WPS : Workplace Essential Safety

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Chapter:- Workplace Safety

Workplace Essential Safety

The main goal of workplace safety is to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses, and deaths, as well as the suffering and financial hardship these events can cause for workers, their families, and employers. 

The idea is to begin with a basic program and simple goals and grow from there. If you focus on achieving goals, monitoring performance, and evaluating outcomes, your workplace can progress along the path to higher levels of safety and health achievement.

Employers will find that implementing these recommended practices also brings other benefits. Safety and health programs help businesses:

• Prevent workplace injuries and illnesses
• Improve compliance with laws and regulations
• Reduce costs, including significant reductions in workers' compensation premiums
• Engage workers
• Enhance their social responsibility goals
• Increase productivity and enhance overall business operations

Employess responsibilities to maintain & follow safety workplace instruction 

Stop Unsafe Work

• Immediately STOP any unsafe work that has the potential to injure personnel, damage equipment, or harm the environment.

Report Incidents

• Immediately report all work related injuries/illnesses, no matter how minor, to your supervisor.
• Immediately report all fires, spills, or releases, no matter how small, to your supervisor.
• Immediately report any unsafe condition, unsafe act, near miss incident, or vehicle collision to your supervisor.

Follow Safe Practices

• Comply at all times with all safe driving requirements, particularly speed limits, when operating a vehicle.
• Ensure that all persons in vehicles wear seat belts at all times.
• Use the handrail and take only one step at a time when going up or down stairways.
• Erect barricades and flagging around hazardous work areas, such as holes in decking and floor surfaces, trenches, road crossings, and overhead hazardous work.
• Use only proper tools and equipment maintained in a safe working condition. Do not use homemade, modified, or damaged tools.
• Maintain good housekeeping in your work area at all times.
• Smoke only in designated areas. Do not use matches or lighters in restricted areas.
• Rest and eat only in designated areas.
• Use proper manual lifting techniques, or obtain assistance or mechanical lifting aids when lifting heavy loads.
• Ensure all safety guards, switches, and alarms are in place and functional on operating machinery and electrical switchgear.
• Lock, tag, clear, and try equipment to ensure proper isolation before working on energized equipment that has the potential for injury to personnel.
• Notify the appropriate supervisor and affected parties, tag the device, and document the action properly whenever a safety device is removed from service and/or defeated.
• Chain-lock or car-seal open all block valves on in-service pressure relief systems.
• Inspect all fire extinguishers and other emergency equipment and keep them clear of any obstructions.
• Properly label and store all chemical or hazardous material containers. Where specified, store drums in secondary containment areas or on drum containment pallets.

Avoid Unsafe Activities

• Do not climb or stand on equipment, piping, valves, or unstable surfaces (e.g., chairs or barrels) to perform work.
• Use approved fall protection measures (e.g., personal fall arrest system or scaffolding) if the working height is greater than 1.8 m (6 ft) from the floor or platform level.
• Do not run in work areas.
• Do not wear finger rings, wristwatches, jewelry, loose clothing, unsecured long hair, or loose accessories within an arm’s reach of rotating equipment or electrical switchgear.
• Do not apply compressed industrial gases to yourself or others.
• Do not operate equipment having a“DANGER, DO NOT OPERATE” (hold) tag.
• Do not start work in any area, or on any equipment, without consent of the person in charge.
• Do not use electronic devices (e.g., mobile phones, smartwatches, and instruments) that are not listed as safe for use in classified locations without proper approval.
• Do not engage in horseplay or fighting.

Protect Yourself

• Wear approved hard hats, safety eyewear with side shields, and safety footwear in all restricted areas, project sites, and in areas where specifically designated.
• Use approved additional hazard-specific personal protective equipment (PPE), including goggles, face-shield, respiratory protection equipment, and body/hand protection where specific hazards requiring their use have been identified.
• Wear proper PPE prescribed by the chemical hazard bulletin (CHB) or safety data sheet (SDS) when handling chemicals or hazardous materials.
• Use approved hearing protection in designated high noise areas.
• Use proper hand protection (e.g., gloves) when performing tasks that may present a hand injury risk.
• Wear approved crush helmets at all times while riding a bicycle, skateboard, scooter, or other similar device.

The below listed essentials safety tips will help make your organization a safer place to work.

1. Know the hazards.

To reduce your risk of work-related injury or illness, you must first know the particular hazards of your job or workplace.

Help identify hazards by downloading this free workplace safety analysis checklist . You can also learn about risks by analyzing all workplace injuries  to find the root causes and asking your staff for input.

2. Reduce workplace stress.

Job stress has been linked to health problems, higher healthcare costs, increased risk of workplace accidents and more. Take steps to prevent stress from interfering with employees’ productivity, health and well-being with these strategies to reduce stress in the workplace.

3. Get up and move.

Encourage employees to take breaks and move around regularly throughout the day. Simply working in small breaks for movement can make a big difference in combating the dangers of staying in a static position all day long.

4. Pay attention to ergonomics.

Use ergonomically designed furniture and equipment , and rearrange work areas to maintain a neutral posture and keep everything within easy reach.

5. Use safe lifting techniques.

Use four safe moves when picking up and carrying heavy loads: Lift from a position of power, keep the load close to your body, use a staggered stance and don’t twist.
And watch the weight — the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recommends limiting manual lifting to a maximum of 35 pounds ( 15.876 Kg) for the average person. Check out more safe lifting techniques or our lifting safety video  to see the technique in action.

6. Ensure employees wear personal protective equipment.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) can dramatically reduce risk of injury if worn correctly. Examples of PPE include gear such as earplugs, hard hats, safety goggles, gloves, full-face masks and safety shoes.

7. Encourage employees to speak up.

Ask for input from employees often, and ensure everyone feels comfortable bringing safety hazards to their supervisors’ attention.