A hazard is literally anything that cause harm to a person, damage property or the environment and cause loss to a process.
OSHA defines a hazard as anything that has the potential to cause harm and can be anything from a condition to any activity, which if left uncontrolled, can result in illness or injury.
Hazard recognition or identification is extremely important if accidents are to be prevented at the workplace. By recognizing the specific properties and characteristics of various hazards, one can clearly figure out how to control these hazards. Unfortunately, most of us are either too busy or too ignorant and we tend to overlook the importance of hazard recognition at the workplace.
There are many different types of hazard recognition methods. And it is very important to familiarize yourself with these methods. The more methods you know, the more will be your chances of recognizing and eliminating all existing hazards at your workplace. In many cases, a hazard may not be identified by a certain method but might be identified by another. This is why it is important to brush up on all the hazard recognition techniques out there.
The following are the most effective hazard recognition methods:
- Pre-Use Analysis: This should be applied before you use any new equipment, instrument, device, machine, tool, personal protective equipment, facility etc. This method should ideally be applied so as not to expose yourself to hazards.
- Multi-Step Planning: This should be applied to every single job, task and activity in order to avoid exposure. Ask yourself a number of questions before you take up any activity. Some of these questions include: what are you going to do? What is the purpose of your job? How will you do the job? How could you potentially get hurt while doing the job? How can you prevent injuries or accidents from taking place?
- Work Permitting: Work permitting should be issued before you take up the job. Make a checklist of the questions you should ask to ensure whether any hazards have been overlooked. Check for toxic gases, flammable gas concentration, oxygen sufficiency, etc.
- Equipment Inspection: This should be done for any equipment before you use it or operate. The equipment inspection process should be carefully planned and organized to check whether the equipment is in good condition. This goes for everything from the safety protective equipment to emergency stops and guarding.
- Suggestion Method: Every worker at the site should be encouraged to come up with suggestions for potential hazards and control measures that are present at the job. Workers should consider their past experiences and should come up with suggestions.
- Safety Patrol: Safety patrols should be carried out by all the workers on the site and not only those who are in charge of the health and safety matters.
Combining all of these methods can help reduce the number of risks and hazards at the workplace and make your workplace a safer and healthier place to work at.
Whats more, you can also avoid the OSHA citations that come along with non-compliance.
