Section 1: Hazards in the Workplace

Section 1: Hazards in the Workplace

Section 1: Hazards in the workplace Contents: 1. Why do people get hurt at work? pg. 1-2 2. Key concepts in hazard identification pg. 1-9 3. Categories of health and safety hazards pg. 1-10 4. Key concepts in hazard control pg. 1-13 5. Hierarchy of hazard controls pg 1-14 6. Controlling hazards pg 1-15 Introduction Employers usually blame workers for getting hurt or sick at work. They focus on workers behaviour and do not like to look at the hazards in the workplace that cause injury and illness. They are often reluctant to accept that an illness could be caused by a hazard at work, particularly when a worker might only get sick years after being exposed to that hazard in the workplace. Why are employers reluctant to accept responsibility for workers getting hurt or sick at work? To fix the hazards and prevent injury and illness costs employers time and money. And this will eat into their profits. Trade unions, shop stewards and elected health and safety representatives need to adopt an approach that focuses on the hazard, not workers behaviour, as the problem. Identifying, removing, controlling or mitigating hazards is the only way to build a practice of prevention in relation to workplace injury and disease. The law requires that the employer must first attempt to remove the hazards in the workplace that cause harm to workers. This is the first step in the hierarchy of control measures presented in the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1993. Where it is not possible to remove the hazard totally, then the employer must take steps to control and reduce the hazard. This can involve putting in place engineering controls to protect the worker, or administrative controls, which change workplace policies like the number of hours a worker works. As a last resort, employers must provide safety equipment and facilities for workers to protect them from the hazards that cannot either be removed or controlled. It is important that health and safety representatives insist on employers following the hierarchy of control measures approach. Employers will want to deal with the problem by putting the responsibility onto workers to wear personal protective equipment (PPE), rather than reduce or remove the hazard. 1-1

1. Why do people get hurt at work? What causes workplace injuries and illnesses? Who is to blame for workplace injuries and illnesses? In the discussion that follows we will explore these questions. Are workers to blame? Employers sometimes say workers cause workplace injuries and accidents. An example would be if a worker did not follow a safety rule, or if a worker was not careful or did something wrong. However, every workplace injury or accident has root causes that are not the worker s fault. For example, sometimes there are not enough safety systems or safety programs in place at work. These root causes are the real reason injuries and accidents happen. 1-2

The Acid Burn Let s look at an example of how a hazard causes injury to a worker. A worker in a chemical plant was burned when she got splashed while taking an acid sample. The employer blamed her for the accident. They said it was her fault because she was not wearing a face-shield, acid suit and other personal protective equipment (PPE). Afterwards, they put up a warning sign telling workers that they would be disciplined if they did not wear the right PPE. The union asked the health and safety committee to look into the accident. The committee realized that the root cause of the accident was the way that workers collected the acid samples. The committee suggested changing the way samples were taken. They suggested putting a box with a glass door where a sample had to be taken. To collect a sample, a worker would open and close a valve from outside the box. Once the job was re-designed in this way, there would be no chance of the worker getting splashed by the acid. This got rid of the hazard, and workers did not have to wear the uncomfortable PPE anymore. This safety design was used everywhere in the plant where workers took samples. 1-3

What is the best way to protect workers from health and safety hazards? The acid burn story shows that we can protect workers from hazards by changing the way a job is done. This can give workers better protection than PPE, which can be hot and uncomfortable. When there is a safety problem, management should change the way the job is done to make it safe. There are different ways to control hazards at work. Some ways are better than others. The best way to control a hazard is to get rid of it. If management cannot get rid of a hazard, they still can protect workers by using engineering controls (like what was done in the acid burn example) to keep the hazard from reaching workers. Administrative controls change workplace policies (for example, cutting the number of hours a person works). The least effective method of control is to have workers use personal protective equipment. 1-4

Should management blame the worker or fix the workplace? Many employers blame workers for accidents and injuries at work. Because of this, many workers choose not to report an accident or injury. But when a workplace is designed so that jobs are safe, then workers do not need to be blamed or fired. The workplace should get fixed, not the workers. Why do accidents and injuries happen at work? One way to find the root cause of an injury or accident in the workplace is to ask the question But why? For example: Sarah got something in her eye at work. But why? Because a metal chip flew through the air and landed in her eye. But why? Because there was no box around the machine to keep the metal chips from flying. But why? Because the company did not want to spend the money on this kind of engineering control. But why? Because the company knew that it cost less to have workers wear PPE than to put a safety box around the machine. 1-5

The electricity power line worker The next time you need to get to the root cause of a problem at work, ask the question But why? Here is an example. An electricity power line worker had a terrible accident when he climbed a 30 foot pole. He put on his safety straps and reached for a 7,200-volt cable without first putting on his insulating gloves. There was a flash and he was dead. The employer blamed the worker for the accident. The employer said that this worker was properly trained and knew he had to wear insulating gloves. When he did not, they said that it was his fault. But the employer never asked, Why didn t the worker put on his insulating gloves? If they had asked that question, then everything would have looked different. In this case, the power line worker had only slept for five hours in two and onehalf days. There was a storm that weekend, so he had to work two back-to-back shifts on Friday. He went to bed at 10:30 p.m., and was called back to work at 1 a.m. on Saturday. He took a quick nap at sunrise and went back to climbing up and down power line poles for the next 24 hours. During a breakfast break on Sunday morning, he was called back to work. It was noon on Sunday when he made the climb up the pole that killed him. The worker was working so many hours because the employer had retrenched 37 power line workers. The employer was also making the remaining teams work faster. What were the root causes of this accident? Long work hours: The worker was on the job for 55 out of 60 hours. Downsizing: There were not enough people to do the work. Pressure to work faster: Workers were forced to do their jobs faster. 1-6

What can be done to prevent this type of accident from happening? Employers should offer reasonable work schedules. Employers should have enough workers for the job. Employers should give workers enough time to do the job. How can I find out the root causes of an injury or accident? To find the root causes of an injury or an accident, ask these questions... Could the injury or accident have been prevented by doing the job another way? Was the correct equipment there and easy to get to? Did the workers have enough training and/or supervision? Were the workers pressured to get more done so that they took dangerous short cuts? Were the workers overtired because of a long work day or working a lot of overtime? 1-7

These are the KEY points: Hazards in the workplace cause injuries and illness to workers. Workers get hurt or ill more often when jobs are badly designed or poorly organised. The most important workplace health and safety goal is to identify and eliminate or reduce the hazards. Source: Adapted from National Labor College (USA), Labor Safety and Health Training Project, November 2006. 1-8

2. Key concepts in hazard identification Hazard A hazard is something that can threaten your safety or cause harm to your health. A hazard can cause a harmful health effect if you are exposed to it. Health and safety hazard Hazards that threaten workers health and safety in the workplace are called health and safety hazards. Harmful health effects A harmful health effect is the negative effect or impact that exposure to a hazard has on your health. We call these negative health effects an injury or illness. It can be direct physical injury such as a cut or a burn. Or it can be an indirect effect such as organ damage from a chemical inhaled, or a heart attack due to the stress of overwork. Harmful health effects can happen immediately at the time of exposure (being burned by fire), or they can occur after longer exposures (hearing loss after years of working around loud noise). A harmful health effect can be temporary (a small cut or bruise) or can be permanent (amputation, severe burns, or lung disease). Harmful health effects can be mild or severe, including death. Exposure You have to be exposed to a hazard for it to cause injury or illness. This means that you must come into contact with the hazard or you have to experience its impact in some way. Route of exposure It is important to know how you were exposed to the hazard was it through touch, or breathing it in, or through it getting into your mouth? The route of exposure will assist in working out the best control measures. Risk The level of danger presented by a hazard is called the risk. Some hazards are low risk, and some are high risk. There are methods to measure if the risk is high or low. For example, the risk is high if many workers are exposed to the hazard, if they are exposed all day, and if the health effect is serious. The risk is lower if very few workers are exposed, if the exposure is very short, and if the negative impact is minor. 1-9

3. Categories of health and safety hazards Health and safety hazards Health and safety hazards cause injury and illness in the workplace when workers are exposed to them. Safety hazards are those hazards that can cause a physical injury, such as a bruise, cut, amputation, burn, concussion or death. Safety hazards often receive the most attention because it is easier to link an injury to the hazard that caused the injury. Health hazards can cause disease or illness. There is often a long period between the exposure to some health hazard at work and the disease, for example lung cancer and asbestosis from inhaling asbestos dust may occur 20 years after the years of work where exposure happened. For this reason, many occupational diseases are not recognised by doctors or workers as arising from exposures at work. However, some occupational illnesses happen relatively quickly and can be more easily related to the hazards that cause them. Health and safety hazards are often divided into broad categories to help us describe them more easily. The reason for using categories are as follows: It allows us to put hazards that are similar into groups or categories These categories are used by people working in occupational health and are also used in the legislation. These categories are also tools that make it easier for us to find hazards, identify them, and analyse them. Knowing the category of the hazard like a biological hazard - can help us to think of what is the likely route of exposure, health effect and risk to the workers. Also when the know the category like chemical hazards, then we know we must go to the Chemical Hazards Regulations to find out what the law says. Categories of health and safety hazards: Safety hazards Safety hazards are those hazards that can cause a physical injury, such as a bruise, cut, amputation, burn, concussion or death. Safety hazards often receive the most attention because it is easier to link an injury to the hazard that caused the injury. Examples of safety hazards include slippery floors, trips and falls on the same level, working at heights, falling materials, moving parts of machinery, working 1-10

in unshored trenches/excavations, being struck by motor vehicles (delivery trucks, forklifts), and fire and explosion. Chemical Hazards Chemical hazards are either single chemicals or a mixture of pure chemicals into a compound such as paint. Chemicals can come in many forms including liquid, solid, paste, pellets, dust, fumes, and vapours or gasses. Chemicals can be inhaled, absorbed through the skin, or even accidentally eaten from chemical residues on workers hands or lips or by a chemical splashed into the mouth. Chemicals can cause many different health effects depending on the specific material the worker is exposed to, how much of it they are exposed to, and for how long. Some health effects are temporary, such as a mild skin irritation. Some health effects are quite serious and permanent such as damage to the liver, lungs or brain. Some health effects are almost immediate such as death by asphyxiation or severe chemical burns. Other health effects may not be noticeable until years later, such as asbestosis or lung cancer. Examples of chemicals include solvents, oils, detergents, asbestos, paint and thinner, lead dust, wet cement and cement dust, welding fume, hot asphalt and asphalt fumes, petrol and diesel fuel, and engine exhaust. Biological hazards Biological hazards are living things or organisms that can cause an infection, allergy, or poisoning in people exposed to them. Examples of biological hazards include bacteria and viruses in sewage; bacteria or fungus in soils that can be inhaled during outdoor work; mould and mildew on water damaged building materials; organisms in animal waste; bites from insects, snakes or animals; tuberculosis (TB); Hepatitis B and HIV in blood; and bacteria or other pathogens in unclean drinking water or canteen food. Physical Hazards Physical hazards cause health damage through the physical impact of the hazard on the body. Examples of physical hazards include loud noise, vibration from tools or machinery, working in extreme temperatures, electricity, and radiation (including from sunlight, welding flash, or molten metal). Ergonomic hazards (strains and sprains) Ergonomic hazards are caused by equipment and job design that physically overuse the human body. The result is damage to the soft tissues of the body such as tendons, muscles, and nerves. The health effects are often grouped and called repetitive strain injuries (RSI), musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) or a cumulative trauma disorders (CTD). But, there many specific diagnoses of ergonomic-related injures, such as tendonitis, muscle strain, sprains, nerve entrapment, and many others. Symptoms range from pain and tenderness in the joints to swelling, 1-11

numbness, tingling, and weakness in the hands, arms, shoulders, neck, back, hips, legs and feet. The risk factors for the job tasks that cause ergonomic injuries include: Awkward postures or staying in one position too long Excessive force, including from vibration Repetition Direct pressure to part of the body Environmental factors: extreme temperatures (hot or cold), noise, inappropriate lighting, high humidity Stress Psycho-social hazards Psycho-social hazards endanger the mental health of workers. Stress is the most common name for the health effects of psycho-social hazards. Stress can result in many specific health problems such as headaches, disturbed sleep, inability to concentrate, and high blood pressure. Examples of psycho-social hazards include long hours of work; short staffing; high workload and pressure to work faster; working other than a regular daytime shift; threats, bullying and assault; harassment; discrimination; poor work organisation; and poor supervision. I told you to be careful, now you have injured yourself Don t blame me, that old ladder is a hazard! 1-12

4. Key concepts in hazard control Hazard controls are the actions that are taken, or measures that are put in place to eliminate or to mitigate the hazard. In the OHS Act, the term that is used to refer to hazard controls is precautionary measures. Following the OHS Act, the aim of precautionary measures is to make the workplace safe and to remove any risk to workers health as far as is reasonably practicable. Eliminate To take the hazard away, remove it completely. Mitigate To reduce the hazard or risk, or make it less serious. Precautionary measures Actions or measures that are taken to remove or reduce the danger to workers health and safety of any work activity, substance, article, plant or machinery. Reasonably practicable: As far as practically possible, taking into account: The seriousness of the hazard or risk. Our current knowledge about the hazard or risk and how to remove or mitigate it. The availability or suitability of the means to remove or mitigate the hazard or risk. The cost of removing or mitigating the hazard or risk, balanced against the benefits of taking these precautionary measures. 1-13

5. Hierarchy of hazard controls Remove the hazard t (the source) Eliminate the hazard Redesign the job process Redesign the equipment Replace the hazard with something safer Isolate the hazard Local ventilation Develop policies and procedures (along the path) Rotate workers Increase work breaks Reschedule work Ventilation Housekeeping Train workers Safe work procedures Provide protection (at the worker) Personal protective equipment Personal hygeine Most effective because it removes the hazard. Second best - reduces the risk. Not so good - leaves the hazard in place, just provides an unreliable barrier. Most often we need a combination of these 3 methods 1-14

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Postal Address Industrial Health Resource Group, Princess Christian Home - University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch 7701, Cape Town, South Africa INDUSTRIAL HEALTH RESOURCE GROUP Physical Address Industrial Health Resource Group, Princess Christian Home, Matopo Lane (below M3 highway), Lower Campus, University of Cape Town, Mowbray The Industrial Health Resource Group (IHRG) is an occupational health and safety training, advice, research and resource development unit based in the School of Public Health and Family Medicine at the University of Cape Town. IHRG has provided health and safety services to workers and the trade union movement in South Africa since 1980. These services include: Workplace accident investigations OH&S advice and support service Risk assessments Education and skills training workshops for workers and trade unions, and Research and advocacy work on policy development in OH&S and HIV Over the years IHRG has produced a range of accessible and popular resources communicating health and safety information to workers. You can contact IHRG to order these resources: Organising for health and safety A guide for trade unions Health and Safety Networker Newsletters (Issues 6 and 7) Workers Health and Safety Rights poster Protect Your Health At Work poster Organize to Make Work Healthy and Safe poster Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) booklet Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA) booklet Make Work Safe poster HIV/Aids poster Telephone: +27 21 650 1033 +27 21 650 1059 Facsimile: +27 21 685 5209 E-mail: IHRG-admin@uct.ac.za