Occupational Health and Safety Management

Hazard Management in practice

Plant and equipmentHazardous Substances

Lecture 4

Hazard Management Summary Hazard Identification Risk Assessment Risk Control

Lecture Summary

Learn about the practical application of Hazard Management principles by applying them to different types of hazards eg plant and equipment, hazardous substances and manual handling.

Learn how to obtain more information about hazards.

Plant and equipment Machines etc

Can result in severe injuries

Summary of plant hazards Electrical Explosion Slipping, tripping, falling Ergonomic Suffocation High temperature/fire Tempreture thermal comfort

Summary of plant hazards Chemicals Toxic gas or vapours Fumes Dust Noise Vibration Radiation

Plant Hazards Exposed moving parts Entanglement Trapping/crushing Cutting edges-protrusions

Hazard summary Surface which could cause abrasion Cutting, puncturing, abrasion Moving parts- shearing hazard Ejected pieces hitting operator Movement that might hit operator Body part drawn in Require reaching, lifting, bending strain Trapped, suffocation

Factors to consider Access/egress Sufficient operator space Lighting Protrusion into pedestrian areas Does waste get left behind- waste

buildup Cranes- loadshifing- dropping/falling

Chemical Hazards Generally called “hazardous

substances”

Harmful to health or safety?

Pure substances or mixturesIs it a hazard? What are the ingredients?What is the concentration

Types of exposures Widespread problem from

adhesives, paints, welding fumes, hair perming solutions, cleaning agents, solvents, pesticides, petroleum products

Hazardous substances can be in the form of liquids, solids, vapours, gases, fumes or dusts

Effects of Hazardous Substances Carcinogenic- can cause cancer Mutagenic- can cause damage to genes Reproductive- effect fertility, birth

defects Sensitising- allergic reaction Corrosive – burns to skin, eyes Acute Toxicity- short term (acute) effects

eg headache, nausea, liver damage

Effects of Hazardous Substances Chronic effects- repeated/prolonged

exposure can cause irreversible (chronic) effects, eg damage to liver, kidney, lungs or other organs

Irritant- irritation to skin, eye, nose, throat

Routes of entry Inhalation Direct contact (skin) Absorption Ingestion Injection

Methodology for hazard identification Observe and inspect-attend the

worksite and observe work conditions and practices

Consult with workers and management via interview, survey, discussion

Review product information-MSDS Review published information

(research studies-medline, ohsrom etc.)

Methodology for hazard identification Published information –what

does the legislation or technical standards say?

Analyze data & records of injury, illness, near misses in the workplace

Monitor and measure work environment, health surveillance

Product Information- The Label View the original container Is there a label on it or securely

attached? Does the label identify;Product name? Name address,

telephone number of importer?Information about ingredients?

The Label Health and Safety information

including risk and safety phrases such as

“Hazardous” “Dangerous Poison” “Poison” “Warning” “Caution”

Product Information- The MSDS Material Safety Data Sheet Is it clear, simple, precise? Is it up to date? Is it a hazardous substance?

The MSDS Does the MSDS identify:Company detailsProduct identification detailsChemical and Physical propertiesIngredientsHealth and Hazard informationFirst aid and medical advice

The MSDS Does the MSDS identify:Control measures and precautions

for useExposure standardsStorage and handling information

The MSDS Summary:Nature of health effectsHow workers could be exposedConsiderations for safe useStorage & TransportClean up/Disposal/Emergency responseFirst Aid

Published Information Find out more about chemical from NIOSH

website-”pocket guide to hazardous chemicals”, OHS authority web pages

Industry Standards-Exposure standards Legislation for “hazardous substances”

“dangerous goods” eg: in Aust.Approved Code of Practice for Labeling

Workplace SubstancesApproved Code of Practice for Preparation

of Material Safety Data Sheets

Published Information NOHSC website has guides for specific

hazards eg arsenic, cement etc Other “on-line” or database resources

include CC-Info, CCH- Hazard Alert,

Published Information In Hong Kong specific regulations

include:FIU (Carcinogenic Substances)

RegulationsFIU (Hazardous substances)

RegulationsAnd others

Monitoring Monitor fumes etc in the work

environment Specialist skill of Occupational

Hygienist

Health Surveillance

Biological monitoring and health surveillance

Eg: urine sample, blood lead level, content in expired gases

Specialist skill of Medical Practitioner

(consider also confidentiality, motivations)

Identification-Other considerations Substances used or produced

including by-products Obligation to create an inventory

orHazardous substances Register Storage Clean up/emergency response

Risk Assessment Consider: The nature of the hazardThe degree and frequency of the

exposure (how much, how long, how often)

The possible consequences of exposure

Use a risk assessment matrix

Risk Assessment for Hazardous Substances Considerations of seriousness of

hazard and likelihood of occurrence may be hampered due to lack of immediate symptoms etc.

Risk Assessment for hazardous substances Nature of the hazard- the harmful effect Observation/consultation to identify use

of and contact with hazardous substances – degree and frequency of exposure

Consider value of environmental monitoring or health surveillance if required

Injury/illness/incident reports

Risk Control-Hierarchy Elimination Substitution Isolation Engineering Administration Personal Protection Equipment

(PPE)

Elimination Why is this hazardous substance

used? Why is this function/purpose

necessary? Consider if the function/purpose

could be achieved by doing things differently

Case Study*Commercial Kitchen

Summary of job task:There are four ovens in the commercial

kitchen. It is the job of the kitchen hand to clean them weekly.

The kitchen hand wears long sleeves and rubber gloves to spray caustic oven cleaner (provide details/research the chemical) and scrub out the ovens. *Government of SA, Workplace Services

Required to put head and shoulders up to 50cm in to reach the back of the oven. When the inside of the largest oven is cleaned it is possible to get drips on face, neck and hair.

Exhaust fans in the kitchen are not effective for the ovens. No respiratory protection is provided.

Depending on the dirtiness of ovens process can take up to 20 minutes an oven.

There are no reports of skin damage or eye irritation. However, the kitchen hand has reported a choking sensation or “raw”throat when spraying the cleaner in the largest oven.

There is an exposure standard of 2mg per cubic meter of clean air for sodium hydroxide.

What are the hazards? Summary of possible health effects: User could spray foam from caustic cleaner on

skin, - potential for burns, absorption splashes in his eyes, - potential for burns,

irritation drips on his face and hair,- potential for burns

to face and neck, irritation, absorption through skin,

Breathe in caustic vapours, mists- potential for upper respiratory tract burns, irritation

.

Significance of exposure will depend on nature of the chemical (how toxic?)and length of exposure (time spent in close proximity to it)

Main exposure through spraying into ovensOther exposure from scrubbing and wiping

ovens can result in exposure to diluted caustic substance

As exposure for no more than an hour a day atmospheric monitoring not required

Main health effect is inhalation of toxic fumes- highly likely as with current process unavoidable

Severity-Minor injury/disease-or could be major (eg triggering asthma) which might require significant time from work

Priorities using matrix

Make control recommendations for the (2) hazards that you have prioritised as most important because of their likelihood and severity

Control Measures Elimination (can the hazardous

substance be removed?)Could the ovens be cleaned with soap or

cloudy ammonia or a more regular basis to eliminate fat buildup?

SubstitutionCan the present cleaner be substituted for

a less hazardous one? If it was a paste instead of spray no airborne contamination

Control Measures Isolation (Can worker or others be kept

away?)Not practicable isolate other workers

away due to proximity of oven Engineering (what devises/alterations)Consider using long handle scrubbing

brushes and device for “arms length” operation of the spray- to minimise need to put head/arms in oven

Ensure use of extraction fans

Controls AdministrativeEnsure oven cleaned more frequently to

keep fat build up down. Preparation of safe operating procedure and training.

Training for emergency. Schedule to reduce risks to others.

PPE –Personal Protective EquipmentAppropriate skin and eye protectionLong rubber gloves, long sleeved disposable

overalls, hood, eye protection

Hints Always start with elimination even if

you decide not practicable- explain why not practicable eg: not feasible

Eg:only chemical that will achieve result

alternatives are extremely costly and the cost of controlling hazard outweighs the risk