Hierarchy of Controls - Controlling Workplace Hazards

www.safetygoodwe.com

Chapter : Hazard Management 

Safety Article

Hierarchy of Controls - Controlling Workplace Hazards

To most effectively improve the safety and health management system, we need to anticipate potential hazards before they exist. Absent that, we need to control existing hazards when they've been identified.  

👉There are two primary control strategies are used:

• Control the hazard
• Control exposure to the hazard
  

1. Controlling hazards by engineering the workplace

To "furnish a safe and healthful workplace," means to design the workplace so that tools, equipment, machinery, materials, and the work environment are free (if feasible) from hazards that could cause injury or illness.

The most effective plan is to control the hazard because, after all, if you can get rid of the hazard, you don't have to control exposure to the hazard. We do this through sound engineering. 

👉There are two hazard control strategies:

• Eliminate the hazard
• Reduce the hazard

If hazard control strategies are not as effective as they need to be, you we may need to also use exposure control strategies.

2. Controlling exposures by managing work and workers

To "furnish work that is safe and healthful," means to design procedures and practices so that employees are free (if feasible) from exposure to hazards that could cause injury or illness.

👉There are also two exposure control strategies:

• Eliminate the exposure
• Reduce the exposure

Engineering Controls - Eliminate or reduce hazards

These controls focus on the source of the hazard itself, unlike other types of controls that generally focus on the employee exposed to the hazard. The idea is engineer the work environment and the job itself to eliminate or reduce the hazards. Engineering controls use the following strategies to eliminate or reduce hazards:

Substitution. Substitute something that is not hazardous or is less hazardous. Examples include:

• Replacing defective tools, hazardous equipment and machinery
• Substituting toxic substances with non-toxic or less-toxic substances

Design. If feasible, design or redesign the facility, equipment, or process to remove the hazard and/or substitute something that is not hazardous or is less hazardous.

Examples include:

• Redesigning tools, equipment, machinery and materials
• Redesigning a chemical process to use less toxic chemicals
• Designing workstations to be more ergonomically correct

Enclosure. If removal is not feasible, enclose the hazard to prevent exposure in normal operations. Examples include:

• Complete enclosure of moving parts of machinery
• Complete containment of toxic liquids or gases
• Complete containment of noise, heat, or pressure-producing processes

Barriers. Where complete enclosure is not feasible, establish barriers to prevent access to the hazard.

• Machine guarding, including electronic barriers
• Baffles used as noise-absorbing barriers

Ventilation. or local ventilation to reduce exposure to the hazard in normal operations. Examples include:

• Ventilation hoods in paint booths and laboratories
• Force air ventilation in confined spaces

Management Controls – Eliminate or Reduce Exposure

Sometimes these strategies are called administrative or work-practice controls. We lump them all together into management controls.

Management controls eliminate or reduce exposure to hazards through strategies such as changing work habits, improving sanitation and hygiene practices, or making other changes in the way the employee performs the job. The focus is on managing what employees do. There are three basic management control strategies to eliminate or reduce exposure to hazards:

Practices. Some of these practices are very general in their applicability. They include housekeeping activities such as:

• Using personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Placing warning signs that inform and restrict access
• Removing tripping, blocking, and slipping hazards
• Removing accumulated toxic dust on surfaces
• Wetting down surfaces to keep toxic dust out of the air

Procedures. These procedures apply to specific jobs in the workplace. Use the JHA to help develop procedures.

• Permit-required confined space entry procedures
• Lockout/Tagout procedures
• Fork-lift safety inspection procedures

Schedules. Measures aimed at reducing employee exposure to hazard by changing work schedules. Such measures include:

• Lengthened rest breaks
• Additional relief workers
• Exercise breaks to vary body motions
• Rotation of workers through different jobs

Why are engineering controls considered superior to management controls?

Simple: If you can get rid of the hazard, you don’t have to manage exposure!

Effective Maintenance Processes

What two general types of maintenance processes are needed?

• Preventive maintenance to make sure equipment and machinery operates safely and smoothly.
• Corrective maintenance to make sure equipment and machinery gets back into safe operation quickly.

Who's responsible to make sure equipment is in safe working condition?

The employer. Also the supervisor, manager, and employees in general

Hazard Tracking Procedures

An essential part of any day-to-day safety and health effort is the correction of hazards that occur in spite of your overall prevention and control program. Documenting these corrections is equally important, particularly for larger sites.

Documentation is important because:

• It keeps management aware of the status of long-term correction items
• It provides a record of what occurred, should the hazard reappear at a later date
• It provides timely and accurate feedback