element 2 julie carmel
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Diploma of Children’s Services. CHCOHS501A Manage Workplace OHS Management Systems. Element 2 Julie Carmel. Hazards in the Workplace. What are workplace Hazards?. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Element 2
Julie Carmel
Diploma of Children’s Services
CHCOHS501AManage Workplace OHS Management Systems
Hazards in the Workplace
What are workplace Hazards?
A hazard is any source that puts a person at risk and has the potential to harm life, health,
property or the environment.
Risk is the chance of something harmful occurring,that is,the likelihood that harm will
occur as a result of a hazard.
For a hazard to be come a risk, a worker must be exposed to the hazard and the hazard might
cause harm.
Types of Hazard in Early Childhood
Physical Hazards;Noise
ElectricalHeat or cold
DustFire
Working space
Chemical HazardsGasesLiquidsfumes
Ergonomic Hazards•Tool and equipment design
•Workstation design•Task design
Radiation hazards
•X-rays, microwave
•Ultraviolet or infrared radiation
Psychological Hazards;Shift workWorkload
HarassmentDiscrimination
BullyingPoor management practices
Inadequate organisational systemsInadequate resourcesUnrealistic work loads
Biological Hazards
• bacterial
•Viral
•Fungal infections
Environmental Temperature
LightingSunlight
Workplace layoutChemicals
Workplace hazards should be subject to:-
identification
Assessment
Evaluation
Control
Monitoring and review
Costs
It is estimated that the national cost fro workers compensation is in excess of $9.6 billion a year and
increasing
These costs are made up of staff rehabilitation, retraining and replacement of equipment, medical expensesWelfare and insurance, lost production and more
There are penalties for unsafe work practices that are setBy each individual state under their OHS legislation
Victorian Acts and Legislation
The main governing act in Victoria is the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004
This tells employers and employees their obligations under the law.
Expected outcomes of identified hazards.
Catastrophic……Fatality
Major….. Hospitalisation, loss of limb etc
Moderate……5+ days off work,loss of function to body part, modified duties
Minor….first aid treatment required, normal duties
Insignificant….minor first aid required, no loss, near miss.
Assessing potential of hazard
Once a hazard rating has been determined, the likelihood of the event actually occurring must
also be assessed.
Level Descriptor Description
5 Almost certain Is expected to occur in many circumstances
4 Likely Will probably happen
3 Possible Might occur at some time
2 Unlikely Could occur at some time
1 Rare Might occur in exceptional circumstances
For each rating ask: What is the likelihood of the hazard resulting in a harmful incident?
Reasonable Standard of Care
The way in which a person should act to make sure they do not breach their duty of care.
A person must act, as a reasonable person would have done in the same circumstances.
The court determines what is reasonable by looking at; The risk of harm occurring
The possible seriousness of the harmThe burden (difficulty) of removing or reducing the risk
The usefulness of the activityMeaning that if there is a big chance that someone could be seriously injured, a reasonable person would certainly do something to reduce this risk to meet their standard of
care
Assessing Severity
Factors affecting severity include:• The number of people who might be affected in incident
• Special characteristics of the person involved• Concentrations of hazards etc
• Volumes of materials• Speed of projectiles and moving parts
• Heights and distances• Weights
• Forces and energy values.
Environmental impact
Factors affecting severity include:• Size of the environmental release
•Affected area•Concentration of materials
•Containment•Degree of difficulty to clean up•Number of persons affected
Risk assessment.
It is important to assess the potential risk is the hazard:-
Low risk..acceptableModerate risk..indicates conditional acceptability, measures
must be in place to rectify High risk.. Indicates unacceptable level of risk. Controls and measures must be developed and implemented in the short to
medium termExtreme risk..unacceptable level of risk. Controls and measures
must be put in place immediately to eliminate risk.
Reporting hazardsAll Hazards need to be reported and
recorded.
You should report and record:- Obvious hazards
Potential hazardsSafety suggestions
IncidentsNear misses
Corrective action taken
Policies and Procedures
All centres have their own policies and procedures for recording OHS issues and
these must be followed, however you cannot be compelled to break any laws in
the undertaking of reporting and following OHS in the workplace.
Hazard Register
Is determined by a hierarchy of control which priorities preferred options for implementing
possible solutions and controls.
Hierarchy of Controls priorities are:
• Elimination
•Substitution
•Engineering (making)
•Administration
•Personal Protective Equipment.
Employees responsibilityAlthough the employer has a duty of care to
employees, employees also have an obligation to reasonable care for their own health and safety and
the safety of their co-workers.
Employees should undertake to maintain OHS at all times in the workplace and not take “shortcuts” that may put themselves or their colleagues in danger.
As part of the OHS (2004) Regulations employees are expected to cooperate with their employer, and when they do they have met their obligations under
the act.
Representation
Under the OHS act (2004) each workplace should have an OHS representative whose job it is to see to it that the OHS act is being
upheld at all times.
The OHS representative should be an independent person and not the employer.
It is the job of the OHS rep to undertake regular safety audits and report any findings
to the employer to be rectified.
In conclusionIt is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that
workplaces are safe for everyone. Employers and employees both have a responsibility to ensure that everyone makes it home uninjured and alive each
night.