipment, workstation design, (postural) or workflow, manual
classify handling, repetitive movement.etc.,

hazards is by  Physical – Slippery floors, objects in walkways, unsafe or misused

category machinery, excessive noise, poor lighting, fire. radiation, magnetic fields,

pressure extremes (high pressure or vacuum), noise, etc.,

 Psychological – Shift work, workload, dealing with the public, harassment,

discrimination, threat of danger, constant low-level noise, stress, violence,
etc.,

 Safety – slipping/tripping hazards, inappropriate machine guarding,

equipment malfunctions or breakdowns.
 Techniques in
Evaluating Hazards
 A.

Review past  Produce a cause-and-effect conclusion on past records of

incidents. For example:
records of  Working in scaffoldings may result to fatalities
accidents, injuries  Operating vehicles has resulted to numerous serious accidents

and near-misses  Lifting heavy objects has caused many back injuries
 B.

Use  The Risk Matrix Chart compares the potential frequency and

Risk Matrix severity of the hazards and charts it as to low, medium or high
risk.
Chart
 Low Risk = Low probability of risk injury
 Ex.: Operating a photocopying machine

 Medium Risk = High possible of injury if proper controls are not

utilized
 Ex.: Removing a manhole cover. Strain the back and getting sprain
injuries are possible but can be prevented by using proper body
mechanics

 High risk = Significant probability of severe injuries or property

damage if proper controls are not used
 Ex. High speed pursuit (car chase), handling or chlorine gas, or
confined space injury
 To control this hazards, strict policy and procedures must be
established
 Once we evaluate our data and
determine which jobs are high risk, we
can take the necessary safety
precautions to reduce potential hazards.
Program #3

Hazard
Controls
 A key question for any risk assessment is how exactly you are
going to control the risks.
 It's not just a record of risks, after all. It's an assessment.
 Once you have spotted the hazards, and calculated the risks, you
now need to get those risks under control.
A successful risk assessment must check existing
controls and assess if more should be done to
prevent harm.

These controls are what's known as

control measures.

What good is assessing a risk if you don't control it?

Control Measure #1
“Can this risk be removed entirely from this activity?”

Examples:

Elimination  Use extendable tools to eliminate work at height

 Materials delivered already cut to size to remove the use of blades
 Cordless equipment to get rid of trailing cables
 “Maybe the risk cannot be removed entirely, but could it be
Control Measure #2 reduced by replacing the material, substance or process with
something less dangerous?”

Examples:
Substitution  Replacing ladders with tower scaffolds
 Substituting a hazardous chemical with a safer alternative
 Changing high-level vibrating equipment with newer equipment
with less vibration exposure
 This includes designs or modifications to plants, equipment,
ventilation systems, and processes to reduce the source of

Control Measure #3 exposure.

Examples:

Engineering  Breaking down tasks and weight loads to reduce the exertion
necessary by employees

Controls  Limiting employee exertion by using equipment for heavy lifting

 Redesigning workspaces to accommodate individuals in order to
reduce strain and improve posture
 Ensuring that all workspaces provide employees the full range of
motion required to complete a task
 Repositioning objects and surfaces such as tables in the workplace
to reduce the need for reaching
 This control alters the way the work is done, including timing of
work, policies and other rules, and work practices such as
Control Measure #4 standards and operating procedures (including training,
housekeeping, and equipment maintenance, and personal hygiene
practices).

Administrative Examples:
Controls  Provide employees with break periods that help to reduce short-
term strain
 Adjusting the pace of work to reduce exertion
 Rotate employees working in repetitive or strenuous tasks, to
reducing exposure
 Label any heavy loads with their weight amount
Control Measure #5 PPE is the last line of defense against a hazard, so while it
shouldn't be your first choice when controlling risks, it can give
added protection for any remaining level of risk, or should other

Personal controls fail.

Protective Examples:

Equipment  Use of ear defenders when using noisy equipment

 Harnesses and lanyards where the risk of falls cannot be
eliminated completely
 Hard hats where there may be falls of tools or materials overhead
 REMEMBER…

Wherever you may be, being vigilant

and aware of hazards around you
always goes a long way. It can even
save your life!

Safety is a CHOICE, not a

CHANCE!
THANK YOU!