Identifying and Controlling Hazards
Course 101
Safety Certified Supervisor Series

COURSE INTRODUCTION

This material is for training purposes only. Its purpose is to inform Bay Ltd employees of best practices in occupational safety and health and general OSHA compliance requirements. This material is not a substitute for any provision of the Occupational Safety and Health Act or any standards issued by OSHA. This course does not replace any published Bay Ltd Policy or Procedure, nor does it establish any new policy or procedure.

MODULE ONE: BASIC CONCEPTS

Introduction

The goal of the hazard identification and control program is to make the workplace and its operations as safe as possible and to keep employees from being harmed. It is an ongoing program that is actually never finished. If you're involved in developing a system to identify and control hazards, you'll start by carefully planning and designing interrelated processes and procedures. You'll then implement and carefully watch the system perform. Finally, you'll revise and improve preventive measures and controls as your worksite changes and as your store of hazard information grows.

If you're going to be effective in protecting employees from workplace hazards, obviously you first must understand just what those hazards are.

• Many workplaces contain hazardous materials including raw materials (wood, metal, plastic) to be manufactured into finished goods, and toxic chemicals (solvents, acids, bases, detergents) used at various stages of the process.
• Stationary machinery and equipment may not be properly guarded, or in poor working order because of poor preventive/corrective maintenance.
• Tools may not be properly maintained. Saws may not be sharpened or safety harnesses may be old and in need of replacement.
• The work environmental might include extreme noise, flammable or combustible atmospheres, or poor workstation design. Floors may be slippery and aisles cluttered. Guardrails, ladders, or floor hole covers may be missing or damaged.
• Employees might be fatigued, distracted in some way, or otherwise lack the mental of physical capacity to accomplish work safely.

Some or all of these potential safety hazards may exist in a workplace. The list could go on and on. It's vitally important that workers and supervisors are knowledgeable to ensure that workplace hazards are identified and eliminated as soon as possible.

Hazard + Exposure = Accident