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Introduction
Hazards are present in every workplace ranging from an office to a construction site. An Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) helps lower the likelihood of injuries, illnesses and even fatalities. With safety management software that aligns with OHSMS, hazards can be identified which is essential for implementing proper health and safety measures to protect workers from potential harm. With an emergency action plan, a business ensures complete compliance with legal requirements and also builds a reputation among stakeholders.
Here is a complete blog on common workplace hazards and the best ways to mitigate them to ensure maximum safety for a workforce.
Understanding Workplace Hazards
A workplace hazard is the presence of any condition, substance or activity in the work environment that causes harm to people or property. This can include physical hazards such as slips and falls, chemical hazards or psychological hazards. Workplace hazards arise when the environment, equipment or various workplace practices lead to injury or death of an employee.
ISO 45001 is an international standard for maintaining high standards of occupational health and safety. The standard helps frame an emergency action plan that enhances the safety culture, reduces accidents and improves morale by ensuring legal compliance. The standard can be integrated with other standards for holistic management approaches.
6 Basic Workplace Hazards
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Here are 6 basic workplace hazards that every organization must be careful with before starting operations:
- Safety Hazards
Safety hazards are risks that can affect employees who work with sophisticated but huge machinery at work. For instance, workers who work at construction sites are at risk of accidents. This hazard also includes slips, trips, falls, shocks and more which could lead to life-threatening injuries.
- Biological Hazards
Biological hazards involve exposure to harmful substances or gases in places such as hospitals, laboratories and so on. Workers who handle animals or infectious plants are at a higher risk of contracting diseases that could pose a health risk.
- Physical Hazards
Physical hazards affect employees or those workers who are working in extreme conditions. They could be exposed to conditions like loud noises, harmful chemical radiations, ultraviolet rays and so on.
- Ergonomic Hazards
Ergonomic hazards occur when work strains the body. Employees who do manual jobs like lifting heavy weights or those who sit for long hours often experience such problems. These risks may go unnoticed initially which makes them harder to detect. Posture problems and muscle weakness increase the likelihood of injury.
- Chemical Hazards
Employees handling dangerous liquids, flammable materials like gases, or even solvents are at a high risk of suffering from chemical hazards. This generally happens in cleaning facilities, field roles, engineering roles and so on. Exposure can lead to breathing illness, severe reaction to chemicals, skin irritation and so on.
- Psychological Hazards
Such workplace hazards include stress and strain on the mental as well as physical body of a worker. Lone workers may face additional challenges such as difficulty in expressing concerns owing to isolation by colleagues. Fear of violence, anti-social behaviour and isolation make it difficult for a person to be productive.
How Does an Emergency Action Plan Benefit Your Workplace?
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Here are 5 ways in which an emergency action plan can benefit a workplace:
- Hazard Identification
Hazards and risk identification is the first step in mitigating workplace hazards. It involves systematically recognizing potential hazards at a workplace whether physical, ergonomic or chemical. Regular safety inspections, continuous employee input and a consistent job hazard analysis help identify risks early on. Hazard identification is simply a proactive approach that prevents accidents and injuries.
- Risk Assessment
Risk assessment helps the management team to identify potential hazards and pose strategies for mitigating these risks before work begins. The best way to assess risks is to hire professionals at the right time who can work well with the latest safety management software. Ensuring employees are aware of potential hazards and have agreed upon is the best way to manage risks appropriately.
- Appropriate Control Measures
Control measures under an emergency action plan are taken after a risk assessment is complete to reduce the risks linked to a hazard. These measures include maintaining basic safety equipment and installing specialised systems for highly dangerous goods.
- Training Employees
Training employees consistently is crucial to maintain a consistent standard of safety. With operations evolving every day and machinery getting updated frequently, workers must first be trained and then given access. While general training like manual handling of machinery is common, businesses must offer
- Enhance Organizational Reputation
With the latest and relevant occupational health and safety management system in place, a business demonstrates a commitment to employee safety and well-being. The organization is able to build trust among its employees, and stakeholders and build a positive image for its clients. With a robust emergency action plan, a solid brand image can be created.
Conclusion
Workplace hazards can greatly impact the well-being of employees and their safety but proactive measures must be taken to minimize risks. Consistent risk assessments, proper training, appropriate safety equipment and the creation of a safety culture are essential to mitigate these hazards. Organizations can improve their reputation by ensuring complete compliance with health and safety regulations with the help of OHSMS.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q. 1 Which ISO standard specifies requirements for occupational health and safety management?
Answer 1: ISO 45001 is an international standard that specifies health and safety requirements for the workplace. This standard is valid for organizations all over the world.
Q. 2 How do you differentiate between OHSMS and OHSAS?
Answer 2: OHSMS (Occupational Health and Safety Management System) is a broader framework for managing health and safety. OHSAS (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series) is a specific certification standard within OHSMS.
Q. 3 What are the 5 elements of ISO 45001?
Answer 3: 5 elements of ISO 45001 are consistent improvement of processes, ensuring legal compliance, employee engagement, preparedness for an emergency, and hazard identification.
Q. 4 What do you mean by occupational hazards?
Answer 4: Occupational hazards or accidents are those happenings that employees may encounter at their workplace. These can be physical, psychological, ergonomic, biological or chemical depending on the sector of the business.
Q. 5 What are the pillars of occupational safety and health?
Answer 5: The 5 justification pillars of occupational health and safety are moral, economic, legal, human rights and governance.