Workplace Safety: Hazards, Risk Reduction, and Prevention
1. SAFETY AT WORK: FACTORS INVOLVED IN ACCIDENTS
1.1. Working Conditions
Working Conditions are the set of variables that define the performance of a specific task and the environment in which it takes place. These variables determine the health of the operator in three dimensions targeted by the WHO. The historical evolution of working conditions has been influenced by the concepts of work and health. The industrial revolution brought mechanization and the division of labor. Some companies adopted security measures to reduce accidents caused by new machines and work systems, also launching the first factory medical services. Today, working conditions are identified with the quality of working life.
1.2. Safety at Work
1.2.1. Job Security: Types of Security
Job security is the preventive medical technique aimed at focusing on the fight against industrial accidents by preventing and controlling their consequences. There are two approaches: prevention and protection. Depending on the techniques used, there are two types of security:
a) Scientific Security: Acts on the causes, identifying them, based on natural phenomena that science can know experimentally; it is essentially Security Engineering.
b) Integrated Security: Originates in the planning of facilities and services, design teams, product selection and use, etc.
1.2.2. Factors and Causes Involved in Accidents
At the origin of any accident, the immediate cause is either the existence of hazardous conditions or the commission of dangerous actions. Dangerous actions stem from factors such as routine performance of operations, lack of care, and breach of work rules, essentially indicating a lack of awareness and training. Hazardous conditions, inherent in the process or resulting from deviations, must be tackled through systematic inspections, reviews, engineering controls, etc. Underlying causes are due to personal factors (inadequate physical/mental ability, physical/mental stress, lack of knowledge, etc.) and work factors (poor supervision, poor engineering, poor maintenance, wear, etc.).
1.3. Security Techniques
Security techniques are used to achieve safety objectives, such as detecting and correcting risk factors for accidents at work and managing their consequences. These techniques include:
a) Risk analysis: Identification and risk assessment through the study of accidents.
b) Risk assessment: Hazard identification and risk estimation.
c) Risk control: Reducing or eliminating material damage to the operator and avoiding accidents.
Another classification of these techniques depends on their scope, mode of operation, site of application, purpose, and causes:
1. Analytical Techniques: Analyze and assess risks.
2. Operative Techniques: Prevent accidents through preventive or protective techniques, eliminating fire causes or reducing their effects.
2. CRITERIA FOR RISK REDUCTION IN THE WORKSHOP
The combination of the person and their job, called the Man-Machine System, is a unit establishing a mutual relationship. We must study each factor involved and determine its influence on the overall situation. The factors defining a work situation are grouped as follows:
- Security conditions
- Physical work environment
- Chemical and biological contaminants
- Workload
- Work organization
- Simultaneous presence of several factors
- Time of exposure
2.1. Risk Assessment
2.1.1. Identification of Risks in the Workplace
Frequently applied techniques for identifying risks are:
a) Document analysis
b) Statistical Analysis
c) Direct Observation
d) Employee Surveys
2.1.2. Risk Factors
These factors are grouped into five areas:
- Security risks: Machinery and equipment, tools, workspaces, handling and transport, electricity, fire.
- Physical: Physical work environment, energies affecting the employee: noise, vibration, lighting, radiation, humidity, and temperature.
- Chemical and biological contaminants: Substances with short- or long-term harmful effects on the worker, as well as human disease-causing organisms.
- Workload: Physical (postures, movements, etc.) and mental effort performed by the worker throughout their workday.
- Work organization: Factors related to the task, schedule, pace of work, human relations, etc., commonly leading to stress and dissatisfaction.
2.1.3. Measurement and Assessment of Risks in the Workplace
Measurement of workplace risks uses specific techniques, varying by risk type. Risk assessment compares measured results with acceptable standard values. An acceptable risk level allows worker exposure without endangering their health. This determines whether preventive or remedial measures are necessary.
2.2. Management of Prevention
Prevention avoids risk materialization by preventing damage, while protection techniques address damage consequences. Prevention is prioritized, followed by protection. Prevention techniques include:
1. Medical: Occupational medicine, acting on prevention, care, and rehabilitation.
2. Non-medical:
a) Industrial security: analytical and operational techniques.
b) Industrial hygiene: theory, field, analytical, and operational hygiene.
c) Ergonomics: comfort or well-being.
d) Social policy: standards and institutions.
e) Psychology: recruitment and career guidance.
2.2.1. General Principles of Prevention
Occupational Health and Safety activities aim to eliminate or reduce workplace risks. The general principles of prevention are:
1. Avoiding risks.
2. Assessing unavoidable risks.
3. Combating risks at the source.
4. Adapting work to the person.
5. Considering technological developments.
6. Replacing dangerous elements with safer ones.
7. Planning prevention.
8. Prioritizing collective protection over individual protection.
9. Providing appropriate instructions to workers.
2.2.2. Methodology for Action in Prevention of Occupational Risks
The Plan establishes general prevention principles: safety and health protection, risk elimination or reduction, information, consultation, participation, and worker training. Proactive planning should include:
1. Initial Risk Assessment: Evaluate all risk factors in the working environment at the start of a new activity, when changes occur, or to assess previous preventive actions.
2. Prioritization: Decide which risks to address first based on severity, number of exposed workers, and exposure time.
2.2.3. Specific Objectives of the Prevention Plan
The objectives must be realistic, measurable, and defined in different areas with timelines.
2.2.4. Actions to be Developed
These are the operative elements of the program, defined precisely for implementation scheduling and resource allocation.
2.2.5. Means and Budget
Specify the economic, material, and human resources needed to achieve the objectives.
2.2.6. Evaluation Criteria and Control
Establish a permanent monitoring system for preventive programs to correct deviations and check the implementation of planned measures. Establish criteria to assess the achievement of plan goals.
2.2.7. Planning for Total Control of Losses
This Integrated Safety System, developed by Frank F. Bird, is gaining ground in Spain as a leading safety program.
2.2.8. Accident Investigation
Accident investigation is a security technique that analyzes accidents in detail to determine what happened and why, without blaming, but to prevent repetition. Investigate all accidents, whether or not injury occurs, to prevent more severe incidents.
2.3. Agencies and Institutions in the Prevention of Occupational Risks
: The government on labor issues developed functions: promoting prevention, technical advice, monitoring and enforcement, monitoring, preventive actions and penalties for breaches of legislation prevención.Los most important agencies are the Inspectorate of Labour and Social Security and National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health at Work. In addition there are certain powers that belong either to the Central Government or to the Autonomous Communities. 2.4. The occupational health: The Occupational Health is the one concerned with the study of relationships and effects on the worker produces pollutants, physical, chemical and biological systems in their workplace, or in the development Industrial.El Environment work activity produces a series of environmental pollution factors are classified as chemical, physical and chemical and biological contaminants biológicos.Los penetrate the human body through the following channels: respiratory, cutaneous, gastrointestinal, mucosal and parenteral absorption . 2.4.1. Preventive techniques: Improving working conditions means that, at the same time to avoid damage and diseases caused by work, we must ensure that it is held in comfortable conditions, in addition to not harm either physically, mentally or socially , allowing the development of individuals through its Industrial Hygiene trabajo.La: covers a set of techniques whose purpose is to modify the work environment. This will avoid the same aggressiveness and the emergence of diseases. This technique is based on the recognition, evaluation and control of environmental factors. 2.4.2. Ergonomics: Ergonomics understand as the set of techniques aimed at adapting the workplace to person.The ergonomics goals are to provide a state of harmony between the workers and their working environment, improve safety and the environment work, provide the comfort and production efficiency, reduce the physical and nervous and create jobs seguros.Pero this approach is invalid if it does not take into account at all times to the employee, not only as a passive object of study but also as active subjects participating in improving their jobs. 2.4.3. Housekeeping in the workplace: The cleanliness and order at work, long, are considered as aspects of professionalism of the organization understand trabajadores.Por order that allows for a suitable place for everything and that everything is kept in place ello.Y allocated for cleaning, as a complement to order, including proper painting the spaces, the removal of waste products, cleaning of floors, ceilings, windows, etc. 2.5. . Information, training and participation of workers. 2.5.1. Information: The first performance of the employee should be to strive to be informed of the risks that threaten them and how to act to prevent them. While giving information does not provide the security guarantee to do so it may involve an increase in claims.2.5.2. Training: Training in Occupational Health and Safety can be defined as the action or actions aimed at imparting knowledge and changing attitudes, with the aim of the recipients who are able to: play a desired preventative behavior and integrate a number of elements to to analyze the situation and react adecuada.La Act Occupational Health and Safety provides the employer’s obligation to ensure education and training, adequate and appropriate in custody. This training will be in hours of work, or else at other times with the discount of the day of the time invested in it. 2.5.3. Participation: We need a direct participation of workers in the field of Occupational Health and Safety, this requires that workers have access to existing information on hazards in your workplace involved in achieving prevention objectives, that they communicate the decisions and also workers are entitled to make proposals to improve levels of safety and health protection in the enterprise.