Identifying
and Controlling Hazards
Course 101
Safety Certified Supervisor Series
MODULE
TWO: HAZARD CATEGORIES
Four Cause Categories
(MEEE)
1. Safety Management System
(SMS)
2. Employee Performance
3. Equipment
4. Environment
(continued)
The physical environment:
OSHA's General Duty Clause requires that the employer maintain a safe and
healthful place of employment. Some of the things supervisors can do to help
in this effort include:
- designing workstations to best
fit individual employees.
- ensuring adequate ventilation
to reduce hazardous atmospheres
- installing heating and cooling
controls to reduce temperature extremes
- keeping noise down through engineering
and management controls
Are there areas in the workplace that are too hot, cold, dusty, dirty, messy,
wet, etc. Is it too noisy, or are dangerous gases, vapors, liquids, fumes,
etc., present? Do you see short people working at workstations designed for
tall people? Such factors all contribute to an unsafe environment. You can
bet a messy workplace is NOT a safe workplace!
- Noise Exposure. Many
work places are inherently noisy and potentially hazardous to employees.
Continuous noise and instantaneous noise bursts can damage the hearing of
employees. A hearing conservation program should be established if you think
noise levels are a potential threat to the health of your employees. OSHA
consultants, your insurer, or a private consultant are all available to
help you determine noise levels in the workplace.
- Electric Shock. Electricity
travels in closed circuits, normally through a conductor. Shock occurs when
the body becomes part of the electric circuit. The current must enter the
body at one point and leave at another. Shock normally occurs in one of
three ways. The person must come in contact with:
- both wires of an electric
circuit,
- one wire of an energized
circuit and the ground, or
- a metallic part that has
become "hot" by being in contact with an energized wire or
conductor, while the person is also in contact with the ground.
. 
