Workplace hazards risk factors

Ergonomists endorse the hierarchy of controls, which accords first place to engineering controls, because they believe that control technologies should be selected based on their reUability and efficacy in eliminating or reducing the workplace hazard (risk factors) giving rise to the MSD. Engineering controls are preferred because these controls and their effectiveness are... 

What potential risk factor is considered the increased risks brought about by the moral and legal issues of the interaction of information technology and the safety and health hazards information technology poses to employees in the workplace ... 

An injury or illness of soft tissues of the fingers, upper arms, shoulders and neck, lower back, or legs that is primarily caused or exacerbated by workplace risk factors such as sustained and repeated exertions or awkward postures and manipulations. Administrative controls for MSD hazards include employee rotation, job task enlargement, alternative tasks, and employer-authorized changes in work pace. Work practice controls for MSD hazards include use of neutral postures to perform tasks (straight wrists, lifting close to the body), use of two-person lift teams, and observance of micro breaks. See also Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). 

A risk assessment involves careful examination of the hazards in a workplace and the factors involved in them, such as the type of hazard, the type of equipment, training and number of operations and existing systems in place in relation to control of the risk. In the assessment, the degree of risk associated with each hazard is decided based on the use of standards where available. The control step involves developing measures to reduce that risk. 

Ergonomics hazard identification and analysis are processes for pinpointing work-related hazards or causes of MSDs and involve examining the workplace conditions and individual elements or tasks of a job to identify and assess the ergonomic risk factors that are reasonably likely to be causing or contributing to the reported MSDs. They can also be preventive measures used to identify jobs and job tasks where MSDs and MSD hazards are reasonably likely to develop in the future. Job hazard analysis is an essential element in the effective control of MSD hazards. In many situations, the causes of MSD hazards are apparent after discussions with the employee and observation of the job, but in other jobs the causes may not be readily apparent. In part, this is because most MSD hazards involve exposure to a combination of risk factors (i.e., multifactorial hazard). For example, it may not be clear in a repetitive motion job whether exposure to repetition, force, or awkward postures is the risk factor that is causing the problem. 

Recognition of workplace security hazards including the risk factors associated with the three types... 

In this chapter we shall explore the notion of selective sensation or perception, and then relate this concept to perceived risk and injury control. Several factors will be discussed that impact whether employees react to workplace hazards with alarm, apathy, or something in between. Taken together, these factors shape personal perceptions of risk and illustrate why the job of improving safety is so... 

Hazards we can explain and control cause much less alarm than hazards that are not xmderstood and, thus, perceived as xmcontrollable. This points up a problem with many employee safety education and training programs. Workplace hazards are explained in a way that creates the impression they can be controlled. Indeed, safety professionals often state a vision or goal of "zero injuries," implying complete control over the factors that cause injuries. This actually lowers perceived risk by convincing people the causes of occupational injuries are understood and controllable. 

The final element in management s communication of a desire to reduce human error is the identification and elimination of error-likely situations. Every task is an opportunity for a human error, but some situahons represent greater risks than others. Identifying these high-risk situations is not easy and an expertise in applying human factors principles to the workplace is an essential prerequisite for this identification. Eliminating these hazardous situations is often relatively simple once they have been identified. In some cases it may be appropriate to provide error-tolerant systems, which are those that facilitate identification of and recovery from the errors. 

Ergonomics and human factors are often used interchangeably. Ergonomic hazards refer to workplace conditions that pose the risk of injury to the musculoskeletal system of the worker. Ergonomic hazards include repetitive and forceful movements, vibration, temperature extremes. 

Planning During planning activities, leaders identify natural hazards, technological hazards, and terrorist threats, or workplace violence situations. Planning addresses the risks of each hazard or threat, including the likelihood of occurrence and the potential severity. Severity considers loss of life, loss or damage to property, injuries, business interruption, and other factors. 

One step toward prevention of workplace violence is instituting a strong policy that has no tolerance for workplace violence. The policy should cover workers, patients, clients, visitors, contractors, and others who come into contact with employees. Particular preventive actions come from hazard and risk analysis and identifying factors that may contribute to violence cases and conditions. Another approach is training employees to recognize potential violence and to... 

Risk assessment should first identify any hazard and then enable an evaluation of the risks. Risks to health may arise from a combination of factors and are particularly likely to occur when the work, workplace and work environment do not take account of the workers needs. 

Protecting the Workforce. To have a healthy workforce that can fulfill job requirements, certain factors must be addressed by the business or organization. For example, the workplace must be assessed for risks and occupational hazards that pose threats to the health and safety of workers. Occupational hazards... 

As identified by many safety and health professionals over the years, work-related accidents do not simply happen. Work-related accidents are the result of identifiable hazards in the workplace, workplace activities and stressors, deficiencies in training and education, and related factors. As identified by C. Everett Marcum in his domino sequence, the risk of accidents is the result of inadequate task preparation, substandard performance, and miscompensated risks. If the risk cannot be eliminated or... 

Some hazards are caused by workplace exposure. Other hazards arise from a combination of workplace exposure and personal lifestyle. Two examples illustrate this point. Stress may arise at work (and usually does to some extent) and be quite tolerable to an individual. However, combine that with stress from the individual s personal life (such as undergoing a divorce or a bereavement) and harm to health can easily arise. The other example is musculo-skeletal injury, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, which may be experienced by a VDU operator using a keyboard all day. Combine the workplace activity with a hobby of surfing the net and it easy to see that this additional exposure increases the risk of wrist injury. In both these examples it is not easy to determine which of these activities are the causative factors and what their contributions are to the resulting harm. An activity that is not a hazard because it does not cause harm can become one under different circumstances. 

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