Workplace Health and Safety Manual - Infolific

WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY MANUAL

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................................... 3

INITIAL WARNING SIGNS THAT A WORKSITE IS UNSAFE .................................................................................... 3

RISK ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................................................... 4

GENERAL SAFETY ............................................................................................................................................. 5

USING TOOLS .................................................................................................................................................. 8

LIFTING HEAVY OBJECTS .................................................................................................................................. 8

VEHICLE SAFETY .............................................................................................................................................. 9

HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS ............................................................................................................................... 10

GASES ........................................................................................................................................................... 13

COMPRESSED GAS ......................................................................................................................................... 14

SELF-CONTAINED BREATHING APPARATUS (SCBA) .......................................................................................... 16

EXCAVATIONS ............................................................................................................................................... 16

HEIGHTS ....................................................................................................................................................... 17

WINDOW WASHING ...................................................................................................................................... 19

ELECTRICITY .................................................................................................................................................. 19

EXPLOSIVES .................................................................................................................................................. 21

EXTREME WEATHER ...................................................................................................................................... 22

EXTREME HEAT ............................................................................................................................................. 24

EXTREME COLD ............................................................................................................................................. 25

EXTREME ALTITUDE ....................................................................................................................................... 27

UNDERWATER WORK .................................................................................................................................... 28

MACHINERY .................................................................................................................................................. 29

ERGONOMICS ............................................................................................................................................... 31

FOOD HANDLING SAFETY............................................................................................................................... 32

BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS ................................................................................................................................... 34

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INTRODUCTION

Safety is no accident. Every worker has the right to a safe working environment. Every worker has the right to be

properly trained. Every worker has the right to refuse unsafe work. It is everyone¡¯s responsibility to assure that any

work undertaken meets minimum safety requirements. There is no work that is worth risking life and limb.

Safety can be achieved through a systematic approach to evaluating risks and seeking solutions to eliminating

them. This begins with all members of an organization that wish to create a safe and productive work

environment.

Although it may seem that increasing safety on the job will cost more, in the long run it is financially worse if

someone becomes injured or killed, especially if there are legal repercussions, which many times there are. All

employers, managers, etc., are responsible for what happens to their workers.

This manual is intended to offer information on how to improve Health & Safety (H&S). It is important to

understand however, that every job is different, and modifications may be needed. It is also important to seek

professional advice on the work site, e.g. an engineer, on how to make the environment safer.

WARNING SIGNS THAT A WORKSITE IS UNSAFE

1. There is no direct supervision of workers.

2. Training is non-existent or not adequate.

3. Orientation is not given to new workers.

4. Equipment is in poor working condition, or old and unkempt.

5. Floors are messy, dirty, or slippery.

6. There are no warning signs or posters, e.g. helmets must be worn, etc.

7. Injuries occur regularly.

8. Protection equipment is not used and/or is not provided.

9. Teamwork is non-existent, e.g. when something heavy needs lifting.

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RISK ASSESSMENT

A risk assessment is a process by which a work site is evaluated for safety. It should be done before work

commences by a competent, qualified, non-biased person. There are usually five steps to a risk assessment.

1.

Identify the hazards.

A hazard is anything that can cause harm. It can be chemical, electricity, falling objects, heights which can lead to

falls, wet floors which can lead to slipping, etc. Identifying a hazard is not difficult and can be done by most

competent workers with an open mind.

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Walk around and look. Imagine the place once workers arrive. What will they be doing? Where will they

be walking?

2.

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Check all the equipment that will be used, e.g. ladders, electrical, scaffolding, etc.

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Ask the workers if they can identify any risks.

Decide what kind of harm, and to whom, these hazards might inflict.

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Keep in mind young and inexperienced workers. Have they been trained properly? Have they been paired

up with a more experienced worker?

3.

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Will anyone else, such as visitors, contractors, be visiting the site?

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Is the area open to the public either during the work being carried out or after hours?

Evaluate the risks found then devise precautions to be taken.

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What is the best way to totally eliminate a risk?

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If it can only be reduced what methods can be used to achieve this? E.g. provide hand rails if there is a risk

of falling, issue more appropriate protective equipment, and provide training.

4.

5.

Implement the precautions decided upon and record what has been done.

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Make the changes that you decided, and then record them accurately for future reference.

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Share this information with the workers.

Repeat assessment. Because work environments change, sometimes daily, risk assessments need to be done

regularly. A danger that was not there yesterday might have presented itself today.

Other things to consider:

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If something is beyond your scope of expertise additional consultation should be explored.

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Accept feedback openly from workers as they are the ones directly involved in what is going on day to day and

may notice things you don¡¯t.

GENERAL SAFETY

There are some very basic safety precautions that need to be undertaken regardless of the type of work

environment that exists.

PERSONAL SAFETY EQUIPMENT

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Hard hats to provide protection from falling objects and from moving objects at ground level.

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Safety goggles to safeguard the eyes from dust or other debris, which can cause permanent eye damage. If

performing welding then additional protection needs to be used to prevent internal eye damage.

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Work gloves, to protect the hands from cuts, crush injuries, chemicals, and electricity. Obviously the type of

gloves used should be related to the type of work being carried out. For example, for chemical related work

the gloves should be made of thick plastic and be resistant to the chemical being used.

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Steel toed safety boots or shoes, to protect the toes and feet from crush injuries or from sharp objects on the

ground. If performing electrical work the type of boots worn should also provide relative protection.

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Brightly colored vests to increase visibility from machine operators and from other workers.

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Hearing protection to protect from loud noises, which can cause immediate damage and hearing loss, or from

constant noise, which can lead to tone deafness.

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Breathing barriers to protect from lung damage from dust, fumes, or chemicals. There are different types of

breathing barriers, and the ones used need to offer adequate protection from the type of work being carried

out. For example, a thin plastic mask over the mouth and nose will not provide adequate protection from

gases.

GENERAL SAFETY EQUIPMENT

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A first aid kit: well stocked, and checked regularly to replace used up supplies. The kit should be clearly visible

and should never be locked up. Everyone should know where it is.

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A first aid manual as a reference.

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A fire extinguisher: there are different types based on the material it will be used on, make sure this is

investigated first. There should be at least one extinguisher for every work area or for every room. It needs to

be clearly visible and everyone should be shown how to use it. The extinguisher also needs to be checked

monthly to make sure the charge is in the correct position, and replaced if there is a problem or if it is used.

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