Reducing workplace accidents: advice for employers
2. Significant hazards and risks
All hazards identified by risk assessment should be addressed. The type of hazard, the degree of risk it poses and the severity of harm that may result vary from workplace to workplace and sector to sector. The following are just some of the issues.
- Work equipment and plant: inadequate mechanical safeguards to prevent contact with dangerous objects lack of maintenance of work equipment and vehicles cuts and splinters from blades, corners, sheet metal, tools or edges electrical hazards.
- Workplace: poor housekeeping — order, cleanliness and control poor visibility in areas where vehicles and lifting equipment such as mobile cranes are working the mixing of people and vehicles, particularly at entrances and exits to garages, warehouses and depots.
- Workplace transport: uncontrolled movements of objects such as poorly secured barrels and other loads and containers in storage, transport, distribution or handling. People being struck or run over by moving vehicles, falling from vehicles, being struck by objects falling from vehicles or vehicles overturning.
- Workforce: lack of information, instruction, training, supervision and education.
- Working at height: on scaffolding, ladders, staircases, mobile and ramps; also there is the risk of objects being dropped on people working below.
- Burns: thermal burns caused by working with hot surfaces, hot liquids, vapours, gases or heating systems chemical burns caused by corrosive substances, in particular by the strong acids and bases used in such as cleaning.
- Fires and explosions caused by the conjunction of three factors — fuel, oxygen and an ignition source.
- Dangerous substances: can be fatal when inhaled; for example, the ‘silent killer’ carbon monoxide generated by incomplete combustion such as exhaust fumes.
- Asphyxiation: some work involves exposure to the risk of asphyxiation, ie to a lack of vital oxygen. This can be the case in confined spaces such as vats, tanks, reactors or tubes.
- Psychosocial factors: stress can increase the risk of industrial accidents.
