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Hazards
in Construction Site
Cahyono Bintang Nurcahyo, ST, MT
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Definition
A hazard is a potential source of harm or adverse health
effect on a person or persons.
Risk is the likelihood that a person may be harmed or
suffers adverse health effects if exposed to a hazard.
If there was a spill of water in a room, then that water will
present a slipping hazard to persons passing to it.
If access to that area was prevented by a physical barrier,
then the hazard would remain though the risk would be
minimized.
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Therefore, a tiger in cage is less risk as compared to a tiger out of cage.
Furthermore, a tiger in cage is less dangerous than a tiger out of cage since the
hazard is already controlled.
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A common way to classify hazards
is by category:
Biological – bacteria, viruses, insects, plants, birds, animals, and
humans, etc.,
Chemical – depends on the physical, chemical and toxic
properties of the chemical,
Ergonomic – repetitive movements, improper set up of
workstation, work position, work posture, etc.,
Physical – radiation, magnetic fields, temperature extremes,
pressure extremes (high pressure or vacuum), noise, etc.,
Psychosocial – stress, violence, etc.,
Safety – slipping/tripping hazards, inappropriate machine
guarding, equipment malfunctions or breakdowns.
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Hazard identification can be done:
During design and implementation
Designing a new process or procedure
Purchasing and installing new machinery
Before tasks are done
Checking equipment or following processes
Reviewing surroundings before each shift
While tasks are being done
Be aware of changes, abnormal conditions, or sudden emissions
During inspections
Formal, informal, supervisor, health and safety committee
After incidents
Near misses or minor events
Injuries
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Hazard Maps : Grocery Store
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Spot The Hazard
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Hazard Identification
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Hazard Identification
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Hazard Identification
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Risk Assessment
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Control Measure
Control measures include actions that can be taken to reduce
the potential of exposure to the hazard, or the control
measure could be to remove the hazard or to reduce the
likelihood of the risk of the exposure to that hazard being
realised.
A simple control measure would be the secure guarding of
moving parts of machinery eliminating the potential for
contact. When we look at control measures we often refer to
the hierarchy of control measures.
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Control Measure
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1. Eliminate The Hazard
Elimination of the hazard is not always achievable though it
does totally remove the hazard and thereby eliminates the
risk of exposure.
An example of this would be that petrol station attendants in
Ireland are no longer exposed to the risk of chronic lead
poisoning following the removal of lead from petrol products
sold at forecourts.
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2. Substitute the hazard with a
lesser risk
Substituting the hazard may not remove all of the hazards
associated with the process or activity and may introduce
different hazards but the overall harm or health effects will
be lessened.
In laboratory research, toluene is now often used as a
substitute for benzene. The solvent-properties of the two are
similar but toluene is less toxic and is not categorised as a
carcinogen although toluene can cause severe neurological
harm.
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3a. Isolate the hazard
Isolating the hazard is achieved by restricting access to plant
and equipment or in the case of substances locking them
away under strict controls.
When using certain chemicals then a fume cupboard can
isolate the hazard from the person, similarly placing noisy
equipment in a non-accessible enclosure or room isolates the
hazard from the person(s).
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3b. Use engineering controls
Engineering Controls involve redesigning a process to place
a barrier between the person and the hazard or remove the
hazard from the person, such as machinery guarding,
proximity guarding, extraction systems or removing the
operator to a remote location away from the hazard.
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4. Use administrative controls
Administrative controls include adopting standard operating
procedures or safe work practices or providing appropriate
training, instruction or information to reduce the potential for
harm and/or adverse health effects to person(s).
Isolation and permit to work procedures are examples of
administrative controls.
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5. Use personal protective
equipment
Personal protective equipment (PPE) include gloves, glasses, earmuffs,
aprons, safety footwear, dust masks which are designed to reduce
exposure to the hazard.
PPE is usually seen as the last line of defence and is usually used in
conjunction with one or more of the other control measures.
An example of the weakness of this control measure is that it is widely
recognised that single-use dust masks cannot consistently achieve and
maintain an effective facepiece-to-face seal, and cannot be adequately
fit-tested and do not offer much, if any real protection against small
particulates and may lead to a false sense of security and increase risk.
In such instances an extraction system with fitted respirators may be
preferable where the hazard may have significant health effects from
low levels of exposure such as using isocyante containing chemicals.
