Common Environmental Hazards in the Workplace (with Safety Managers)

Safety is an essential part of creating a positive and healthy workplace. Businesses and professionals can help improve workplace safety by learning more about potential environmental hazards. Understanding the different safety risks that employees may face can help you design a safety plan and prevent accidents in the workplace.

Environmental hazards are substances or activities that pose a risk to ecosystems and the environment. It is important that your business understands its environmental impact and takes all reasonable steps to minimise it. Here we explain more about environmental risks and different examples of possible environmental hazards in your business.

Environmental Hazard: An Overview

Whether small or large, every employer must create a safe work environment. This obligation is not only moral and legal but also makes financial sense. An environmental hazard is a hazard caused by chemical, biological or physical agents from present or past human activity or a hazard that may be a characteristic existing in the natural environment. Any substance or physical agent that has the potential to threaten the surrounding natural environment or have an adverse effect on human health is considered an environmental hazard. The three different types of environmental risks include:

Chemical Hazard:

Perhaps the most common type of environmental hazard, chemical hazards, are substances that can cause significant harm to the environment or aquatic life. Using chemicals has allowed mankind to improve work processes and create innovative products and technologies that would not have been possible without them. But chemicals are often flammable, toxic, corrosive and flammable; they risk the workplace and the environment that must be managed and controlled. Common chemical hazards include heavy metals, pesticides, carcinogens, fungicides, etc.

Physical hazards:

Physical hazards include several occupational hazards that adversely affect human health with or without exposure. Examples are noise pollution, slip and trip hazards, smog, natural disasters, etc. Often workplaces do not see these hazards because damage can occur over time.

Biological hazards:

The definition of a biological hazard, commonly known as a biohazard, can be any biological substance that can be harmful to humans. Workplaces with these safety issues include, but are not limited to, work in schools, daycare centres, universities, hospitals, laboratories, paramedics, nursing homes, or various outdoor activities. Hospitals and other healthcare facilities often deal with biological hazards like pathogens, medical waste, etc.

Employees whose roles involve interactions with other people, animals, or infectious diseases are prime candidates for exposure to biological hazards. These risks include animal faeces, fungi, viruses, blood etc.

On construction sites, biological hazards are most likely to occur during demolition, earthworks or reclamation. For example, workers at demolition sites may be exposed to dust or water contaminated with bird droppings. These can lead to various diseases, such as histoplasmosis and other fatal respiratory issues.

Ergonomic hazards:

Ergonomic hazards arise when the type of work, posture, and working conditions put a strain on the body. Finding them is the hardest, as you may not immediately notice the pain and harm these dangers cause to your body. For example, short-term exposure can cause "myalgia" or sore muscles the day after or a few days after exposure, while long-term exposure can cause serious long-term problems. Manual workers face common ergonomic threats, such as standing in awkward positions, reaching for tools or carrying and moving objects heavily. Heavy tools should be appropriately labelled, and work compartments should be designed for easy and efficient operation.

Electrical hazards:

Electric shock and arcs are some of the most dangerous occupational hazards. Workplaces that handle large amounts of electricity will need a lockout/shutdown program, necessary PPE, and staff with appropriate training in electrical hazard management. The majority of electrical hazards involve construction workers coming into contact with electrical cables lying underground or overhead or when working at height near power lines. Improper handling of power tools or machines also contributes to these problems. More and more workers are also being electrocuted because they are given electrical work when they are not qualified, electricians.

Personal Health Hazard:

While this is not an environmental hazard that is required by an employer to be addressed, personal health may be related to the work environment and is, therefore, should be considered.

For example, solitary workers in remote areas without access to personal hygiene facilities such as toilets can put their health at risk. Another example is shift work which can lead to inadequate rest or poor sleep quality. The harmful effects of sleep deprivation can affect the health and safety of lone workers as well as the quality of work. Minimising individual health risks can often require a multi-pronged approach involving effective planning and providing amenities that promote comfort, such as toiletries.

Accident prevention and safety management in the workplace

Whether small or large, every employer must create a safe work environment. This obligation is not only a moral imperative and a legal obligation but also has financial implications. While there is no way to eliminate accidents completely, specific plans, preparations, and actions can be taken to reduce them.

Failure to detect hazards can often lead to severe injury and workplace hazards. All health and safety programs should systematically identify and assess hazards to ensure the safety and protection of all workers.

The hazard identification process is carried out through the collaborative effort of employers and workers. The step-by-step process could be as follows:

Investigation:

To identify workplace hazards and assess their risks, safety professionals test materials in the work environment, such as cleaning supplies and equipment, and for the safety. of the working environment itself. They can examine questions like:

Are there any chemicals that require special handling?

Is the workspace adequately ventilated?

Can workers get out safely and quickly?

Safety Analysis:

After measuring and sampling materials in the work environment or investigating the characteristics of the work environment, safety professionals must interpret the data collected. This way, they can assess the risks and prepare a report or summary of their findings. Their analysis used scientific evidence to determine how the environment could affect workers' health.

Review previous accidents:

Security experts and safety managers can further review accident and near-miss logs to investigate the program's root cause and shortcomings. They can browse free crash report templates and identify similar trends for all recorded incidents, illnesses, and hazards. They will determine the level of risk, importance, and frequency of each hazard to know which should be prioritized.

After analysis, security experts will develop protective interventions to prevent health risks. This involves establishing risk control guidelines, procedures, and policies. It also includes creating educational materials and communicating with workers about staying safe.

Implementation of industrial safety controls

Working around heavy machinery and equipment is part of everyday life for many people around the world in many different types of occupations and industries. Machines like forklifts, overhead cranes, conveyor belts, laser cutters, and almost anything imaginable can cause harm or injury if not used properly. These machines are often extremely powerful and heavy, but most importantly, they are unforgiving regarding the human error.

The design and implementation of industrial safety devices on heavy equipment have made many industries much safer places to work and greatly reduced the risks associated with using tools and machines that have the ability to do great harm. Safety guards prevent limbs and appendages from entering an area where they could be cut off or mutilated.

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