A workplace is a place with various hazards, and it is vital to be aware of all of them if you work in these environments. Some of the common ones’ consultants identify are working at height, lockout, confined spaces, housekeeping, among many others. Therefore, it is vital to train your employees, instill a positive culture, and ensure they know how to use industrial surplus equipment and machinery. Use all the available resources to learn more about keeping workers safe and solving hazardous situations. Below are four common hazards you can find in some workplaces to avoid.
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1. Working at height
One common hazard in the workplace is working with height. Ladders and scaffoldings relate to the most frequently cited violations. Plus, working at height hazards come from a lack of knowledge and understanding. Some employers do not know they should provide fall protection gear, and it should be hooked up to something and work properly. Plus, some lack the written fall protection procedure. Therefore, every time you make decisions on purchases. Have a safety professional on the table to get safety advice. Also, ensure regular inspection of your gear. More importantly, if your workplace has no anchor points available, have an engineer install them. In this way, you ensure the safety proof the employees.
2. Electrical
Blocked breakers are an electrical risk in the workplace, but the most common is the inappropriate use of extension cords. For instance, use multiple power strips or extension cords for a device. Some workplaces use more than five extension cords all chained together. You may use new and heavy gauge extension cords, but they should be temporary. But if you use them for months, this is an open door for violation. Plus, they are a trip hazard when they lie on the ground for long periods. Also, they are subject to traffic abuse if run over by forklifts. More importantly, with a daisy chain of cords, it overdraws electricity. As a result, it causes the wires to heat up, resulting in a fire.
To proactively address these risks, it is wise to consider conducting a Thermographic Inspection. This method can allow professionals to identify overheating connections, loose wiring, and potential failures within your electrical system before they become catastrophic issues. In addition to thermographic inspections, it’s crucial to educate employees about proper extension cord usage and the importance of adhering to safety protocols.
3. Confined spaces
The reason tragedies occur in confined spaces is because the employer did not issue a permit to carry out a risk assessment. The lack of proper assessment of a confined space causes workplace hazards as fatal as a fire break out. The lack of knowledge is also a cause where people go in drains, for instance, with no permit, and they do not know it was not a confined space. Yet, with the correct permit process and risk assessment following all steps. The employers will not have a problem. Not planning for it, is planning to go through a disaster.
4. Poor housekeeping
It is a housekeeping problem if you have clutter blocking emergency exits. Another common issue is over-stacking the racks in a warehouse and bringing them close to the sprinkler head. Thus, it limits its efficiency in times of an emergency. Also, leaks, clutter, or standing water contributes to falls, trips, and slips. Sometimes it is safer for workers to clean such issues and not wait for the housekeeping team to care for such hazards. You can alert the supervisor if the spill or clutter needs specialized training to have the appropriate staff do it. Plus, the supervisor should ensure at the end of every shift. There is a clean-up to prevent housekeeping hazards. Also, check the storage situation and ensure appropriate areas are made available. For instance, if you use the electrical rooms to store supplies. What if there is an emergency and storage blocks the way to the electrical installations to save the issue? To sum up, the above are some of the common hazards in the workplace everyone should look out for. Also, tag-out and lockout procedures are hazards, but you can prevent injuries if you follow the procedures. Chemicals in the workplace are not left out either as some become explosive after some time, and mixing others can cause a deadly situation. Thus, staff needs training on dealing with these trouble spots in the workplace
