Behavioral observations.Hazard identification

Hazard identification involves gathering and evaluating data on the types of health injury or disease that may be produced by a chemical and on the conditions of exposure under which injury or disease is produced. It may also involve characterization of the behavior of a chemical within the body and the interactions it undergoes with organs, cells, or even parts of cells. Hazard identification is not risk assessment. It is a scientific determination of whether observed toxic effects in one setting will occur in other settings. 

From the standpoint of screening and hazard identification, a notable point relating to the interpretation of data from FOB and motor activity studies is whether the effects observed in response to toxicant exposure represent a direct effect of the toxicant on the nervous system or are secondary to changes in other systems since such apical tests rely on the functional integrity of multiple systems. In some circumstances, the fact that the toxic effect is ultimately expressed in behavior may minimize the importance... 

Hazard identification and control are important aspects of safety in a laboratory. Most hazards in a laboratory environment involve either unsafe conditions or behavior. Conditions can be controlled through proper analysis and inspection of the work environment, and implementation of controls to reduce or eliminate the exposure to these hazards. A formal job hazard analysis, where individual tasks are observed, broken down into their individual components, and analyzed for existing and potential hazards is necessary for hazard identification and corrective action. This activity must be followed by periodic formal inspections and hazard assessments. 

Hazard identification requires the identification of hazards, unsafe conditions, and risky behaviors. Hazard anticipation relies on human intuition, training, common sense, observation, and continuous awareness. To identify hazards, rely on the use of inspections, surveys, analysis, and human recognition reporting. Hazard identification efforts should focus on unsafe conditions, hazards, broken equipment, and human deviations from accepted practices. Require supervisors or unit safety coordinators to conduct periodic area inspections. These individuals should understand hazardous areas and the workers better than anyone. However, supervisors can fall prey to inspection bias, which results in poor survey results. Many supervisors conduct limited ongoing inspections... 

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