Contribute to controlling Hazards

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CONTRIBUTE TO CONTROLLING HAZARDS CONCEPT OF CONTROL MEASURES

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Safety Hazards: Recognition, Assessment and Control A safety hazard is something that has the potential to cause an injury. Occupational injuries are usually the result of accidents. An accident is an unplanned event that causes harm to people or damage to property. The harm or damage is usually immediately apparent. For example, a worker might break an arm. Accidents usually occur when a hazard is not adequately controlled, for instance, when safe work practices are not in place, or are in place and are not followed. All accidents, whether incurring injury or not, should be investigated to determine the root causes so that necessary corrective action may be taken to prevent a recurrence.

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Recognition The first step in recognizing safety hazards is to understand what causes accidents. The immediate "cause" of an injury is not the same thing as the cause of the accident. There are many theories of accident causation. The different approaches often have their own specific procedures for evaluating hazards. Certified members must be familiar with the system used in the workplace to evaluate and control safety hazards.

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The generally accepted theories of accident causation may use different terminology. But they all have a common theme: an accident or an incident is rarely the result of a single cause. There are several causation factors that may combine to cause an accident. Accident causes can be seen as links in a chain of circumstances that can develop over time. The factors that can contribute to cause an accident can be grouped into five categories: * Human factors; * Material factors; * Equipment factors; * Environmental factors; * Process factors.

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Human Factors The actions that people take, or do not take, greatly affect what happens in the workplace Material Factors Many of the materials involved in producing goods and services in the workplace, including waste products, involve safety hazards. Equipment Factors Equipment refers to the tools, machines, facilities, vehicles, and other hardware used in the workplace. Environmental Factors The workplace environment is the place where people, materials and equipment come together to get work done. There are many aspects of the environment that can affect or alter conditions adversely and contribute to safety hazards. Temperature, humidity, air quality, lighting quality, radiation, "housekeeping" and noise level are examples. Process Factors A process is the sequence of actions used to transform materials and human skills into goods or services

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What is a Major Hazard Facility A site is considered a major hazard facility (MHF) primarily if it stores, handles or processes quantities of dangerous chemicals or products above a threshold, as defined in Schedule 1 of the Regulations. Typically, such facilities include refineries, chemical and gas processing plants, LPG storage and distribution sites and even certain types of large warehouses and transport yards. While major incidents at these sites are rare, the 1998 Longford incident highlighted the potentially catastrophic nature of such incidents in terms of loss of life and damage to property.

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What is a Safety Case? A Safety Case is a written document in which the operator of a major hazard site describes what measures are in place to prevent a major incident and also to deal with the situation should such an incident occur. The Safety Case must demonstrate that the measures are appropriate and adequate and that risks have been reduced as far as practicable. A Safety Case can only be written following a full examination of: ·       the facility’s activities ·       the potential for major incidents ·       risk control measures. Preparing a safety case is the employer’s responsibility, but a significant aspect of a safety case is the role of employees.

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Identifying Specific Safety Hazards An understanding of the factors that can combine to cause accidents is the first step in recognizing safety hazards. Other sources of information that can be used to identify safety hazards include the following: * Material safety data sheets * Accident and incident reports; WCB claim reports * First aid statistical records *Joint health and safety committee minutes * Previous inspection reports; Job analysis; Work procedures; Safety manuals; Equipment manuals and Maintenance records.

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CONCEPT OF CONTROL MEASURES AN EXAMPLE IS SHOWN BELOW: Initiating event Occurrences with the potential to cause a dangerous situation Control measures ·      mechanical safety devices ·      safety procedures ·      operator presence Effect of loss of control Eg, loss of containment of toxic or flammable substances Mitigation measures The systems to minimize the consequences of loss of control Site wide emergency response plan Example of effects arising from a hazardous situation Back

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In the previous example, because of an incorrect quantity of pentane in the pentane weigh tank, there is potential for a loss of containment of pentane, leading to a fire and other possible consequences, including injury and loss of life. Control measures include the presence of an operator who has the skills to recognise the potential for an incident to occur because of the incorrect quantity of pentane in the weigh tank. The operator would then follow procedures to prevent the incident. The important aspect is that the operator identifies the situation in the first place.

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Identifying hazards A hazard is any situation with the potential to cause harm, injury, or damage to plant and equipment. All workplaces have potential hazards that can lead to a minor or major incident. Identifying and dealing with a hazard is often common sense, such as seeing a leaking gland in a pipe and notifying the appropriate personnel. Other examples include hearing unusual noises in an item of plant, noticing a leaking containment vessel, observing incorrect or unusual instrument readings (eg pressure, temperature, flow rate).

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Assessing risks arising from a hazard The risks arising from a hazard will depend on many factors, including:       Type of workplace ·       Nature of the hazard ·       Situation at the time The risks that could arise also vary considerably and could include : ·       Environmental risks (pollution, chemical fallout over adjacent properties, fire) ·       Risks to other workers (injury or death) ·       Risks leading to plant damage and failure (eg, bearing failure causing a shaft to seize, which in turn could cause other equipment items to fail, due to a loss of output from the equipment suffering bearing failure) ·       Risks leading to loss of product (eg, gases or liquid products escaping, which in turn could mean the plant loses profitability, leading to potential closure). You would normally assess the likely risks from a hazard you have identified before taking action. If the potential risks are high, you need to take action immediately. If there are minimal risks (eg, a very small leak from a gland), you would still report the leak, but perhaps after you return to base. However, if in doubt about the potential risks, report the hazard immediately.

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Taking action to control risks In some cases you will be able to deal with the hazard yourself. For example, if you notice a leaking gland that simply requires tightening, you would tighten the gland, providing it’s within your scope of skill level. Or you might hear a noise that indicates a bearing problem that you can solve by topping up the bearing oil containers. The important thing to remember is that you should only make repairs you are qualified to undertake. In many instances, you would need to report a potential hazard to appropriate personnel. However there could be things you can do while an emergency response team is on its way. For instance, if a gas bottle is leaking, you could isolate that gas bottle and warn others of the hazard. If a pressure gauge indicates an abnormally high vessel pressure, you would first report the problem, then take action to warn other workers, including placing barriers to prevent others from getting too close to the vessel.

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Following procedures Most workplaces have procedures in place to deal with hazardous situations. The aim of these procedures is to ensure the correct action is taken, and by the appropriate personnel. If you identify a hazardous situation, you would take appropriate action in accordance with the correct procedures. Otherwise you might make the situation worse, or cause yourself injury. If there are no procedures, you would take action in accordance with your skill level. The essential aspect is to take appropriate action. If there are no procedures and the problem is outside your skill level, report the problem immediately, even if it appears minor. The Longford incident could have been prevented if the observation of ice around a pipe had been acted on appropriately.

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Controlling Safety Hazards Safety hazards can be controlled at the source of the hazard, along the path between the hazard and the worker or at the worker. The first priority is to eliminate the hazard from the work process entirely, or to control it at its source. Controlling the hazard before it reaches the worker is the next most preferred method. Control at the worker is used where the hazard cannot be eliminated or blocked. Another way of controlling safety hazards is the use of safe work procedures. There should be a written safe work procedure for every task. There are three components to such a procedure: *A step-by-step description of how to do the task; *A set of guidelines describing the principles involved in doing the work safely; *A specific standard of workplace behavior.

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Review A safety hazard is something that has the potential to cause an injury. Injuries on the job are usually the result of an accident, which is an unplanned event that has the potential to harm people or property. To recognize safety hazards, certified members need an understanding of how accidents are caused. In fact, they rarely have a single cause. They are usually caused by a chain of events involving several different causal factors. People, materials, equipment, the environment, work processes and organizational factors may all play a part in causing accidents.

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Safety hazards are controlled by identifying all of the factors that can combine to cause accidents. Some of them can be eliminated. Where they cannot be eliminated, the process, the equipment, the environment or job procedures can be redesigned to prevent or control worker exposure to the hazard. Written safe work procedures are a good way to make sure that everyone in the workplace understands how to control hazards. They also provide a benchmark for comparison in workplace inspections and accident or incident investigations.

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THANK YOU