Hazard recognition tools

HAZARD RECOGNITION TOOLS, BUILDING THE FOUNDATION FOR RISK PERCEPTION... 

A communication tool the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) uses to inform internal staff and the public of significant occupational safety and health issues concerning hazard recognition, evaluation, and control in the workplace and at emergency response sites. SHIBs replaced the OSHA Hazard Information Bulletins (HIBs) and Technical Information Bulletins (TIBs), which provided similar information. 

There is a variety of tools, concepts, and procedures that help designers reach solutions that satisfy as many requirements as possible. This book includes some tools. Examples are use of the Energy Theory (see Chapter 3) and the Four Ms and Goal Accomplishments Models (see Chapter 9). They help with hazard recognition. Other kinds of tools can also help. 

The material for this chapter comes from information derived from the Mine Safety and Health Administration s training manual on Hazard Recognition and Avoidance. This is a simple analysis tool that sets the stage for more detailed examination of accidents and incidents. 

Tools to implement a safety and health program are adequate, but are not all effectively used. Management representative has some expertise in hazard recognition and applicable OSHA requirements. Management keeps or has access to applicable OSHA standards at the facility, and seeks appropriate guidance information for interpretation of OSHA standards. Management representative has authority to order/purchase safety and health equipment. 

This chapter illustrated that training is a key to safety. The level of effort expended to develop training will play a key role in safety culture development. An important tool for safety training is the job safety analysis (JSA). JSAs have many different names and different acronyms, but no matter what you call them, they are used to identify on-the-job hazards and the safety systems that can nullify these hazards. Using JSAs as a training tool allows the team member to think in a way that analyzes each work task for potential hazards. Hazard recognition is an important initial step in hazard avoidance. 

A variety of tools and resources are available to aid in the recognition of reactive hazards. Table D-l provides a list and brief description of selected literature resources and computerized tools. 

The MORT technique has received domestic and international recognition, and has been applied to a wide range of projects from investigation of occupational incidents to hazards identification. It is supported by detailed documentation, and has been subjected to continued development efforts since it was originally introduced. Today there are several predefined trees available from public and proprietary sources that are based, at least in part, upon tbe MORT tool. 

A well-known tool for the estimation of reactivity hazards of organic material is called CHETAH [5]. The method is based on pattern recognition techniques, based on experimental data, in order to infer the decomposition products that maximize the decomposition energy, and then performs thermochemical calculations based on the Benson group increments mentioned above. Thus, the calculations are valid for the gas phase, but this may be a drawback, since in fine chemistry most reactions are performed in the condensed phase. Corrections must be made, but in general they remain small and do not significantly affect the results. 

DNA biosensors will continue to exploit the remarkable specificity of biomolecular recognition to provide analytical tools that can measure the presence of a single molecular species in a complex mixture, pre-screen hazard... 

A central tool in ATSDR assessment of public health impacts is the minimal risk level (MRL) health guidance value. MRLs have been developed by ATSDR for many hazardous waste constituents, though no new MRLs have been developed for TPH. A limited number of existing MRLs can be applied to TPH assessment. Most are MRLs for individual TPH components (e.g., benzene) however, a few MRLs are available for whole petroleum products. MRLs for substances that represent the fractions defined by the ATSDR approach to assessing TPH health impacts are provided and discussed in this profile. In recognition of the likelihood that even acute exposures to fresh releases will be to fractions of a product, the information on pertinent fractions of TPH should also be consulted (particularly Sections 2.3, 6.1, 6.2 and 6.6). 

CHETAH is a tool for the preliminary screening of the reactivity hazards of organic chemicals. The evaluation is based on pattern recognition techniques using experimental hazard data and estimated thermochemical data. 

The recognition of hazards is of primary importance. After workers and supervisors have been trained regarding hazard identification, their understanding of Occupational Safety and Health regulations will help identify jobs, equipment and machinery, areas, and industry processes that have exhibited hazards in the past. It will be your responsibility to identify the potential for hazards, or the existence of hazards within your workplace. Some tools used for identification have been presented in the form of hazard hunts, job hazard analysis, and job safety observations, while other techniques provide the means to prevent and control existing hazards. 

The first ever application of a radiotracer in a biological experiment dates back to 1923 when George de Hevesy used Pb to study plant uptake of lead from solution [5]. His seminal work was honored by the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1943 and made him the father of isotope tracing, a tool that is still indispensable in virtually any area of scientific research. The first use of a stable isotope to study mineral metabolism was reported in 1963, when Lowman and Krivit injected stable Fe together with radioactive Fe into a human subject to compare the plasma clearance of the two isotopes [6]. However, it was not until the 1980s that stable isotope techniques were explored systematically to study mineral and trace element metabolism in humans. This was not only due to the increasing recognition of health hazards associated with the use of radioisotopes. Mass spectro-metric techniques had to be refined to measure isotope ratios of the heavier elements at a precision suitable for the exploitation of isotopically enriched elements as tracers. Stable isotopic labels are made up from the same isotopes as the natural element, from which they differ only in terms of composition, that is, in the relative abundances of their isotopes. 

Qualified employees must be trained and competent in distinguishing exposed live parts, determining nominal voltage, minimum approach distances, use of precautionary techniques, PPE, insulating and shielding materials, insulated tools, and recognition of electrical hazards. 

In addition to the hazard, risk recognition, and JHA development concepts, a brief overview of Six Sigma tools is provided for use as part of a continuous improvement effort for a safety system. Many different uses of specific tools such as diagrams, charts, analysis techniques, and methods provide step-by-step help to estabhsh a process that can continually improve. 

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