Risk Assessment of Occupational Exposures & Work Environment Dr Sharon East-Miles Consultant Occupational Physician Winchester Surgical & Medical

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1 Risk Assessment of Occupational Exposures & Work Environment Dr Sharon East-Miles Consultant Occupational Physician Winchester Surgical & Medical Institute, 3/3A Winchester Rd, Kgn. 10

2 Outline Introduction General Principles of Risk Assessment Process Types of Exposures Risk management Summary Questions 2

3 What is Risk Assessment? Hazard versus Risk A hazard is any exposure that may cause harm A risk is the chance or probability that someone could be harmed by these and other hazards and an indication of how serious the harm could be Risk assessment is simply an understanding of what, in your business, might cause harm to people. It is not about creating realms of documents but identifying measures to control risks in the workplace 3

4 General Principles Consists of 4 components: Hazard identification Hazard characterization Exposure assessment Estimation of risk 4

5 Five Steps Identify the hazards Decide who might be harmed and how Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions or measures Record your significant findings Review your assessment periodically and update as necessary 5

6 Identify the Hazards Check manufacturer s instructions or Material Safety Data Sheets for Chemicals Review your accident and ill-health records Take account of both routine and non-routine operations Think about long-term hazards to health Do some research, for example, visit OSHA, NIOSH and HSE websites 6

7 Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions or measures Decide how likely it is that harm will occur and what to do about it You are unlikely to eliminate all risks You are not expected to anticipate unforeseeable risks Make sure you know the main risks and measures to reduce those as much as is reasonably practicable 7

8 Decide who might be harmed and how Think about how employees, contractors, visitors might be harmed Ask your employees what they think the hazards may be and who may be more susceptible to harm Identify the job roles and groups of people that might be affected Some specific groups apart from the obvious are pregnant females, disabled persons, members of the public 8

9 Precautions or Control measures Follow the principles of industrial or occupational hygiene when thinking of control measures: Elimination or substitution Engineering controls Administrative controls Personal protective equipment 9

10 Record your significant findings Record your findings in a simple but systematic way similar to the steps used for risk assessment. Place hazards in order of importance with the most serious ones first Identify measures that can be applied quickly and remember long term solutions for risks with the most serious consequences Templates available on HSE website 10

11 Review your assessment periodically and update as necessary Review on ongoing basis Workplace is dynamic Any significant changes? Are there still improvements needed? Have your employees brought anything new to your attention? Are there any lessons to be learnt from accidents, near misses, sickness absence? 11

12 Types of Exposures Physical Chemical Musculoskeletal/ Ergonomic Psychosocial Biological 12

13 Physical Hazards Physical- noise, vibration, lighting, temperature, radiation, fire, work at high altitude or heights, electricity, fast-moving dangerous equipment Many have measurable parameters with recommended standards and extensive guidance internationally Check OSHA, NIOSH websites and industry standards 13

14 Chemical Hazards Chemical- particles, fibres, fumes, mists, metals, organic compounds, inorganic gases Exposure measurable by air sampling and analysis- industrial/occupational hygienist Chemicals have material safety data sheets and classification and labelling requirements Many have established occupational exposure limits and dose-response data available allowing for quantitative risk assessment Be mindful of mixture of chemicals and their effect on each other and production of other chemicals resulting from processing Airborne or direct contact Entry by inhalation into the lungs, contact with skin and absorption through skin and mucous membranes, ingestion 14

15 Musculoskeletal/ Ergonomic Hazards Musculo-skeletal/ ergonomic- lifting, handling, posture, repetitive work, mechanical Ergonomics is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system. Ergonomics affect almost every type of work Related to the task, the individual, organizational 15

16 Musculoskeletal/ Ergonomic Hazards Contd. Adverse effects of poor ergonomic design include accidents, injuries, musculoskeletal disease (back, neck and upper limb), stress, decreased efficiency, poor productivity Manual lifting or handling of loads one of the most common and important ergonomic hazards Posture- main component of risk is non-neutral posture Repetitive work- increased risk with rapid cycle time, tight grip, short recovery time, awkward posture, forced pacing, excessive workload Mechanical hazards- operation of machinery 16

17 Psychosocial Hazards Any factor that may cause distress or psychological harm Organisational- job content, workplace culture, organizational structure, environment, organization of work, relationships, home-work interface 17

18 Biological Hazards Biological- human tissue, body fluids, microbial pathogens, genetically modified organisms, animals & animal products, organic dusts & mists Healthcare workers Hospital/medical/veterinary/public health laboratory workers/ mortuary/security personnel/ correction officers/ business travellers Recurrent epidemics e.g. influenza Canteens Routes of Exposure- through non-intact skin or intact mucous membranes, inhalation, ingestion 18

19 Assessing Work Environment For work environments concerns are outdoor air pollution, indoor air pollution. Measurement of air quality essential for risk assessment Outdoor air quality- mixture of general air pollution and workplace emissions Indoor air quality specifically the employer s responsibility. Health conditions associated with buildings sick building syndrome other identifiable building related illnesses e.g. Legionnaires disease, humidifier fever 19

20 Examples of Risk Assessments 20

21 Risk Management Entails the application of value judgements to decide between possible courses of action, given the estimated risks and benefits associated with each option. Value judgements should reflect the interests of all people who could be affected by the decision with greatest weight being given to the interests of those most affected. Risk Communication- effectively communicate the total risk process and risk characterization to all stakeholders Instruction Training 21

22 SUMMARY Risk assessment invaluable tool in occupational health and safety to identify hazards, quantify risks Guides risk management- implementation of control measures in a methodical and logical way; tests their effectiveness Dynamic- continuous quality improvement uncertainty, change Applicable to all job roles and work environments. 22

23 References Oxford Handbook of Occupational Health 2 nd Edition by Smedley, Dick, Sadhra ILO Encyclopaedia of Occupational Health and Safety

24 THANK YOU FOR LISTENING ANY QUESTIONS? 24

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