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Learn about the 6 most common types of hazards in your workplace and how to identify them
Published October 16th, 2020
Workplace hazards are sources of potential harm or damage to someone or something in any work environment. Hazards in the workplace should be eliminated as soon as they are identified in order to prevent workplace injuries and deaths. Employers, managers, and safety officials can reduce common workplace hazards by establishing adequate safety protocols and hazard identification procedures and conducting regular hazard assessments.
There are workplace hazards that are commonly overlooked since the business is not aware of it. Identifying hazards can help prevent the likelihood of workplace incidents, accidents, or near-misses. OSHA identifies the 6 most common hazards in the workplace as follows:
Common Workplace Hazards
Chemical Hazards Are present when a worker is exposed to any chemical preparation in the workplace in any form (solid, liquid or gas). Some are safer than others but, to some workers who are more sensitive to chemicals, even common solutions can cause illness, skin irritation, or breathing problems. Beware of:
Ergonomic Hazards Occur when the type of work, body positions, and working conditions put strain on the body. They are the hardest to spot since you don’t always immediately notice the strain on the body and the harm that these hazards pose. Short term exposure may result in “sore muscles” the next day or in the days following exposure while long-term exposure can result in serious long-term illnesses. Ergonomic Hazards include:
Frequent lifting
Poor posture
Awkward movements, especially if they are repetitive
Repeating the same movements over and over
Having to frequently use too much force
Vibration Learn more about ergonomics in the workplace and 10 simple ergonomic principles to follow. Also browse for these free ergonomic assessment checklists.
Work Organization Hazards Hazards or stressors that cause stress (short term effects) and strain (long-term effects). These are the hazards associated with workplace issues such as workload, lack of control and/or respect, etc. Examples of work organization hazards include:
Physical Hazards Are factors within the environment that can harm the body without necessarily touching it. Physical Hazards include:
Hazard identification is a risk assessment practice that aims to identify and record safety risks and work hazards in order to ensure the safety of workers and personnel. Hazard identification is usually done:
Failure to identify hazards can often lead to serious injuries and dangers in the workplace. All safety and health programs must consistently identify and assess hazards to ensure that all workers are safe and protected. A hazard identification procedure is done through a collaborative effort of employers and workers. A step-by-step procedure could be as follows:
iAuditor by SafetyCulture is a cloud inspection software and mobile app. Improve your hazard identification process by using iAuditor to capture hazards on your mobile and analyze and correct safety incidents in real-time. Get started by downloading these free hazard identification checklists and modify them for your workplace needs.
Author
SafetyCulture staff writer
Carlo Sheen Escano is a contributing writer for SafetyCulture based in Makati City, Philippines. Sheen has experience in digital marketing and has been writing for SafetyCulture since 2018. His articles mainly discuss risks in the workplace and well-known safety and quality processes used to mitigate them. Furthermore, Sheen is passionate about providing insights to global customers on how technology can help them to do the best work of their lives.
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