As improvements are made, the standard work instructions are updated. Thus, safety is built into all work instructions. Performing structured safety inspections and walkabouts, to assess identified hazards and control measures, ensures a practical approach for identifying potential danger. These activities are the foundation for the control of workplace hazards. Safety walks and standard work instructions are a proactive approach to safety. They identify all health and safety concerns in black and white for employees.
It does not matter if your work environment is a factory, construction site, or a restaurant; identifying hazards is a key element of an OHS management system. The time and attention will result in fewer accidents and higher worker morale. The more time invested in these activities, the less time will be needed to investigate accidents. Do your employees understand the difference between a hazard and danger? Do you have a structured approach for identifying hazards? Book An Appointment. Owner Statement.
For example: For the hazard of moving parts on equipment, we may use guards as the control measure For the hazard of falling from a high level, we may use a fall arrest system as the control measure You get the idea.
Regular safety walks and inspections allow you to identify dangers — exposed hazards without controls in place. Have different people, groups, or team members review different areas. Having fresh sets of eyes continually assessing all areas will uncover far more hazards. Performing safety walks or some type of regularly scheduled inspections for hazard identification is an important component of any safety management system. Take a proactive, structured approach with your assessments and record all findings.
Each identified hazard should undergo a risk assessment. This assigns a level of potential danger. For instance, if I were conducting a safety walk of a work area and recognize 12 hazards without proper control measures in place, a risk assessment would give each hazard a rating and determine which hazards presented the highest potential danger to workers.
Typically, those that present the highest potential danger would be the hazards that you would address first. The exception to this would be hazards without an existing safety control for which a recognized control measure can be put in place immediately.
These should be done first, simply because they can be taken care of right away and eliminated. Learn more about The Hierarchy of Hazard Control. When assigning a level of potential danger, the critical factors to base the risk assessment on are risk exposure and risk severity:. The possibility of injury from slipping in a shower or bath tub is high simply due to a high exposure level. Most of us shower or bathe daily, and each time we do this we face the potential of a slip or fall.
By comparison, an alligator attack has a much higher severity level, but a low exposure level. In Kansas, I am more likely to get hurt in the shower than by an alligator. I know this might be a silly example, but you get the point. Exposure and severity are the two perspectives that you use to assess the threat of injury. Another valuable activity for searching out potential hazards is to capture and review all work tasks associated with any given job position.
I strongly recommend that all employers put standardized work instructions in place. Standard work becomes a playbook. It shows all work tasks an employee will perform as part of their job. It also shows the safest, most efficient way to perform all needed tasks. Performing structured safety inspections, safety walks, and assessing all identified hazards and control measures ensures a proactive approach for flushing out potential dangers in the workplace.
Reviewing all work tasks and creating standard work gives employees a playbook they can follow. These activities create a foundation for the control of work hazards. Safety walks and standard work instructions provide a proactive approach to safety.
This approach lays out every identified health and safety concern in black and white for employees. It does not matter if your work environment is a factory, construction site, or a restaurant, identifying hazards is a key component of an OHS management system. Difference Between Similar Terms and Objects. MLA 8 M, Emelda.
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