New Brunswick Construction Safety Association Spot the Hazard Shelley Poirier Allie DeGrace Promoting Safety For Life
Spot the hazard challenge How observant are you? Can you spot the hazards in the following video? Some are easier to identify than others.
What are workplace hazards? Simply put, a hazard is anything that can hurt you, cause illness or damage to equipment and/or property.
As of June 1, 2014 the NB OHS ACT requires safety programs to include: 8.1(1)d A hazard identification system that includes: i) evaluation of the place of employment to identify potential hazards. ii) procedures and schedules for inspections and iii) Procedures for ensuring the reporting of hazards, prompt follow up and control of hazards.
Legislation: Recent changes Occupational Health & Safety Act Starting on September 1, 2014, officers will begin looking at the new requirements for orientation and training of new employees, workplace incident reporting and safety policy.
Legislation: Safety orientation and job training for new employees Name and contact information of new employee s supervisor? Contact information of joint health and safety committee (JHSC) or health and safety rep? Information on employee rights, liabilities, reporting requirements, and duties under the OHS Act and regulations?
Legislation: Safety orientation and job training for new employees Information on the safe work procedures and any codes of practice related to the job tasks? The location of first aid facilities and how to obtain first aid assistance? Workplace procedures for reporting injuries and illnesses? Emergency plans and procedures?
Challenges of Identifying hazards in the construction industry Dynamics of the work- Project site is ever changing Hazards change as project progresses New inexperienced or green workers (Turnover) Weather Interactions between people and equipment.
Untrained/inexperienced workers - Changing weather conditions
Changing weather conditions 11
Changing weather conditions 12
Changing weather conditions
Categories of hazards Physical Chemical Ergonomic Biological Psychosocial
Physical hazards - Examples Temperature extremes Electricity Falls Noise Vibration Radiation
Electrical hazards
Ergonomic hazards Heavy, frequent, or awkward lifting Repetitive tasks Awkward grips, postures Using excessive force, overexertion Using wrong tools for the job or using tools improperly Using improperly maintained tools Hand-intensive work Lighting, workspace design, noise
Ergonomic controls
Chemical hazards
Chemical hazards - Effects Acute- carbon monoxide, H2S, chlorine, ammonia (effects are immediate) Chronic: silicosis, asbestosis, black lung. These exposures can take many years for the harm of exposure to manifest.
Biological hazards Animals - Birds, bats, pigeons, ticks Plants - Poison ivy, poison oak, stinging nettles, giant hogweed, wild parsnip Fungus, moulds, mildews, viruses. Stagnant water, sewers
Psychosocial hazards The uncomfortable hazards- Less likely to be identified and dealt with at the workplace. Stress Work overload Depression, mental illness Distractions Bullying, physical violence Harassment Addictions
Psychosocial hazards-stress
Challenging hazards Distractions- Mind not on task
Really? You have got to be kidding!
Stress / Production pressure
Conflict at home
Alcohol and drug abuse
Workplace bullying and harassment
Two outcomes of hazards Contact Hazards - resulting in injury, cuts burns, amputations, paralysis, death Exposure Hazards - resulting in illness; often life-threatening
Often the challenge is not so much spotting the hazard As it is determining what to do with it once we have discovered it. Can we eliminate it? What can we do to make the activity safer? How do we develop a viable corrective action plan?
Hierarchy of control effectiveness
So what s the hazard?
What is the solution? Duh easy right? Take the ladder out of service. Problem solved? Are we missing something important?
How are we going to prevent the hazard from reappearing? It s not magic, it is simply thinking the process through Developing prescriptive corrective actions ( very rarely is there just one).
Let s look at the ladder again Obvious solution- Take it out of service but to prevent the hazard from reappearing. Corrective action plan: 1. Inspect all ladders - remove defective ones from service. 2. Develop a tag to attach to defective ladders. 3. Develop a job procedure with the steps to follow when inspecting a portable ladder. 4. Communicate the requirement to inspect portable ladders before use during a toolbox meeting. 5. Develop a checklist to be completed during ladder inspection 6. Monitor to ensure compliance.
Think it through The key is to think the process through Identify what needs to be changed and come up with a plan to change it. Success in part is enhanced by building responsibility and accountability into the process.
The effectiveness of the process depends in part on Assigning responsibility and accountability: Determining who is responsible for making the changes and how are we going to hold them accountable. To assign responsibility without accountability is safety s greatest failing
Corrective Action Plan Hazard Corrective Action (s) Responsibility Date Completed by:
What is the hazard?
The result
What is our corrective action plan? Identify who removed the guard and why it was removed? ( unaware, untrained, common practice, lack of enforcement) If lack of training was a cause, develop a training plan. If violation of a known company rule was a cause, identify appropriate disciplinary action. Review the rule violated in toolbox meeting and any required corrective actions. Identify and develop a communication and follow up plan. (review guard policies, procedures and regulatory requirements)
Remember, hazards exists in all areas of work Office/Storage Hazards
Office / storage hazards
Office / storage hazards
Look for common trends Trends can be discovered by identifying hazards with similar causes (practices): Poor housekeeping
Housekeeping hazards In this case identifying the trend (poor housekeeping) and dealing with it will eliminate several individual hazards 47
Excavation hazards
Excavation hazards
Remember. Often conditions in construction change very rapidly, therefore, the hazard identification process at your workplace needs to be a continuous process. This is sometimes referred to as the circle of safety.
Circle of safety Recognize Re-Assess Evaluate Control
Thanks and 52