Resolving Common Safety Hazards

The foundation of workplace safety rests on the General Duty Clause of 1970 (Section 5, (1)(a)(1)), which mandates that every employer must provide a workplace "free from recognized hazards" that are likely to cause death or serious physical harm. This isn't just a guideline—it's the law.

Knowing Your Risks: Office vs. Industry

While the mandate is universal, the hazards vary dramatically by environment. At Allied Human Resources, for instance, our primary office hazards are threats like fire, earthquakes, storms, active shooters, drug testing hazards, and bomb threats. These focus on emergency preparedness and security.

Contrast this with the persistent dangers that dominate OSHA's Top Ten cited violations in major industries:

• Construction hazards revolve around physicality: Fall Protection, Ladders, Scaffolding, and the necessary training and personal protective equipment (PPE).

• General Industry threats focus on equipment and communication: Hazard Communication, Powered Industrial Trucks, Lockout/Tagout procedures, Respiratory Protection, and proper Machinery and Machine Guarding.

A Six-Step Strategy for Hazard Control

To move from merely identifying hazards to actively controlling them, companies can follow a structured process:

1. Gather Information: Start with what you already have. Review equipment manuals, inspection reports, and most importantly, injury and illness records like your OSHA 300 and 301 logs. Don't forget to talk to your employees and supervisors—they see the hazards every day.

2. Inspect for Physical Dangers: Visually inspect your work area for immediate safety hazards. Establishing a Safety Committee is highly effective for this ongoing effort.

3. Identify Health Hazards: These are often the quiet killers. Review Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for chemical dangers. Use monitoring devices to check for excessive noise levels, extreme heat, or radiation. Finally, assess ergonomic risks, looking for issues like repetitive motions and above-shoulder lifting.

4. Investigate Every Incident: A comprehensive safety program doesn't just record injuries. It requires investigation of all incidents, including illnesses, close calls (or near misses), hospitalizations, and deaths, to understand the root cause.

5. Plan for the Unexpected: Identify hazards specific to emergency and non-routine situations. This means planning for scenarios like fire and explosions, chemical spills, disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and workplace violence.

6. Implement Controls: Once hazards are known, establish methods to eliminate or minimize them. This could mean enforcing the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), limiting employee response to specific incidents (like bloodborne pathogens), or disposing of damaged equipment.

The Continuous Commitment to Safety

After all this documentation and planning, is the safety program complete? Unfortunately, no. Safety is a continuous program that demands regular attention—it's not a one-time fix.

• In construction, this means daily safety briefings in the morning. By day's end, the site must be secured: debris is cleared, flammable materials are stored correctly, trash is removed, all electrical equipment is unplugged, and heavy machinery is de-energized and placed in a neutral position.

• In an office location, simple everyday habits drastically reduce risk. Turning off electronics minimizes the chance of fire. Disinfecting your work area helps minimize the spread of disease, and clearing desks reduces clutter and injury risk. Daily trash collection reduces vermin. Furthermore, basic maintenance of your walking areas is critical for minimizing Slips, Trips, and Falls.

Whether on a construction site or in an office, identifying your hazards is always the first, most crucial step toward reducing common safety risks.

Reference: OSH Act of 1970