Control of Work

Environment
Reporters:
Emie Duhaylungsod
Jecris Velarde
Mark Sabay-Sabay
 What are workplace hazards?

• Hazards exist in every workplace, but how do you know which ones have the
most potential to harm workers? By identifying hazards at your workplace,
you will be better prepared to control or eliminate them and prevent
accidents, injuries, property damage, and downtime.
Types of hazards:
Safety Hazards:
Safety Hazards are unsafe working conditions that that can cause injury,
illness, and death. Safety hazards are the most common workplace
hazards.
THEY INCLUDE:
•Anything that can cause spills or trips such as cords running across the
floor or ice
•Anything that can cause falls such as working from heights, including
ladders, scaffolds, roofs, or any raised work area
•Unguarded machinery and moving machinery parts that a worker can
accidentally touch
•Electrical hazards like frayed cords, missing ground pins, improper wiring
•Confined spaces.
Biological Hazards:
Biological Hazards include exposure to harm or disease associated with
working with animals, people, or infectious plant materials. Workplaces with
these kinds of hazards include, but are not limited to, work in schools, day
care facilities, colleges and universities, hospitals, laboratories, emergency
response, nursing homes, or various outdoor occupations.
TYPES OF THINGS YOU MAY BE EXPOSED TO INCLUDE:
•Blood and other body fluids
•Fungi/mold
•Bacteria and viruses
•Plants
•Insect Bites
•Animal and bird droppings
Physical Hazards:
Physical hazards can be any factors within the environment that can harm the
body without necessarily touching it.
THEY INCLUDE:
•Radiation: including ionizing, non-ionizing (EMF’s, microwaves, radio waves,
etc.)
•High exposure to sunlight/ultraviolet rays
•Temperature extremes – hot and cold
•Constant loud noise
 Ergonomic Hazards:
Occur when the type of work, body positions, and working conditions put a
strain on your body. They are the hardest to spot since you don’t always
immediately notice the strain on your body or the harm that these hazards
pose. Short-term exposure may result in “sore muscles” the next day or in the
days following the exposure, but long-term exposure can result in serious
long-term illness.
ERGONOMIC HAZARDS INCLUDE:
•Improperly adjusted workstations and chairs
•Frequent lifting
•Poor posture
•Awkward movements, especially if they are repetitive
•Having to use too much force, especially if you have to do it frequently
•Vibration
Chemical Hazards:
Are present when a worker is exposed to any chemical preparation in the
workplace in any form (solid, liquid or gas). Some are safer than others, but to
some workers who are more sensitive to chemicals, even common solutions
can cause illness, skin irritation, or breathing problems.
BEWARE OF:
•Liquids like cleaning products, paints, acids, solvents – ESPECIALLY if
chemicals are in an unlabeled container!
•Vapors and fumes that come from welding or exposure to solvents
•Gases like acetylene, propane, carbon monoxide and helium
•Flammable materials like gasoline, solvents, and explosive chemicals
•Pesticides
Work Organization Hazards:
Hazards or stressors that cause stress (short-term effects) and strain (long-
term effects). These are hazards associated with workplace issues such as
workload, lack of control and/or respect, etc.
EXAMPLES INCLUDE:
•Workload demands
•Workplace violence
•The intensity and/or pace
•Respect (or lack thereof)
•Flexibility
•Control or say about things
•Social support or relations
•Sexual harassment
The risk assessment procedure can best be
illustrated in the following way:
Step 1: Identify hazards
Employers have a duty to assess the health and safety risks faced by their workers. Your
employer must systematically check for possible physical, mental, chemical and biological
hazards.
This is one common classification of hazards:

•Physical: e.g. lifting, awkward postures, slips and trips, noise, dust, machinery, computer
equipment, etc.

•Mental: e.g. excess workload, long hours, working with high-need clients, bullying, etc.
These are also called 'psychosocial' hazards, affecting mental health and occurring within
working relationships.

•Chemical: e.g. asbestos, cleaning fluids, aerosols, etc.

•Biological: including tuberculosis, hepatitis and other infectious diseases faced by

healthcare workers, home care staff and other healthcare professionals.
Step 2: Decide who may be harmed
Identifying who is at risk starts with your organization's own full- and part time employees.
Employers must also assess risks faced by agency and contract staff, visitors, clients and other
members of the public on their premises.
Employers must review work routines in all the different locations and situations where their
staff are employed. For example:
•Home care supervisors must take due account of their client's personal safety in the home,
and ensure safe working and lifting arrangements for their own home care staff.
•In a supermarket, hazards are found in the repetitive tasks at the checkout, in lifting loads, and
in slips and trips from spillages and obstacles in the shop and storerooms. Staff face the risk of
violence from customers and intruders, especially in the evenings.
•In call centers, workstation equipment (i.e. desk, screen, keyboard and chair) must be adjusted
to suit each employee.
Employers have special duties towards the health and safety of young workers, disabled
employees, night workers, shift workers, and pregnant or breastfeeding women.
Step 3: Assess the risks and take action.
This means employers must consider how likely it is that
each hazard could cause harm. This will determine
whether or not your employer should reduce the level of
risk. Even after all precautions have been taken, some risk
usually remains. Employers must decide for each
remaining hazard whether the risk remains high, medium
or low.
Step 4: Make a record of the findings.

Employers with five or more staff are required to record in writing the main
findings of the risk assessment. This record should include details of any
hazards noted in the risk assessment, and action taken to reduce or
eliminate risk.
This record provides proof that the assessment was carried out, and is used
as the basis for a later review of working practices. The risk assessment is a
working document. You should be able to read it. It should not be locked
away in a cupboard.
Step 5: Review the risk assessment.

A risk assessment must be kept under review in order to:

•ensure that agreed safe working practices continue to be applied (e.g.

that management's safety instructions are respected by supervisors and
line managers); and

•take account of any new working practices, new machinery or more

demanding work targets.