Identify potential hazards in the work area.

The prevention of accidents in offices, laboratories, stores, workshops and all other places of work is a duty of every individual using or entering them. Ensuring the safety of others is as important as the avoidance of personal injury. All Employees should be aware of the hazards in their area of work and should know the steps to minimise the risks. Hazards if not removed, reduced or reported may lead to injuries of employees and in some cases, death.
DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS
I. Hazard: is a dangerous event or situation that may lead to an emergency or disaster. It could also be a biological, chemical, or physical agent in (or a property of) an environment that may have an adverse health effect, or may cause injury or loss. As such, a hazard is a potential and not an actual possibility. In simple terms, a hazard is any source of potential damage, harm or adverse health effects on something or someone under certain conditions at work. Basically, a hazard can cause harm or adverse effects (to individuals as health effects or to organizations as property or equipment losses).
II. Health and safety legislation: are rules or laws that govern each and every industry to ensure the safety of employees in workplaces. It places a duty on all employers to ensure, the health, safety and welfare at work of all their employees.
The Act also requires:
 Safe operation and maintenance of the working environment, plant and systems
 Maintenance of safe access and egress to the workplace
 Safe use, handling and storage of dangerous substances
 Adequate training of staff to ensure health and safety
 Adequate welfare provisions for staff at work.
III. Emergency: is sudden, unexpected, or impending situation that may cause injury, loss of life, damage to the property, and/or interference with the normal activities of a person or firm and which, therefore, requires immediate attention and remedial action.
IV. Procedures: are fixed, step-by-step sequences of activities or course of action (with definite start and end points) that must be followed in the same order to correctly perform a task. Repetitive procedures are called routines. Procedures are the specific methods employed to express policies in action in day-to-day operations of the organization.
V. Hazardous substances: are substances which, upon release into the atmosphere, water, or soil, or which, in direct contact with the skin, eyes, or mucous membranes, or as additives to food, cause health risks to humans or animals through absorption, inhalation, or ingestion. In simple terms, a hazardous substance is a substance which has the potential, through being used at work, to harm the health or safety of persons in the workplace.

IDENTIFYING POTENTIALS HAZARDS
The first step in reducing the likelihood of an accident is hazard identification. Hazard identification is identifying all situations or events that could cause injury or illness. Eliminating or minimising workplace hazards needs a systematic approach. It is essential to try and anticipate all possible hazards at the workplace – known as the “what if?” approach.

A hazard is a source or potential source of human injury, ill health or disease. Anything which might cause injury or ill health to anyone at or near a workplace is a hazard. While some hazards are fairly obvious and easy to identify, others are not – for example exposure to noise, chemicals or radiation or anything that has the potential to cause injury or illness. A risk is a probability or threat of damage, injury, liability, loss, or other negative occurrence that is caused by external or internal vulnerabilities, and that may be neutralized through pre-emptive action.
Hazards can be classified as:
 Manual Handling
 Plant and Equipment
 Electrical
 Working Environment
 Chemical
 Biological
 Psychological
 Noise
 Occupational Overuse Syndrome(OOS), also known as Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)
Manual Handling Hazards
Manual handling hazards could include boxes, filing cabinets, photocopiers and other equipment. Any activities that involve the following when handling materials:
 Lifting
 Carrying
 Pushing
 Holding
 Pulling
Strain injuries of the muscles and ligaments through overexertion or continuous overuse can result from a manual handling accident. Injuries can be sudden or occur over a long period of time.

Plant and Equipment
Plant includes all machinery and equipment (including scaffolding), both stationary and mobile, and tools and implements used in the workplace. It also includes plant used for entertainment such as amusement park rides, medical equipment, and office machinery and equipment such as photocopiers and paper guillotines. It would be rare to find a business where health and safety plant regulations do not apply. Injuries that occur from unsafe plant and equipment range from minor cuts and burns, traumatic injuries such as amputation and broken bones, or even death. Injuries can result from people being hit by moving plant or being caught or crushed in plant. They can also suffer cuts and bruises from using hand tools or strain and overuse injuries from having to maintain an awkward posture while operating machinery. Other injuries and illness can occur from hazards associated with the plant and machinery such as noise, vibration, hot and cold parts, electrical and chemical exposures.
Working Environment
The working environment includes the atmosphere, temperature and comfort, lighting, air quality, noise, and the general surroundings. When any one of these working conditions is substandard, they can affect health and safety. A brief overview of hazards relating to lighting and temperature could include:
 Eye strain
 Headaches
 Blurred vision
 Humidity
 Air movement restrictions
 Level of activity/inactivity
 Clothing
Electrical
Electrical injuries include shock, electrocution, and electrical burns. Most accidents involving electricity result from:
 Not isolating the electrical supply
 Working on live electrical equipment
Noise
Noise is any unwanted or damaging sound in the environment. Noise varies from nuisance noise to loud industrial noise. Noise can be continuous or impulsive and both types can be damaging to the human ear. Noise is found in plant and machinery, tools, compressed air and steam processes or your business may be located next door to a noisy factory etc. Noise induced hearing loss results from repeated exposure to excessive noise levels for a period of time. This type of hearing loss is permanent. Noise is measured in decibels (dB).

Occupational Overuse Syndrome
Occupational Overuse Syndrome (OOS) is also known as Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). It is a collective term for a range of conditions characterised by discomfort or persistent pain in muscles, tendons and other soft tissues in the back, neck, shoulder, elbows, wrists, hands or fingers. OOS may affect workers in any occupation, particularly those doing tasks which involve:
 Repetitive or forceful movement of both arms
 Maintenance of constrained or awkward postures
Chemical Hazards
Chemical hazards can be in different forms such as gas, liquid, solid, fumes, dust, fibres or vapours. They may be manufactured or naturally occurring. Chemical hazards are classified according to whether they are harmful to a person’s health, i.e. hazardous substances, or whether they pose a safety risk such as fire or explosion, i.e. dangerous goods. A hazardous substance is any substance that has the potential to harm the health of people or is listed on the National Safety and Occupational Health List of Designated Hazardous Substances, or one classified as hazardous by the manufacturer of the substance.
Psychological Hazards
Psychological hazards include working under pressure, stress, bullying, lack of job satisfaction, lack of recognition, repetitive work, and little or no task variety. More subtle forms of stress may arise in any workplace as a result of:
 Unrealistic workloads and deadlines;
 Shift work;
 Long work hours;
 Job insecurity;
 Lack of understanding of the job;
 Lack of control over workload;
 Poor communications between management and employees;
 Hazardous working conditions;
 Working with persons who are sick, injured or dying;
 Handling complaints, dealing with abusive customers;
 Poor job placement;
 Lack of job satisfaction;
 Repetitive, unstimulating tasks
Most of the above contributing factors are easily rectifiable once the signs and symptoms have been identified. If you are experiencing any of the above, you should discuss your situation with your O&SH Representative, Supervisor or Team Leader.

SUMMARY
Classes of hazard
Hazards are classified into five different types. They are;
 Physical – includes floors, stairs, work platforms, steps, ladders, fire, falling objects, slippery surfaces, manual handling (lifting, pushing, pulling), excessively loud and prolonged noise, vibration, heat and cold, radiation, poor lighting, ventilation, air quality
 Mechanical and/or electrical – includes electricity, machinery, equipment, pressure vessels, dangerous goods, forklifts, cranes, hoists
 Chemical – includes chemical substances such as acids or poisons and those that could lead to fire or explosion, cleaning agents, dusts and fumes from various processes such as welding
 Biological – includes bacteria, viruses, mould, mildew, insects, vermin, animals
 Psychosocial environment – includes workplace stressors arising from a variety of sources.
Note: Some physical and chemical hazards can lead to fire, explosion and other safety hazards.