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Hazard Identification

Today I would like to shift the emphasis to Health and Safety. One of the ISO standards that we will include in an integrated management system is ISO 45001:2018 for health and safety management systems.

Workplace Hazard Stock Illustrations รข€“ 829 Workplace Hazard Stock ...The basis of a good health and safety management system is hazard identification and risk assessment. If we look at the operational health and safety risks, the 1st step is the identification of hazards. We normally use the operational processes as a staring point, but we need to know what to look for. Furthermore, hazards are also present in administrative and other areas of the organization as well, and we often tend to overlook these areas. 

I have put a trigger list together to help us identify hazards in the workplace, but, instead of following the processes, it categorizes the hazards into hazard categories, and contains examples of hazards in each category. Obviously it cannot be an exhaustive list, but it enough to make us think and to help us identify hazards. The list can be linked to a process risk assessment. At each step in the process we can ask ourselves: "Which categories could be applied to this step?", and then we can identify the specific hazards.

The categories are indicated in bold print, with specific hazards under each

Hazardous Chemicals
Fire
Explosion
Oil lubricants
Combustible materials
Gas / dust ignition
Fuel and fuel additives
Illegal flammable substances on site
Detonators / explosives
Acids
Flammable liquids
Illegal explosive materials
Bases
Cutting and welding
Light alloys (such as aluminium)
Bleaches and cleaning materials
Electrical faults
Tyres
Heavy metals
Spontaneous combustion
Flammable liquid containers
Cements
Friction
Gas bottles
Resins
Lightning
Pressure vessels
Flocculants

Lightning


Blasting












Fall of Ground
Falling Objects
Moving Machinery (Vehicles)
Unsupported ground
Poor rigging
Load stability
Substandard support
Loose material and equipment
Pedestrians
Scaling / creep
Load stability
Nip points

Shafts, boreholes, etc
Driver / passenger protection

Deterioration of platforms, shelving and equipment
Driver competence


Traffic control


Road / track conditions


Visibility / illumination


Suitability


Ergonomics


Maintenance


Safety devices


Lock-outs



Moving Parts of Machinery
Electricity
Water
Nip points
Isolation
Dams, deep pools
Operator protection
Lock-outs
Sumps
Maintenance
Cable damage
Storms / floods
Guards
Power failure
Mud / slurry
Load locks
Fuses
In-rushes
Interlocks
Flame proofing
Floor conditions
Lock-outs
Tampering
Electricity

Failed rips
Unguarded manholes and drains, etc

Bridging out


Earth







Dust, Gas & Fumes
Hazardous Objects
Slipping & Falling
Ventilation failure
Sharp
Floor conditions
Air velocity
Hot / cold
Falls from height
Suffocation
Heavy / unbalanced
Fall into
Poisoning
Moving
Fall from moving machinery or vehicle
Confined space
Abrasive
Fall through
Welding


Chemical vapours


Fire or explosion








Pressure Systems
Sudden Release of Material
Environmental Health Hazards
Hydraulic systems
Landslides
Sanitation
Air / water pipes
Bunkers / silos
Stagnant / polluted water
Gas bottles
Blockages
Infections / contagious diseases
Pressure vessels
Water tanks
Radiation

Dams
Manual handling / poor posture

Falling / flying objects, including mud rushes
Communication

Chemical accidental spills
Excessive working hours

Effluent plants
Mental overload / under-load


Noise


Vibration


Dust / smoke / pollution


Poor lighting / glare / stroboscopic effects


Confined spaces


Water conditions



Human Behaviour


Physical ability


Behaviour


Skill level


Training / competence / knowledge


Supervision / leadership


Contractor selection












I hope that this will help with the identification of health and safety hazards in your workplace. The next step will be a risk assessment to determine the significance of each identified hazard, followed by control plans to control the hazards. More about that in later blogs!

Feel free to leave a comment or to contact me at koosgouws10@gmail.com. Don't forget to visit our website at www.sheqmanagementsystem.co.za!

Koos Gouws
Senior Consultant
SHEQ Management Systems


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