Course:SPPH381B/Essay 2/Occupational Hazards-Shirley

Introduction

When I worked in an office above a warehouse last summer, I faced many hazards; these would be considered occupational hazards. Other than the usual hazards of seating down at a desk (spine, shoulders, back, and neck issues), I would go down to the warehouse multiple times a day. My journey in the warehouse never felt safe, with products tightly packed on high metal racks , limited light to see what’s ahead, and lots of people moving products using forklifts or carrying boxes, there were many accidents that summer and I was lucky to not be involved in any of them. There are different types of workplace hazards like chemical, physical, psychological, and safety that affect workers across many industries. An occupational hazard is a situation in the workplace with a potential to harm an employee either as a physical injury or as the development of a disease. For this essay, the focus is on the chemical, physical, and safety hazards found in workplaces and how they should be dealt with.

Chemical Hazards

When injuries happen at work, the workplace is usually liable, yet if ways were implemented to reduce the risk of these hazards, the workplace would be safer for employees. Exposure to chemicals (substances, mixtures, or materials) usually results through ingestion, skin contact, or inhalation that can put an employee at risk of harm. A common example of a chemical hazard is lead in construction projects. In construction, painting, plumbing, electrical work, and air conditioning maintenance employees are most exposed to lead . It is most commonly absorbed through inhalation as workers breath dust that contains lead particles. When the lead enters the bloodstream, some can be stored in organs and tissues. This stored lead will slowly cause damage to the tissues and the organs. Therefore, it is important for the employer to measure the employees’ exposure and provide its workers with medical examination, and take action when needed.

Physical Hazards

When people think of physical hazards in the workplace they tend to think of activities that cause harm by contact. However, physical occupational hazards come in many forms and do not necessarily need to be in direct contact to cause harm. Physical hazards are the most common in workplaces and can come in the form of temperature, air quality, noise, and radiation. An example of a physical hazard would be noise, common among mine workers, it is not surprising that the most common occupational health issue is noise related hearing loss. A significant amount of noise and vibration can be found in airports, where airport employees, for example airline ramp employees, face everyday at work . This noise, over a period of time, results in hearing loss; in many places companies provide such employees with protection gear as well as conservation programs.

Safety Hazards

Falls, slips, cuts, burns, and so on, result from safety hazards. Safety occupational hazards are commonly found in driving, electrical work, operation of forklifts, use of ladders and machinery as well as material handling and tools. We saw a lot of examples of safety hazards in class when evaluating situations on the WorkSafeBC “what’s wrong with that picture” game. Ways of preventing injuries from these types of hazards can be found through organization and protocols in place to keep the workplace safer.

Recognizing Hazards

Once you understand what a hazard is (illness, injury, damage to property or equipment) there is a need to go through a process to identify the hazard in a workplace. Identifying hazards can be hard but can be done using three main steps. The first step is to identify the processes that take place within the workplace. For example that would be painting, packaging, lifting, or office work. Once the processes in the area in question have been determined, step two considers the tasks for each process. In the task identification step you dive into the smaller details for example installing electricity and mechanical repairs. The third and last step within the identification process of hazards in the workplace would be to associate potential hazards within each task. This last step is the concept of P.E.M.E.P as all hazards fall into people, equipment, materials, environment, or process categories. Hazards for people could be using inappropriate equipment or improper techniques. As a manager once you have recognized the issue and what exactly is the hazards that would be the time to decide what is more important and which hazards to prioritize and take care of.

Conclusion

Many hazards can be prevented through implementations of education programs and enforcements of usage and protection. Occupational hazards are usually dealt with in three steps. The first step being the recognition phase – this is the problem. The second step is the assessment phase – why is this a problem and is it significant. The last step is the controlling phase of reducing the risk of exposure.