Recommended Control Measures
Risk control means being aware of and managing the potential areas where people or property could come to harm. Hazards are things that can cause:
Bearing in mind that under the WHS Act there is a legal obligation to keep the workplace safe and free from hazards, all staff must do all they can do to ensure that the workplace conforms with health and safety procedures, policies, Codes of Practice and Australian Standards. this is where 'risk management comes in.
- Potential harm in terms of human injury or health ( for example, in a medical setting this could include things such as blood, spillage, drug hold-ups and needle sticks)
- Damage to property
- Damage to the environment
- Potential source of infection (breakages, contaminated waste).
Bearing in mind that under the WHS Act there is a legal obligation to keep the workplace safe and free from hazards, all staff must do all they can do to ensure that the workplace conforms with health and safety procedures, policies, Codes of Practice and Australian Standards. this is where 'risk management comes in.
Hierarchy Of Control Measures
1. Eliminate the hazard Elimination of the hazard is not always achievable though it does totally remove the hazard and thereby eliminates the risk of exposure. An example of this 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.
2. Substitute the hazard with a lesser risk Substituting the hazard may not remove all of the hazards associated with the process or activity and may introduce different hazards but the overall harm or health effects will be lessened. In laboratory research, toluene is now often used as a substitute for benzene. 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.
3. Isolate the hazard Isolating the hazard is achieved by restricting access to plant and equipment or in the case of substances locking them away under strict controls. When using 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).
4. Use engineering controls Engineering Controls involve redesigning a process to place a barrier between the person and the hazard or remove the hazard from the person, such as machinery guarding, proximity guarding, extraction systems or removing the operator to a remote location away from the hazard.
5. Use administrative controls Administrative controls include adopting standard operating procedures or safe work practices or providing appropriate training, instruction or information to reduce the potential for harm and/or adverse health effects to person(s). Isolation and permit to work procedures are examples of administrative controls.
6. Use personal protective equipment Personal protective equipment (PPE) include gloves, glasses, earmuffs, aprons, safety footwear, dust masks which are designed to reduce exposure to the hazard. PPE is usually seen as the last line of defence and is usually used in conjunction with one or more of the other control measures. An example of the weakness of this 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.
2. Substitute the hazard with a lesser risk Substituting the hazard may not remove all of the hazards associated with the process or activity and may introduce different hazards but the overall harm or health effects will be lessened. In laboratory research, toluene is now often used as a substitute for benzene. 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.
3. Isolate the hazard Isolating the hazard is achieved by restricting access to plant and equipment or in the case of substances locking them away under strict controls. When using 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).
4. Use engineering controls Engineering Controls involve redesigning a process to place a barrier between the person and the hazard or remove the hazard from the person, such as machinery guarding, proximity guarding, extraction systems or removing the operator to a remote location away from the hazard.
5. Use administrative controls Administrative controls include adopting standard operating procedures or safe work practices or providing appropriate training, instruction or information to reduce the potential for harm and/or adverse health effects to person(s). Isolation and permit to work procedures are examples of administrative controls.
6. Use personal protective equipment Personal protective equipment (PPE) include gloves, glasses, earmuffs, aprons, safety footwear, dust masks which are designed to reduce exposure to the hazard. PPE is usually seen as the last line of defence and is usually used in conjunction with one or more of the other control measures. An example of the weakness of this 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.
Risk 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 realised. 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.
Description Of Hazards
A hazard is a situation in the workplace that has the potential to harm the health and safety of people or to damage plant and equipment. The situation could involve a task, chemical or equipment used. Hazard management is a continuous process that can be used to improve the health and safety of all workplaces.
Hazard management is essentially a problem-solving process aimed at defining problems (identifying hazards), gathering information about them (risk assessment) and solving them (risk control). This is followed up by checking to see that the controls were successful (evaluation) and reviewing the whole process (review) after a period of time or when something changes.
Hazard management is essentially a problem-solving process aimed at defining problems (identifying hazards), gathering information about them (risk assessment) and solving them (risk control). This is followed up by checking to see that the controls were successful (evaluation) and reviewing the whole process (review) after a period of time or when something changes.
The hazard identified in this photo is the corner of the tables they are very sharp corners. If a studnet was to walk into this they could be severly injured. A control measure to reduce this risk could be to change the edge of this desk to a circular shape to minimise injurty.
The hazared identifed in this photo is the location of the fire extinguisher it is directly above a powerpoint and electical supply. A control measure to reduce this risk would be to relocate the fire extingusher to a place in the room where there is no electriacal outlets and its easier to access.
The Hazard identified in this photo are the loose cabales in the back. These cabales can become tangled and eventually break or tear over time. A control measure for this risk would be to apply cable tiers to hold cables in a neat and safe pile.