Group Discussion Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6 DISCUSSION

INTRODUCTION

Hierarchy of hazard control is a system used in industry to minimize or eliminate exposure to hazards.It is a widely accepted system promoted by numerous safety organizations. This concept is taught to managers in industry, to be promoted as standard practice in the workplace. Various illustrations are used to depict this system, most commonly a triangle.

ELIMINATION ACTION

Eliminating the hazard—physically removing it—is the most effective hazard control. For example, if employees must work high above the ground, the hazard can be eliminated by moving the piece they are working on to ground level to eliminate the need to work at heights.

SUBSTITUTION ACTION

Substitution, the second most effective hazard control, involves replacing something that produces a hazard (similar to elimination) with something that does not produce a hazard—for example, replacing lead-based paint with acrylic paint. To be an effective control, the new product must not produce another hazard. Because airborne dust can be hazardous, if a product can be purchased with a larger particle size, the smaller product may effectively be substituted with the larger product.

ISOLATION ACTION

This control involves separating the hazard or hazardous work practice from employees other work areas. This may involve sectioning off the area by erecting barriers or by relocating either the hazardous work practice or the „other‟ employees and their work practices—for example:

• Risk: Excessive noise emanating from machinery.

• Control: Enclosing the machinery or the personnel hence creating an isolating barrier between the hazard and the person by using a barrier.

ENGINEERING CONTROL ACTION

The third most effective means of controlling hazards is engineered controls. These do not eliminate hazards, but rather isolate people from hazards. Capital costs of engineered controls tend to be higher than less effective controls in the hierarchy, however they may reduce future costs.For example, a crew might build a work platform rather than purchase, replace, and maintain fall arrest equipment. "Enclosure and isolation" creates a physical barrier between personnel and hazards, such as using remotely controlled equipment. Fume hoods can remove airborne contaminants as a means of engineered control.

ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROLS ACTION

Administrative controls are changes to the way people work. Examples of administrative controls include procedure changes, employee training, and installation of signs and warning labels (such as those in the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System). Administrative controls do not remove hazards, but limit or prevent people's exposure to the hazards, such as completing road construction at night when fewer people are driving.

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT ACTION

Personal protective equipment (PPE) includes gloves, Uniform, respirators, hard hats, safety glasses, high-visibility clothing, and safety footwear. PPE is the least effective means of controlling hazards because of the high potential for damage to render PPE ineffective. Additionally, some PPE, such as respirators, increase physiological effort to complete a task and, therefore, may require medical examinations to ensure workers can use the PPE without risking their health.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF RISK NOT CONTROL

Risks may cause suffering to people, losses for companies and damage to our economy, and, as such, they should be avoided or – where this is not possible – reduced to a minimum. Common sense and legislation dictate that employers assess the risks for their staff and implement related preventive or control measures. Preventive measures aim at avoiding risks whereas control measures are put in place in order to reduce and manage risks. To combat the vast number of very different risks, for example slipping, falling, developing musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), radiation, stress, etc., researchers, technicians and practitioners have developed an even higher number of preventive and control measures. This means that employers need guidance in order to choose the most efficient measure. To facilitate this, measures are classified, e.g. as elimination measures, technical measures, organisational measures or personal measures, and these types are put into a hierarchical order. The highest level is seen as the most efficient one in terms of combating the risks. The lower levels are only to be applied, if no higher level measures are available, or if the application would be disproportionate in terms of effort and achievable result. In most cases, a package of measures should be applied, whereby the individual measures could be attributed to different hierarchical levels.

CONCLUSION

In my conclusion, we must to take note about personal protective equipment because it really important when employee start working. Next, it also can reduce injury and protect the employee from the  hazard while working. Lastly, personal protective equipment is our responsibility to wear it because it can protect the employee from high risk danger.

REFERENCES

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hierarchy_of_hazard_controls

2. Hierarchy of Controls . Health and Safety Authority (Ireland)

3. "Manual Handling: Hierarchy of Controls" . WorkCover New South Wales

4. MANUAL HANDLING HIERARCHY OF CONTROLS

5. "Hazard identification, risk assessment & risk control in the workplace".  

      WorkSafe Victoria