Hazard Recognition and Control Flashcards
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Read the first 6 Hazard Recognition and Control flashcards as text
A safety supervisor is evaluating control measures for a newly identified hazard. According to the hierarchy of controls, which of the following actions should be considered the MOST effective?
Answer: Redesigning the equipment to remove the source of the hazard.
The hierarchy of controls ranks hazard control methods from most to least effective. Elimination, which involves physically removing the hazard, is the most effective measure. Redesigning the equipment to remove the source of the hazard is an example of an engineering control that aims to eliminate the hazard at its source. Administrative controls like new work procedures and safety meetings, and PPE are lower on the hierarchy and considered less effective.
During a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA), what is the primary purpose of breaking a job down into a sequence of steps?
Answer: To identify potential hazards associated with each specific action.
The core purpose of a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) is to identify and control hazards. Breaking a job into its fundamental steps allows for a systematic examination of each action to identify associated potential hazards that might otherwise be overlooked in a general assessment. While a JHA can inform PPE selection, training, and time assessment, its principal function is hazard identification at the task level.
A manufacturing facility tracks the 'number of safety observations reported by employees' each month. This metric is an example of what type of safety performance indicator?
Answer: A leading indicator
Leading indicators are proactive, preventive, and predictive measures that monitor events leading up to incidents. Tracking the number of safety observations is a proactive measure that encourages hazard identification before an incident occurs. Lagging indicators, in contrast, measure outcomes after an event has happened, such as the number of injuries or lost workdays.
A risk assessment matrix is used to prioritize hazards by evaluating them based on which two key factors?
Answer: Likelihood of occurrence and severity of potential harm
A risk assessment matrix is a tool used to evaluate and prioritize risks by categorizing them based on their likelihood (or probability) of occurring and the potential impact (or severity) of the consequences. This allows safety professionals to focus resources on the most significant risks.
A supervisor at a construction site observes an employee using a damaged ladder to reach an elevated platform. This situation represents what type of workplace hazard?
Answer: Safety Hazard
Safety hazards are unsafe working conditions that can cause injury, illness, or death. Examples include spills, blocked aisles, unguarded machinery, and working from heights on unsafe equipment like a damaged ladder. Ergonomic hazards relate to strain on the body, chemical hazards to harmful substances, and biological hazards to organic materials like bacteria or viruses.
Which of the following is the best example of a 'substitution' control measure in the hierarchy of controls?
Answer: Using a water-based solvent instead of a toxic chlorinated solvent.
Substitution is the second most effective control in the hierarchy and involves replacing a hazardous material or process with a less hazardous one. Using a water-based solvent in place of a toxic one is a direct example of this principle. Installing guards is an engineering control, mandating PPE is a personal protective equipment control, and rotating workers is an administrative control.