Common Hazards
There are common hazards that exist in the Manufacturing Industry. It is important to learn about these hazards and how to work safely in these environments.
Within this industry you may be involved in a range of work activities such as wood fabrication and turning, fabric dying and cutting, forming of acrylic sheeting, resin casting, and working with fibreglass.
The 3 Step Approach to Hazard Identification:
Hazard identification is a key step in preventing injury and disease in the workplace. Where there's a risk, you need to stop and think. You need to think about what you are about to do the potential risks and the likely effects on yourself and other people.
- 1. Spot the Hazard.
Be alert at work! Notice potential hazards and work out what the
problem is.
- 2. Assess the Risk
Talk to your supervisor about the hazard and work out a way to solve the
problem.
- 3. Make the Changes
Follow through. Carry out the agreed actions in order to solve the
problem.
Hazardous substances
Hazardous Substances are dangerous. How dangerous depends on the type of substance, what it is made of, the way it enters the body, and the amount of substance that enters the body.
A hazardous substance can be any substance, whether solid, liquid or gas, that may cause harm to you.
Harm to health may occur suddenly, such as dizziness, nausea and itchy eyes or skin; or it may occur gradually over years, such as dermatitis or cancer. Some people can be more susceptible than others.
Manual Handling is not just about lifting heavy objects. It includes any activity requiring the use of force exerted by a person to lift, lower, push, pull, hold or restrain a person, animal or thing.
Placing boxes and other items on shelves, painting, gardening, cleaning, writing and typing are examples of manual handling tasks.
Manual Handling injuries include:
- Strains and sprains.
- Neck and back injury.
- Slips, falls and crush incidents.
- Cuts, bruises and broken bones.
- Hernia.
- Strained heart muscles.
- Occupational overuse syndrome (OOS).
People suffering a manual handling injury at work may spend the rest of their lives coping with pain and be unable to do many things other people can do.
If you are a young worker, you are more likely to be injured through manual handling work than an older worker is, as your body is still developing and is less able to cope with strain. This, however, does not reduce the risk to the older worker.
You should be informed and trained in:
- Safe manual handling methods.
- Specific manual handling hazards.
- Safe work procedures.
- Use of manual handling aids.
- the right to ask for assistance.
Manual handling injuries to workers can be prevented by instruction, training and supervision. Safe work procedures should be prepared by employers, in conjunction with employees, to care for the special needs of inexperienced workers.
Even though you are a worker new to the job, you have the responsibility to speak up if you feel your job is too heavy, too difficult, too tiring or puts you at risk of injury.
It is the host employer's responsibility to provide you with safe work procedures, and with instruction, training and supervision for manual handling tasks.
Ways to Reduce the Risk:
- Lighten loads( break loads into smaller quantities).
- Reduce bending, twisting, reaching movements.
- Prevent muscle strain and fatigue, including warming up before working, allocating time for rest breaks, and allowing time to gradually get used to a new job.
When someone loses their hearing it can be devastating for themselves and annoying for others around them. People with poor hearing are often left out of conversations and social activities. Hearing loss can also cause people to become less efficient at work and study.
Some early warning signs of hearing loss include:
- Ringing in the ears after a noisy activity.
- Having difficulty understanding what people say.
- Needing to turn the volume up to hear the radio or television when others appear to hear adequately.
- Failing to hear background noises such as a ringing telephone or doorbell.
If you are experiencing any of the warning signs of hearing loss, discuss ways to control and reduce your exposure to the noise with your supervisor and health and safety representative.
It is the responsibility of your host employer to provide the correct personal hearing protectors. Personal hearing protectors (earmuffs and earplugs) should be used as a temporary measure or last resort.
Every effort should be made to reduce the noise at the source.
Hearing protectors should be regularly cleaned and maintained. Worn or damaged parts should be replaced and protectors kept near the area of noisy activity.
Headphones for radios and tape recorders do not provide good protection from noise.
People do not become "used" to noise. It only seems that way because of hearing loss.
LOST HEARING IS LOST FOREVER, THERE IS NO CURE!
Electric shock occurs when a person becomes part of an electrical circuit and current flows through their body. A fatal shock is called electrocution.
One of the most common causes of electrocution in the workplace is contact with overhead wires. This is because people can misjudge heights and distances between the ground and overhead wires when carrying equipment like poles and ladders, or operating equipment with height extension such as cranes.
Maintenance work on live electrical circuits is another too frequent cause of electrocution.
Accidents and deaths can also result from equipment becoming "live" because of electrical faults, lack of maintenance or short circuit.
Electrical accidents are most often caused by a combination of factors such as:
- A lack of training.
- A lack of supervision.
- Inadequate work practices.
- Poorly maintained equipment or installations.
- Unauthorised electrical repairs.
General Safety Precautions
Keep your appliances in safe working order through inspection and preventative maintenance programs.
Disconnect broken appliances and have frayed cords or broken power points replaced.
Even after a piece of electrical equipment, appliance or machine has been disconnected from the power source, it may still partially operate. This is because of stored energy within the equipment. After disconnecting the power source, activate the machine or appliance to release the stored energy.
Always switch off appliances at the power point before you pull out the plug.
Keep electrical cords off the floor to reduce the risk of damage from drag or contact with sharp objects. A damaged electrical cord can cause a fatal electric shock.
Apprentices and Trainees must be supervised at all times by a qualified electrical worker..
Don't overload circuits and fuses by using too many appliances from the one power point. Don't use double adaptors or "piggy back" plugs. Use a power board with individual switches.
Only licensed electrical workers can be legally contracted to perform electrical work. This includes new electrical installations and alterations and repairs to existing installations. An unqualified person should not be employed to undertake electrical work.
Know the location of the main electricity supply.
Check the location of overhead wires and stand clear of any fallen power lines.
Use your appliances correctly. Read the instruction booklet and follow all instructions.
Electricity and water don't mix. Bare feet and wet skin lower the body's electrical resistance. Keep electrical appliances away from water and wet areas.
This is a way of preventing machinery or electrical current becoming operational during maintenance. A lock is attached to the machine switch so that can not be turned on.
The person working with the machine should hold the only key to the lock. A lock must only be removed by the person who attached it to the equipment or machinery. Procedures must be in place for the removal of the lock should the person not be available, for example, if there has been a change of shift workers.
Mechanical Equipment can cause:
- Sprains and strains.
- Open wounds.
- Fractures.
- Amputations.
- Death.
Your workplace should have a maintenance program to ensure that all equipment and machines are in safe working order.
The most common mechanical equipment injuries are to hands and fingers, which may be cut, sprained, dislocated, broken, crushed or severed by machinery or tools.
Over 45% of all eye injuries recorded in 1997/1998 were due to mechanical equipment injuries.
These injuries can cause lengthy periods of time off work and sometimes permanent disability.
A large number of injuries occur in the construction, agricultural and manufacturing industries.
Eye injuries caused by mechanical equipment accidents include:
- Being hit by an object.
- Heat, radiation.
- Hitting an object.
- Falls, trips, and slips.
When working with mechanical equipment, personal protective equipment may include protective gloves; arm guards; safety glasses; hard hats; and safety boots.
Guards are attached to mechanical equipment and must be used to protect you from the moving parts of machines.
Keep all guards in place. If guards are removed during cleaning, make sure they are replaced. Do not start the machine during cleaning.
Danger and Out of Service Tags
Red and Black "DANGER" tags are used to warn workers about hazards associated with equipment and machinery maintenance.
Yellow and Black "OUT OF SERVICE" tags are used to prevent accidents or damage to machinery that is out of service for repairs.
Any faulty equipment should be tagged so that it cannot be used until it is replaced or repaired.
The safe work procedures for the removal of "DANGER" and "OUT OF SERVICE" tags at your workplace must be followed.
Generally, workers should not work alone with machinery unless it has "deadman" switches. This is a type of switch often used on electrical vehicles. It is designed so that if the driver releases pressure on the switch, handle or pedal, owing to sudden illness or other causes, the current is cut off and the machine ceases to operate.
If a worker must work alone, the machine's controls should be clearly marked in such a way that another person who may not be familiar with the machine would be able to turn it off in case of an emergency
Slippery floors in the workplace are a serious hazard and can result in far more serious accidents than simply slipping and falling over.
It is a requirement that floors should be slip-resistant, but floors can become slippery when liquid, grease, food, or other substances are spilt on them, or while being washed.
Objects such as boxes, cartons, bins and furniture are placed in areas where people are moving around can pose hazards. You could trip, stumble or bump into something, resulting in an injury, or objects could fall on you or others when you are near them.
Ways to reduce the risk:
- Regular cleaning of floors is necessary to maintain a safe surface.
- Use of polishes and cleaning agents that produce the maximum natural traction of the floor surface.
- Extension cords should never be placed across walk ways.
- Learn the procedures for cleaning up spilt substances and removing objects that are a risk to people..
Emergency Evacuation Procedures
In case of an emergency it is vital that all employees know the workplace's emergency evacuation procedures. It is also preferable that you have practised the procedure by participating in emergency evacuation drills.
As part of workplace induction you should be advised of the location of emergency exits, first aid facilities and any trained first aiders, location of the fire extinguishers and emergency contact phone numbers.
Resolving Health and Safety Problems
If you are working on a task that you believe is unsafe or unhealthy, these are the steps to take:
- 1. The first step is to talk.
- 2. Talk to your supervisor or health and safety representative about the problem. They will then go to the host employer whose responsibility it is to assess the risk.
- 3. Together you should agree on ways to resolve the problem. If you are in immediate danger then you should be given alternative work.
It is the employee's responsibility to report hazards. It is the employer's responsibility to provide a safe workplace
Hazardous Substances are dangerous. How dangerous depends on the type of substance, what it is made of, the way it enters the body, and the amount of substance that enters the body.
A hazardous substance can be any substance, whether solid, liquid or gas, that may cause harm to you.
Harm to health may occur suddenly, such as dizziness, nausea and itchy eyes or skin; or it may occur gradually over years, such as dermatitis or cancer. Some people can be more susceptible than others.
Personal Protective Equipment and Clothing
It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure workers have appropriate personal protective equipment, and that it is worn in the workplace.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is clothing, equipment or substances designed to be worn by someone to protect them from risks of injury or illness.