OSHA
1.
Occupational health and safety is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. The goal of all occupational health and safety programs is to foster a safe work environment. As a secondary effect, it may also protect co-workers, family members, employers, customers, suppliers, nearby communities, and other members of the public who are impacted by the workplace environment.
It may involve interactions among many subject areas, including occupational medicine, occupational (or industrial) hygiene, public health, safety engineering, chemistry, health physics. The role of OSHA is to assume the safety and health of worker by setting and enforcing standards which is providing training, outreach, education, establishing partnership and encouraging continual improvement in workplace safety and health.
In general, OSHA requires employers to:
y
Allow OSHA inspections without notice or as a result of an employee complaint.
y
Provide
workers with information on OSHA protection, through workplace posters and
other notifications. notifications. y
Provide
workers with information on identifying hazardous substances in the workplace
and training on how to treat injuries from these substances. y
Provide
workers with information on first aid procedures, and protection against blood-
borne pathogens in the workplace. y
2.
Provide
workers with training on how to deal with fires and other emergencies.
Safety What
is safety? Safety is a freedom from whatever exposes one to danger or from
liability to cause danger or harm; safeness; hence, the quality of making safe or secure, or of giving confidence, justifying trust, insuring against harm or loss, etc.
3.
Accident and Incident
1
An accident is a specific, unexpected, unusual and unintended external action which occurs in a particular time and place, with no apparent and deliberate cause but with marked effects. It implies a generally negative outcome which may have been avoided or prevented had circumstances leading up to the accident been recognized, and acted upon, prior to its occurrence.
Incident is some event or situations that occurred usually minor and bring fear to people for example dangerous occurrence.
4.
R isk
R isk
is a chance or probability of harm which is actually happening or frequency of
occurrence and its impact.
4.1.
Carrying R isk
Out a
R isk
Assessment
assessment of a construction site is a pain staking process with so many things to
consider and so many pieces of legislation to comply with but here is just a range of some of the more important things to consider, based on some of the areas which have probably contributed to the most injuries and deaths within the industry over the past quarter of a centur y.
5.
Harm and danger
Harm can defined as the adverse effect which may arise from exposure to hazard. While for danger, danger is a relative exposure to hazards for example, controlled hazard is less dangerous than an uncontro lled one. This is also one type or sign of risk.
Safety
Danger
R isk
Time 2
6.
Hazard
Hazard is anything (by itself or interacting w ith others) that is an actual or potential cause or source of harm. Hazard could mean activities, arrangement, circumstance, event, occurrence, process, phenomenon, situation, or substances for example electricity, chemical reagent and radioactive.
6.1.
Hazards to construction workers
The leading safety hazards on site are falls from height, motor vehicle crashes, excavation accidents, electrocution, machines, and being struck by falling objects. Some of the main health hazards on site are asbestos, solvents, noise, and manual handling act ivities. Falls from heights is the leading cause o f injury in the construction industry. In the OSHA Handbook , fall protection is needed in areas and activities that include, but are not limited to: ramps, runways, and other walkways; excavations; hoist areas; holes; formwork; leading edge work; unprotected sides and edges; overhand bricklaying and related work; roofing; precast erection; wall openings; residential construction; and other walking/working surfaces. The height limit where fall protection is requ ired is 6 feet from the lower level. Protection is also required when the employee is at risk to falling onto dangerous equipment. Fall protection can be pro vided by guardrail systems, safety net systems, personal fall arrest systems, positioning device systems, and warning line systems. All employees should be trained to understand the proper way to use these systems and to identify hazards. The employee or employer will be responsible for providing fall protection systems and to ensure the use of these systems.
6.2.
Hazard identification Look
for hazard that could reasonably be expected to cause significant harm.
y
Check
list
y
Walk
y
Brainstorming
y
Systematic studies
through survey session
3
y
Signage¶s
y
Observation & comparison
Common
7.
workplace of hazard and injuries:
y
Slips, trips and falls
y
Strains and sprains
y
Chemical
y
Burns
y
Eye
y
Hearing loss
y
Motor
y
Electrocution
y
Machinery
exposure
and cuts
injuries
vehicle crashes
malfunctions
Safety signage
Safety signage is a system of safety colors and sign which is to draw attention to objects and situation, which effect or could affect health or safety.
Colour
Meaning
Contrasting Colour
Symbol Colour
R ed
Stop / Prohibition
White
Black
Black
Black
Yellow
Warning R isk
/ Caution /
/ Danger
Blue
Mandatory
White
White
Green
Safe condition
White
White
4
