Safeguarding of Hazards

This chapter will focus on those warehouse hazards that need physical guarding or identification in some way. The proper design and construction of many physical safeguards requires that they be not only secure and substantial, but that they also meet OSHA guidelines. Something as basic as a physical pinch point exposure that requires a barrier guard should be of concern to each employee. Employees that work and travel through various parts of the warehouse could easily be exposed to many additional physical risks. 

The following are typical safeguards that should be a part of every warehouse safety program  

Many warehouses utilize a second or third floor for storage, usually reserved for small parts or slow-moving items. The material must get from the floor of the warehouse to the appropriate floor level of the mezzanine. Many times this movement of product takes place by using a forklift truck. The problem lies in the fact that the pallet or load must be placed on the mezzanine floor this may involve moving a handrail to do so. 

Handrailing that is 42 inches high and contains a midrail and toeboard is an OSHA requirement. Employees expose themselves to a fall from the height of the mezzanine floor levels by allowing a section of guardrail to be removed or left open. Falls are the second leading cause of death in the workplace. Anytime a safeguard can be used to prevent a fall, the corrective process is well worth the effort. 

Handrail sections that slide directly to the side are many times safer than a handrail that opens outward or inward. An outward-opening handrail means that a worker must reach out, unprotected many times, to draw the railing inward so it can be latched. Handrailing that opens inward can only be closed when the pallet load is empty and removed, thus creating a fall hazard until the work area is clear. Someone could fall while in the process of moving the handrailing. 

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Experience has shown that satisfactory fabrication shop safety considerations must include at least the following (1) a technical determination of risks, (2) an understanding of the engineering factors related to machine failure, (3) training of workers, (4) safeguarding of hazards, and (5) an effective safety program. 

Proeess operation and the storage and handling of effluents and ehemieals involve potential ehemieal and biologieal hazards (Chapter 5). Safeguards of the type outlined in Chapters 12 and 13 are essential, partieularly sinee the aetivities are often on a site s periphery and have low manning levels. 

Finally, current design of hazardous waste incinerators includes various safeguards, such as process monitoring devices (to monitor parameters such as temperature, air flow, and operating... 

Safeguards against Toxicity Hazards Certainly the best protection against toxicity hazards is complete containment of hazardous materials within processing equipment. 

Layers-of-protection analysis (LOPA) is a semiquantitative methodology for analyzing and assessing risk. It is typically applied after a qualitative hazards analysis has been completed, which provides the LOPA team with a listing of hazard scenarios with associated safeguards for consideration. LOPA uses simplified methods to characterize the process risk based on the frequency of occurrence and consequence severity of potential hazard scenarios. The process risk is compared to the owner/operator risk criteria. When the process risk exceeds the risk criteria, protection layers are identified that reduce the process risk to the risk criteria. 

Operational Emergencies include the spectrum of significant emergency events or conditions that involve or affect facilities and activities by causing or having the potential to cause serious health and safety impacts onsite or offsite to woikers or the public, serious detrimental effects on the environment, direct harm to people or the environment as a result or degradation of security or safeguards conditions or release (or loss of control) of hazardous materials. 

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