The Five Workplace Hazard Categories
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The Five Workplace Hazard Categories
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Look for hazards in each of these five categories. To help identify workplace hazards it’s useful to categorize them into an easy-to-remember acronym: “MEEPS”.
- The first three categories, Materials, Equipme nt and Environment, represent hazardous physical conditions that, according to SAIF Corporation, account for about 3% of all workplace accidents.
- The fourth category, People, describes behaviors in the workplace which may contribute up to 95% of all workplace accidents.
- The fifth hazard category, Systems, includes all elements of the safety management system. System hazards may contribute to both the hazardous conditions and unsafe behaviors, and therefore, may be ultimately responsible for up to 98% of all accidents in the workplace.
Let’s take a closer look at each of the five hazard categories:
- Materials:
Hazardous materials include hazardous:
- Liquid and solid chemicals such as acids, bases, solvents, explosives, etc. The hazard communication program is designed to communicate the hazards of chemicals to employees, and to make sure they use safe work practices when working with them.
- Solids like metal, wood, plastics. Raw materials used to manufacture products are usually bought in large quantities, and can cause injuries or fatalities in many ways.
- Gases like hydrogen sulfide, methane, etc. Gas may be extremely hazardous if leaked into the atmosphere. Employees should know the signs and symptoms related to hazardous gases in the workplace.
- Equipment:
This area includes machinery and tools used to produce or process goods. These examples all represent hazardous conditions in the workplace.
- Hazardous equipment should be properly guarded so that it’s virtually impossible for a worker to be placed in a danger zone around moving parts that could cause injury or death. A preventive maintenance program should be in place to make sure equipment operates properly. A corrective maintenance program is needed to make sure equipment that is broken, causing a safety hazard, is fixed immediately.
- Tools need to be in good working order, properly repaired, and used for their intended purpose only. Any maintenance person will tell you that an accident can easily occur if tools are not used correctly. Tools that are used while broken are also very dangerous.
- Environment:
- This area includes facility design, hazardous atmospheres, temperature, noise, factors that cause stress, etc. Are there areas in your workplace that are too hot, cold, dusty, dirty, messy, wet, etc. Is it too noisy, or are dangerous gases, vapors, liquids, fumes, etc., present? Do you see short people working at workstations designed for tall people? Such factors all contribute to an unsafe environment.
- People:
- This area includes unsafe employee behaviors at all levels in the organization such as taking short cuts, not using personal protective equipment, and otherwise ignoring safety rules.
- System:
- Every company has, to some degree, a safety and health management system (SHMS). It’s good to think of the “state” of the SHMS as a condition. For instance, management may develop and implement ineffective policies, procedures and safety rules. I consider a flawed SHMS as a systemic hazardous condition because it could increase the number accidents. If the condition of the SHMS is flawed, it may also result in manager and supervisor behaviors such as ignoring safe behaviors or by directing unsafe work practices that will contribute to accidents in the workplace.
To remember the five hazard areas, just remember the acronym:
MEEPS = Materials, Equipment, Environment, People, and System.
Source: OSHAcademy Manual[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_btn title=”Form Request Quotation/Penawaran” align=”center” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Findohes.com%2Fform-permintaan-penawaran%2F||” button_block=”true”][/vc_column][/vc_row]