By Jim Wood
OSHA recently announced new guidelines for plant hazard analysis and assessment. The purpose of the assessment is to provide compliance assistance in selecting personal protective equipment (PPE) for your employees.
It is necessary to consider certain general guidelines for assessing foot, head, eye and face, and hand hazard situations that exist in your facility. In addition, personal protective devices should be matched to the particular hazard. It is the responsibility of management to exercise common sense and appropriate expertise to accomplish this hazard assessment.
The first step in developing a comprehensive safety and health program is to identify physical and health hazards in the workplace. Potential hazards may be physical or health related, and a hazard assessment should identify hazards in both categories. Examples of physical hazards include moving objects, fluctuating temperatures, high-intensity lighting, rolling or pinching objects, electrical hazards and sharp edges. Examples of health hazards include overexposure to harmful dusts, chemicals or radiation.
The hazard assessment should begin with a walk-through survey of the facility, by department, to develop a list of potential hazards in the following basic hazard categories:
• Impact
• Penetration
• Compression (roll over)
• Chemical
• Heat/cold
• Harmful dust
• Light (radiation)
• Noise
You should also review any history of occupational illness or injuries in the facility. Other things to look for during the walk-through should include:
• Sources of electricity
• Sources of motion and pinch points on machinery
• Types of chemicals and dust
• Sources of radiation
• Sources of high temperatures
• Secure storage
• Safe walking and working surfaces
• Safe egress
In addition to developing a list of potential hazards, the walkthrough can also be used to develop ideas for engineering and administrative changes that could eliminate the hazard.
When the walk-through is completed, the employer must organize and analyze the data to determine what personal protective equipment (PPE) is necessary in each department.
Employees must then be informed of required PPE and trained in proper use and care of all PPE.
Documentation of the hazard assessment is required through a written certification that includes the following information:
• Identification of the workplace evaluated.
• Name of person conducting the assessment.
• Date of the assessment and identification of the document.
• List of required PPE by department for the facility.
Jim’s Regulatory Tip
There are two levels of Electrical Safety Work Practices training for your employees. The first is for the Non-qualified employees (general work force) and the second is the Qualified employees (maintenance, electricians, technicians).
Qualified employees must be supplied and trained in the use of personal protective equipment for working safely with electricity. The type of PPE depends on the voltage and amperage of the electricity being worked with.
