Question

What are some ways occupational physical, biological, or chemical hazards could be decreased?

Answer 1

The hazards experienced at work place is known as " Occupational hazard " It includes:

1. Chemical

2. Biological

3. Pshcyosocial

4. Physical

Occupational Hazard includes both short term and long term effects of the work place environment. Short term risks includes Physical injury while long term risks include cancer or any other disease.

The five steps by which the hazardcan be controlled are:

Step 1 Elimination: Elimination of hazards refers to the total removal of the hazards and hence effectively making all the identified possible accidents and ill health impossible. The term 'elimination' means that a risk is reduced to zero without a shifting it elsewhere. Elimination is the ideal objective of any risk management.

Step 2 Substitution: it means replacing the hazard by one that presents a lower risk. The elimination is immediately combined with a shift to another but much lower risk.Often or usually thought of in the context of chemicals, the concept of 'replacing the dangerous by the non-dangerous or the less dangerous' can be applied much more widely.

Step 3 Engineering Controls: they are the physical means that limit the hazard. These include structural changes to the work environment or work processes, erecting a barrier to interrupt the transmission path between the worker and the hazard. The use of local exhaust ventilator to control risks from dust or fume is a common example' as is separation of the hazard from operators by methods such as enclosing or guarding dangerous items of machinery/equipment. Priority should be given to measures which protect collectively over individual measures.

Step 4 Administrative Controls:administrative controls reduce or eliminate exposure to a hazard by adherence to procedures or instructions. Documentation should emphasise all the steps to be taken and the controls to be used in carrying out the activity safely.

Step 5 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): PPE should be used only as a last resort, after all other control measures have been considered, or as a short term contingency during emergency / maintenance / repair or as an additional protective measure.