Environmental Health Unit IV Project

BOS 3651, Total Environmental Health and Safety Management 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit IV Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

4. Examine the components of an effective hazard prevention and control system. 4.1 Choose an appropriate hazard identification technique for a specific workplace.

5. Apply risk management principles to reduce the impact of workplace hazards.

5.1 Characterize hazards and risks. 5.2 Develop a risk assessment for identified hazards.

Reading Assignment Chapter 11: A Primer on Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment: Sections 4.2 and 5.1.1 of Z10 Chapter 12: Provisions for Risk Assessments in Standards and Guidelines: Sections 4.2 and 5.1.1 of Z10

Unit Lesson The stated purpose of ANSI/AIHA Z10 is to “provide a management tool to reduce the risk of occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities” (Manuele, 2014, p. 20), but what is risk and how do we reduce it? Any discussion of risk must start with an explanation and discussion of hazards. Most safety practitioners would agree that a hazard is a condition or action (or inaction) that can cause injury. Now here is something that we can wrap our arms around. A table saw blade can cause injury, so it is a hazard. Using a rolling chair as a ladder can result in injury, so it is a hazard. Asbestos causes illness, so it is a hazard. Falling from a 30-foot- high platform can result in death, so it is a hazard. It seems simple. Eliminate all hazards and there will not be any problems. Unfortunately, hazards are complex beasts, and removing them is not always possible or, in some cases, not even a good idea. For example, the main hazard of a table saw blade is the cutting off of the fingers and limbs of the operator. Removing the blade certainly eliminates the hazard, but it does not help much when we need to cut a piece of lumber in half.

UNIT IV STUDY GUIDE

Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment

Most would agree about the consequences of contact with a spinning table saw blade (Lenahan, 2009)

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Identified hazards need to be analyzed before they can be controlled. How serious is the undesired outcome of the hazard? What is the chance that this outcome will actually happen? In asking these questions about a hazard, we are establishing risk. Risk is an expression of the consequences of exposure to a hazard against the likelihood of that exposure actually happening. Most would agree about the consequences of contact with a spinning table saw blade. What we might not agree on is the likelihood of that contact happening to an experienced operator, but we could probably agree that the risk was high. Adding a guard to the table saw would reduce the risk, although there are both monetary and production costs to this decision. Organizations cannot spend all their money on safety and still remain in business, so there needs to be a system to prioritize efforts to reduce risks caused by hazards. Some hazards are easy to spot; others may be hidden. How do we ensure that we have identified all hazards? A good starting point is OSHA. Many of the more common industrial hazards are regulated in the OSHA standards, and there are many checklists available to help sort through them. Remember, however, that the OSHA standards represent minimum requirements and not all workplace hazards are covered. The standards do not address severity of hazard or probability of exposure as needed for risk assessment. Additional tools are needed. Manuele (2014) suggests techniques such as preliminary hazard Analysis, what- If analysis, checklist analysis, failure modes and effects analysis, hazard and operability analysis, and others. Each technique has its strengths and weaknesses; organizations must choose what works best for them. Once all hazards are identified, each one is analyzed to determine the severity of the consequences of exposure to the hazard, as well as the likelihood of exposure. As noted earlier, this combination of severity and probability is called risk. To quantify risk we use a matrix that combines the two parameters into risk levels, typically labeled high, serious, medium, and low. This identifies the risks that are unacceptable and must be reduced immediately as well as risks that are acceptable enough that we can postpone action until a later date or take no action at all.

Determination of severity and probability are critical steps. Without them we may end up spending resources on controlling hazards that present little risk or leaving serious hazards uncontrolled. The sequence is worth repeating: hazards are conditions or actions that can cause injury, illness, or fatalities. Hazards create risk. Risk is the expression of the severity of the consequences of exposure combined with the likelihood of exposure. In Unit V, we will examine some ways to determine the hazard controls that will be most effective in reducing risk.

A typical two-dimensional risk assessment matrix. (Adapted from Manuele, 2014, p. 180)

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References

Lenahan, S. P. (2009). US Navy 070812-N-3901L-072 Builder 3rd Class Jeremy Morgan, assisted by a local villager, uses a table saw to cut lumber to repair the roof of the Panim Elementary School

[Photograph]. Retrieved from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Navy_070812-N-3901L- 072_Builder_3rd_Class_Jeremy_Morgan,_assisted_by_a_local_villager,_uses_a_table_saw_to_cut_l umber_to_repair_the_roof_of_the_Panim_Elementary_School.jpg

Manuele, F. A. (2014). Advanced safety management: Focusing on Z10 and serious injury prevention (2nd

ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Suggested Reading The additional chapter from the textbook and resources below can provide further reading and tools on risk:

Chapter 13: Three- and Four-Dimensional Risk Scoring Systems: Sections 5.1.1 and 5.1.2 of Z10

Department of Defense, Voluntary Protection Programs Center of Excellence. (n.d.). Hazard analysis of

routine activities [Powerpoint]. Retrieved from https://smscx.org/index.cfm?/file/1361/

European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. (n.d.) Risk assessment essentials. Retrieved from https://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/promotional_material/rat2007

Health & Safety Executive. (2014). Controlling the risks in the workplace. Retrieved from

http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/controlling-risks.htm

Learning Activities (Non-Graded) Identifying Hazards Try using the OSHA Hazard Awareness Advisor to help you identify workplace hazards. Remember, however, that this tool is based on the OSHA standards and does not represent every possible hazard. To find it, use your favorite search engine (e.g., Google, Bing) and search for “elaws - osha hazard awareness advisor.” Non-graded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information.