At the end of this module, you will be able to:
- Identify the need for safety at the workplace
- Explain why safety is a team effort
- Define "hazard"
- Describe how to identify hazards
- Describe how to control hazards
- Identify best practices for reporting, first aid, and emergency preparedness
The following key questions are answered in this module:
What should be the first priority of every worker?
Safety.
Who has to work together as a team to make a safe work place?
Employees, contract workers, visitors, vendors, supervisors, managers, and owners. In short, everyone.
Who is most responsible for your own safety?
You are.
What should you do if you see a coworker working unsafely?
Tell them in a friendly, courteous way.
What are three types of hazards?
Physical hazards, such as working around mobile equipment; work environment hazards, such as noise; and performance and behavioral hazards, such as those related to insufficient work and safety training.
What are some hazards in a typical workplace?
Equipment in motion; pinch points; rotational nips; sharp surfaces; hot surfaces; mobile equipment; excessive noise; hazardous materials; ergonomic hazards; and slips, trips, and falls.
How can hazards be controlled?
Elimination, substitution, engineering solutions, administrative solutions, and the use of PPE.
What is one of the first aspects of safety at work?
Good housekeeping, which is critical.
When should accidents, injuries, and near-misses be reported to employers?
Always.
Below is a transcript of the video sample provided for this module:
Safety begins with identifying hazards and then working to eliminate, avoid, reduce, or control them. A hazard is any situation or condition with the potential to harm life, health, property, or the environment. Hazards exist in all walks of life: at your home, on streets and highways, and in every workplace. Hazards can be placed into at least three main groups: physical hazards related to working around dangerous moving machine parts, mobile equipment and energy sources, work environment hazards associated with noise, air quality, toxic materials, or other job-related conditions, and performance and behavioral hazards resulting from a lack of hazard awareness, inexperience, carelessness, and/or insufficient training.
Use the additional resources and links below to learn more about this topic:
- U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) - www.osha.gov
- OSHA Safety & Health Training workers rights – www.osha.gov/workers.html
- OSHA employer responsibilities - www.osha.gov/as/opa/worker/employer-responsibility.html
- OSHA Training and resources – www.osha.gov/dte/
- National Safety Council – www.nsc.org