Walk-through survey

Walk-through survey An examination or inspection of a workplace involving a review of hazardous materials present and/or used, observation of work practices, and consversations with individuals to identify all of the actual or potential chemical, physical, biological, and ergonomic hazards. 

NIOSH. 1977b. Walk-through survey report, Courtalds North America, Inc., Mobile, Alabama, July 21-22, 1977. Cincinnati, OH National Institute Occupational Safety and Health. NTIS publication no. PB88-251541. 

To define the problem or problems, then you need to know exactly what s going on with health conditions in the workplace. In other words, you need to make a formal assessment of the health status of the workplace. You ve done the preliminary work as described in Chapter 13. You ve examined the records and the statistics you ve established the prevalence and causes of absenteeism you ve inventoried the workplace chemicals you ve talked with everybody who might have something helpful to say. Now is the time to bring all of this information together and apply it to the shop floor. One of the best ways to do this is to conduct what is called a walk-through survey. 

Before beginning the actual detailed examination that is the thrust of the walk-through survey, it is necessary to prepare yourself for what you are about to do. You can t just walk in and start looking at various activities. If you are not already familiar with every aspect of plant activity, you should familiarize yourself with the nature of the operation, including the organizational and demographic background, the processes, the tasks, the flow of activities, the equipment, and so on. Before you start any inspection you should ask yourself some specific questions such as those listed in Table 14-1. 

Preliminary Questions Before a Walk-Through Survey... 

The questionnaire in Table 15-2 can be used with the information derived from the walk-through survey you conducted in Step Two in the previous chapter. You can now determine potential hazard levels in the shop by applying the rating levels from Table 15-1 to the answers to the questionnaire in Table 15-2. Here s how it works ... 

Using the information you collected with your walk-through survey, provide specific answers to each question in Table 15-2. 

Fajen, J.M. (1985a) Industrial Hygiene Walk-through Survey Report of Texaco Compcmy, Port Neches, TX (Report No. 147.14), Cinciimati, OH, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health... 

Qualitative information on exposure can be obtained from study subjects using questionnaires or interviews. Experts such as occupational hygienists can evaluate the exposure by walk-through surveys, detailed workplace investigations using validated checklists or judgements based on their experience. 

Selevan S, Jones J. 1988. Walk-through survey. Report, Avtex Fibers, Inc., Front Royal, Virginia, July 14-15, 1977. Government Reports Announcements and Index (GRA I), Issue 24, 1988... 

Checklists are primarily used when published standards, codes, and commonly accepted industry practices exist. There are many such checklists. They consist of lists of questions pertaining to the applicable standards and practices—usually with a yes or no or not applicable response. Their purpose is to identify deviations from the expected, and thereby possible hazards. A checklist analysis requires a walk-through of the area to be surveyed. 

Internal safety inspections are important features in good safety practice. In daily production tasks, it is not always possible to detect all safety deficiencies. It is also well known that experienced employees can be too familiar with their work to note even imminent dangers. Regular walk-through surveys are therefore required. Safety checks may be conducted weekly, monthly or with some other level of frequency, depending on local risk conditions. It is usually advisable to use a checklist form appropriate to the plant, in order to conduct a systematic consideration of all of the relevant hazards. In the case of advanced safety inspection routines documented and issued using company systems, there is also a communication tool and checkout for the implementation of corrective measures by management. 

Following the walk-through survey, organize the data to prepare an analysis of the hazards to enable proper selection of protective equipment. When you analyze the data, be sure to include an estimate of the potential for injuries. Review each of the basic hazards and determine the type, level of risk, and seriousness of potential injury from each of the hazards found in the area. Also consider the possibility of exposure to several hazards simultaneously. 

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